12:5

It´s really ironic that my favorite album from swedish metal progsters Pain Of Salvation is their live unplugged CD. Not that I don´t like the others, I do. I still think Remedy Lane is a very strong and emotional album. But really, those wonderful songs are sometimes hidden behind a wall of guitar riffs, noises and effects. On 12:5 things change dramatically, sine it is a ´real´ acoustic album. Unlike most of the MTV sponsored affairs, this time there are no famous guests, no orchestras, no female backing vocals or extra musicians to beef up the songs. Only the band with minimum instrumentation. Even the keyboards are down to piano and harpsichord.

In that enviroment, only good, well suited songs could survive. And they do. It´s amazing how such complex, strong and emotional tunes work without the barrage of electric noise Pain Of Salvation is famous of. And to be quite frank, I´m also amazed how those stripped down way of playing did not represent a softening of those same songs. They remain intricated, challenging and defying categorizations. Even those unsettling , anguish feelings of some songs seems to be as strong as ever, if not even more so, with the new arrangements. Sometimes the beauty of the melodies are enhanced too, like in Ashes, where the fine vocal harmonies are more proeminent.

This is not an easy listening album. This is a much interesting experience through Daniel Gildenlöw´s ingenious compositons, even though it is also disturbing at times. In other words, a great work of art. Those guys really can cut it. 12:5 is an excellent addition to any prog collection.