Pain of Salvation
Remedy Lane Re:visited(Re:mixed & Re:lived)

Pain of Salvation revisits their 2002-album Remedy Lane in a big reissue with both the album given a new sonic signature by Jens Brogren and a live show performed on Progpower USA in 2014. Usually I am not that excited by anything Pain of Salvation considering all the disappointing albums they have put out over the years but Remedy Lane is something different. I discovered it through an InsideOut-sampler in the early 2000s, the song on the sampler was Fandango and that song made me delve into Pain of Salvation and their Remedy Lane album. An album that wasn’t a disappointment like I wrote in the review of Roadsalt One for some reason, it was great but everything else I heard by the band was a massive disappointment and I have been following what this band has done hoping for a new album like Remedy Lane – and lo and behold, it seems I got one almost exactly like it.

Musically this is an album breaking borders, it is unpredictable yet logical and it has kind of everything and nothing. Plenty of variation yet a unifying thread that connects the songs making it a complete unity – a strong feat to make with such a differentiated album. Excellent vocals, I think for the only time in the discography of these guys, and it sounds very fresh and modern which is great for an album that was conceived fourteen years ago. I think most people will find this album very agreeable and impressive on all accounts and it most certainly keeps you listening for the entire playing time that passes the hour with some margin.

The album comes as two parts, not just the refined studio album but also a complete playthrough of the album from 2014 that is either an added bonus on the 2-CD-version of the album or a separate 2-LP-version for those who want something extra over the 2-LP studio album. The show is great, the perform really well and the sound is excellent as well – I could do without some of the talk between songs though as they don’t really do that very well, but other than that they perform flawlessly from a near flawless album. This is certainly an album that fans of progressive rock and metal should have in their music collection, and to be honest these two (if you buy vinyl) are two of the three best albums these guys have ever released and to be completely honest I would say that all Pain of Salvation you need go by the name Remedy Lane.

Strangest thing is that fourteen years after this album they still haven’t managed to make anything even close to this album, which is strange as this clearly proves that they are a talented bunch but they just seem to have a knack for disappointments. But lets forget disappointments now and relish this album, this magnum opus and this great album that I really have enjoyed once more. Kind of like a walk down remedy lane to quote the press sheet that followed this promo, a great walk down that lane I should add.

There are thirteen songs on this album and they are all great but the one called Fandango that made me discover the album, along with the title track and the ending opus Beyond the Pale are the ones that stand out for me. But the album is great as a whole both the studio version and the live version and I recommend that you get them as they are really great, the showcase what Pain of Salvation can be and that is fairly brilliant. I recommend that you get this release as it really hits the bullseye.

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