THE PERFECT ELEMENT - PART 1

Few bands have been able to captivate me as much as Pain of Salvation. Their unique brand of metal is not the easiest to digest, but of all the progressive metal bands I've encountered in my searches, none have been able to have as much substance as style in their music as Pain of Salvation. When I first heard The Perfect Element, Part 1, I thought that it was a good album, but didn't give much thought to it. As of late, though, now that my fascination with Pain of Salvation has grown exponentially, I've come to realize the genius of this album. No individual song is weak and all of the songs work together to tell a heartwrenching, although obtuse, story of human emotion and the trials and tribulations of life itself.

I can't really specify which songs are the absolute best, as they all add a certain element to the album, which wouldn't be complete if it weren't there. The songs that leave the biggest impression on me are Used, which opens the album with a bang but then takes so many twists and turns musically that this sounds like a new Pain of Salvation. Other songs that really grab my attention are Idioglossia and King of Loss, which show the band's intuitive use of orchestrations which would become the focal point of albums like BE and to a significantly lesser extent Remedy Lane, and The Perfect Element, which may be one of the best closing Pain of Salvation songs thus far, it sums up the album perfectly and it leaves the listener feeling complete. Although I only named a few songs here, I want to highly stress that I have high admiration for every single song on this album, every second of every piece is well worth the listen.

The Perfect Element, along with Entropia, remain my favorite Pain of Salvation albums, and I can't stress enough how much they've affected me as of late. I wouldn't consider myself a Pain of Salvation fanboy (I certainly don't want to come across as one with this review), but I can't recommend this album highly enough. Everything about it is perfect, and it may be the perfect introduction to Pain of Salvation for anyone who hasn't heard them yet. 5/5.

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