REMEDY LANE

First of all, I would like to thank the ProgArchives community for bringing Pain of Salvation to my attention. I saw the high ratings and decided to try them out. I've purchased four albums so far: The Perfect Element Part I, Remedy Lane, Be, and 12:5 and have thoroughly enjoyed each one.

For me, Pain of Salvation bridges the gap between my Neo Prog (Marillion, Pendragon, Arena), Prog Metal (Dream Theater, Devin Townsend, Riverside), and Prog Related (Coheed and Cambria) tastes. PoS covers that entire range quite well and then some. Even their heaviest material maintains musical integrity without resorting to thrashing, machine-gun drums, vocal growling, or skill showboating (a reason why prog metal is often hit or miss for me). Their music has great harmonies, soaring emotion, violent rage, and gentle melodies. Add to that one of the best vocalists I've ever heard and this band clearly demonstrates that it is a rare find.

This is an excellent album which is equally as good as The Perfect Element Part 1. While TPE is more consistent, Remedy Lane has more peaks and valleys and in my opinion has more easily identifiable songs. It also has what I would call a more wicked temperament. Good examples of this would be Fandango and Beyond the Pale. The latter of which is a masterpiece of emotive songwriting. The phrase beyond the pale means outside agreed standards of decency, which fits this song well. Dryad of the Woods is also an excellent instrumental and exemplifies the band's ability to write gentle melodic music as well as heavy impassioned music.

Songs: Beginnings (8/10), Ending Theme (7/10), Fandango (9/10), A Trace of Blood (8/10), This Heart of Mine (8/10), Undertow (8/10), Rope Ends (7/10), Chain Sling (9/10), Dryad of the Woods (10/10), Remedy Lane (8/10), Waking Every God (8/10), Second Love (9/10), Beyond the Pale (10/10)