PAIN OF SALVATION Gig Review

Support Acts: Cryptex

London Relentless Garage, 13th February 2012

Review by Yiannis (John) Stefanis

To say that changes on a grand scale have taken place in the Pain Of
Salvation camp since they last visited London back in November 2011 as
an opening act for fellow Swedes Opeth would be the understatement of
the century. Having suffered the loss of guitarist extraordinaire and
much loved member Johan Hallgren back in October, less than a month
later it was keyboardist Fredrik Hermansson who announced his decision
to leave the fold, leading many fans of the Eskilstuna-based outfit
wondering over the band’s future. Whereas most bands would have opted
for dissolution at this point, founding member and main man Daniel
Gildenlow managed to employ the services of two musicians and, in a very
short period of time, prepare them for a twenty nine day European tour –
a tour that, luckily for us, made a stop at the Highbury and
Islington’s Relentless Garage on the night of the 13th of February 2012.

Having arrived outside the venue quite early on in order to do an
interview with a, sadly, fairly under-the-weather Daniel, I soon found
myself part of a pretty decent queue and, not long thereafter, I claimed
a strategic spot quite close to the stage. My excitement of seeing Pain
Of Salvation as headliners so soon after last November’s impressive
short performance at the Brixton Academy was such that I did not even
bother to check out the opening act Cryptex in advance – much to my
detriment as this Hannover-based trio ended up absolutely blowing my
mind! Though quite young looking, this Progressive Folk Rock trio
radiated enormous amounts of confidence and power, using all the
available stage space to the maximum and literally pounding their
instruments to breaking point. It was Simon Moskon’s (lead vocals,
piano/keys, bass) individual performance which predominantly attracted
people’s attention and rightfully so, as this guy probably consumed more
energy during the show than my four year old nephew. With a rough
Blues/Rock voice which perfectly complemented Martin Linke’s heavily
distorted guitar riffs, the pleasant German kept the crowd on its toes
throughout the band’s performance – a performance that was further
enhanced by Ramon Fleig’s powerful contributions behind the drum kit.
Influences carried from Led Zeppelin and 70s Deep Purple all the way to
Cheap Trick and Jethro Tull but they were presented in such a respectful
and, dare I say, fresh way that I am sure that even the most loyal fans
of these great bands would appreciate their inclusion in Cryptex’s
music. It is fair to say that when the band left the stage roughly forty
minutes later, they did so in a triumphant manner, having won the
interest and appreciation of a pretty warmed-up crowd.

When the new line up of Pain Of Salvation first hit the stage
fifteen minutes after nine I greeted them with much anticipation and
anxiety – anticipation because that is the prevalent sentiment that I
feel every time I attend a concert of a band whose music bewitched me
with the release of their 2000 opus “The Perfect Element, Part I” and
anxiety because there were many good and justifiable reasons capable of
undermining the quality of the night’s show. Would Daniel’s sore throat
enable him to perform? Would the new line up, which had only so far
performed four gigs together, manage to give justice to the band’s
emotionally and technically demanding material? Finally, was Daniel’s
decision to incorporate material never before performed in a live
environment, such as “Stress” and “Sisters”, going to work or backfire?

The first five minutes of the band’s set was a nervous encounter for
both the bands and the fans alike as the performance of the opening
track “Softly She Cries” came across as slightly disjointed while the
crowd was still trying to figure out if guitarist Ragnar Zolberg and
bassist Gustaf Hielm (Charta 77, Meshuggah) deserved their place on
stage. The moment the first few notes of the classic opus “Ashes” were
performed, however, the whole place suddenly livened up and by the time
the solid guitar riff of “Linoleum” ground in, the crowd had completely
surrendered its last lines of defence and Daniel & Co. were boosted
by a much-needed dose of adrenaline. Witty and chatty as always, Daniel
managed to instantly establish a connection with his London fans – fans
with no inhibitions whatsoever to singing along to the emotional tunes
of tracks, such as “Deeper Cut”, “1979” and “Shoreline”. Actually, one
thing that one can say about Pain Of Salvation era 2012 is that their
multi-vocal performances are much improved as a direct result of all
five members being quite skilled lead and backing vocalists, thereby
adding a new dimension to the band’s show. “Chain Sling” was the first
song from the 2002 opus “Remedy Lane” to be performed and was followed
by the much loved “Ending Theme” – a composition that saw Ragnar Zolberg
acquire a more active vocal role which could only be characterised as
dead impressive. “Stress” was a ‘make or break’ moment in the show as it
is the one composition which really tested the band’s cohesiveness and I
am glad to report that the end result was a complete triumph. An
equally impressive performance of “Kingdom Of Loss” brought a smile to
the face of all us old-school fans while the younger members of the
audience gave their all during the performances of both the
lyrically-challenging “No Way” and the surprisingly eloquent “Enter
Rain”, after which the band left the stage for the first time. Moments
later, Daniel’s guitar tone once again filled the venue, introducing the
beautifully crafted “Physics Of Gridlock”, while the best was
definitely saved for last with the emotionally charged performance of
the opus “Sisters”, after which they gave their bows and left the stage,
this time for good.

What music fans such as I who attended tonight’s show at the
Relentless Garage experienced was nothing short of a miracle. I really
cannot think of another case of a band that has come together at such
short notice and was able to produce such outstanding results but, then
again, Daniel Gildenlow is hardly what you would describe as an ordinary
artist! Against all odds, Daniel proved for yet another time during the
band’s turbulent career that Pain Of Salvation as a band/idea/entity is
far more important than any of the individuals involved (Daniel
excluded, of course) and that one ought to think really hard before
assuming that this musical train has reached the end of the tracks. If
you live in or close by any of the towns/cities that Pain Of Salvation
are currently visiting this Winter/Spring headlining tour, I strongly
suggest that you get a ticket, pronto. As for me: I’m booking a flight
to another European city to see this amazing performance all over again.

What an amazing night for good quality music this has been!

Pain Of Salvation Set List:

Main Set:

1. “Softly She Cries”

2. “Ashes”

3. “Linoleum”

4. “Deeper Cut”

5. “1979”

6. “Shoreline”

7. “Chain Sling”

8. “Ending Theme”

9. “Stress”

10. “Kingdom Of Loss”

11. “No Way”

12. “Enter Rain”

Encore:

13. “Physics Of Gridlock”

14. “Sisters”

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