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Pain Of Salvation - Entropia CD (album) cover

ENTROPIA

Pain Of Salvation

 

Progressive Metal

4.09 | 626 ratings

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Gatot
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
4 stars "Walk with me and see the world I see. It is our home it's where we all belong."

My musical journey with Pain of Salvation has put this debut album at my last listening pleasure. Why? This album did not sound accessible to my ears at first spin because the music was a bit rough edged, half-polished, strange melody (even not melodic at all?) plus strange singing style. I put it aside after listening until track three or four, put the CD on my shelf and never played it again. Too heavy for my ears and I had other prog CDs to enjoy - why spending my time for music that was not friendly to me. There were bunch of prog music that I could enjoy at the time. Forget it!

My true experience enjoying Pain of Salvation was with "Perfect Element Part 1" album where I got the used CD. It amazed me and since then I explored other albums of the band and I enjoyed their newer albums very much. Entropia came into picture after I enjoyed the acoustic live album 12:5 especially with the Leaving Entropia song. Oh, the lyrics and singing style are really superb! Since then I regularly put the CD at my player and my appreciation to this album grew steadily .

This album comprises three chapters with one foreward - it's like reading a well-structured scientific or management book. The album's foreword titled as "! (Foreword)" (6:11) is an energetic song with aggressive singing and stunning guitar work as rhythm, riffs as well as melody. The second track "Welcome To Entropia" is basically a music loop that reminds me to Peter Gabriel's music followed with hard driving music started with unique Gildenlow's yell in the opening of "Winning A War" (6:33). The music turns frequently between hard and soft part with energetic voice line. "People Passing By" (9:07) starts differently with dynamic solo bass line continued with riffs and vocal. The composition of this track is much complex than previous tracks exploring stunning double guitar solos. "Oblivion Ocean" (4:43) concludes Chapter 2 with a mellow track - only guitar fills accompany singing style. Excellent track.

Chapter II starts with "Stress (5:01)" with drum solo accompanied with a combination of percussion / drum and guitar riffs and wonderful bass lines. It's so amazing track with complex arrangement combining inventive guitar fills, bass guitar and unique singing. "Revival" (7:39) continues the music with relatively fast tempo style combining guitar riffs and keyboard sounds. "Void Of Her" (1:46) is a blues based bridge with stunning electric guitar solo. "To The End" (4:57) concludes Chapter II with heavy and interrupted guitar riffs followed with continuous music in relatively medium / fast tempo style.

Chapter III starts with "Circles" (0:55) which is actually a bass guitar solo outfit followed with melodic guitar fills that accompany singing. "Nightmist" (6:49) is probably the track that combines symphonic and prog metal music. "Plains Of Dawn" (7:23) is a melodic song with a slow / medium tempo and multi vocalists. The album concludes with "Leaving Entropia (epilogue)" (2:31) - an acoustic outfit with powerful lyrics and vocal quality.

It's an excellent addition to any progressive music collection even though the music is (I think) not accessible at first spin. Recommended.

"You don't have to cry for more. You don't have to have it all. You don't have to win a war if death is but a dream. Then don't let me... ...fall asleep"

Progressively yours, GW

Gatot | 4/5 |

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