Pain of Salvation's Remedy Lane Remix is out, and it's awesome

[chewpac]

Anyone who's a fan of these guys, especially the older records, owe it to themselves to check out the new remix of Remedy Lane.

If you ever got chills from this record, you'll be blown away. The clarity of this new mix is just awesome. Details emerge that were never audible before - i mean synths that you never knew were there, guitar lines with crazy detail, vocal counterpoints...all of it...everything sounds better, and the result is even more impact.

If you've never heard this album, like prog rock/metal, and don't mind a dramatic concept record, this album is worth your time. The musicianship is incredible, and the vocals, although theatrical at times, are masterful.

 

[rapterr15]

Waking Every God especially kicks so much ass with the new mix. The harmonized vocal lines are much easier to distinguish now. My fingers are crossed that Daniel will release a remix of The Perfect Element Part 1 as well.

This re-release of Remedy Lane combined with knowing that the band is returning to their prog roots for the next record has gotten me really excited about this band again. I know some may consider Daniel Gildenlow pretentious, especially with the existential story behind BE, but to me his music just screams honesty and passion. You can tell he really bares himself artistically in his music, and that's pretty brave. He's not one to play it safe for fear of criticism.

 

[chewpac]

Waking Every God especially kicks so much ass with the new mix. The harmonized vocal lines are much easier to distinguish now. My fingers are crossed that Daniel will release a remix of The Perfect Element Part 1 as well.

This re-release of Remedy Lane combined with knowing that the band is returning to their prog roots for the next record has gotten me really excited about this band again. I know some may consider Daniel Gildenlow pretentious, especially with the existential story behind BE, but to me his music just screams honesty and passion. You can tell he really bares himself artistically in his music, and that's pretty brave. He's not one to play it safe for fear of criticism.

I agree completely.

I am psyched for a new record from them. It sounds like they are getting back to the TPE/RL style again and I'm really glad. I haven't been able to get into anything since RL. I tried with BE, and it has some incredible moments, but as a whole it was just too heavy handed. Everything since just hasn't been able to hold my interest.

If they do a similar remixing job on TPE1, it'd be fantastic.

 

[wankerness]

I agree completely.

I am psyched for a new record from them. It sounds like they are getting back to the TPE/RL style again and I'm really glad. I haven't been able to get into anything since RL. I tried with BE, and it has some incredible moments, but as a whole it was just too heavy handed. Everything since just hasn't been able to hold my interest.

If they do a similar remixing job on TPE1, it'd be fantastic.

I'm in the same boat. BE had two songs that were very much on the level of their great songs, but I never could get into it as a whole, and I REALLY couldn't stand the Mr. Money song and didn't like the album structure. It didn't help that I never could learn the song titles.

I HATED Scarsick. My first listen of that album was by far the worst experience I've ever had with an album. It honestly sounded like someone had forced Gildenlow to put it out, and he just intentionally made it as bad as possible in an aggressive way to stick it to whoever made him record it. Like Pat Metheny's "Zero Tolerance for Silence." After I stopped being angry about it years later, I listened to Road Salt, and was bored to death. I recently listened to Road Salt 2 out of morbid curiosity and was surprised to hear a couple good songs on there that weren't out of place with their early stuff. I'll be curious to hear what they do next.

I'm going to have to get this RL remix ASAP. It sounds like something that I should get the actual album of to fully appreciate instead of buying a crappy compressed version off Itunes or listening to on Spotify or whatever.

"Chain Sling" and "Fandango" were two songs where the production was absolutely not up to the level demanded by the arrangements. Several sections of both just became totally indistinct on the original recording. It never sounded BAD or anything, it just was clear that there was a ton of stuff going on and it was impossible to make some of it out.

As someone who has listened to that album probably at least a hundred times, I am sure I'll notice all the differences immediately and very specifically!

I'd obviously like to hear TPE1 redone too, but I don't think it has as much room for improvement as RL. TPE1 has some similar sections where too much stuff happens and it gets bogged down, but I think it sounds better than Remedy Lane overall.

I STILL might put TPE1 and RL probably at #1 and #2 on my favorite albums of all time list depending on my mood. They're top 10, at the very least.

 

[DLG]

I'm one of those guys that doesn't want to listen to remixes of albums I love because I feel like a fell in love with it, ....ty mix and all, for a reason.

But I think I'm going to check this out after all the cool comments I've read here and elsewhere.

 

[Xaios]

When I hear the word "remix," I think of some ....ty second-rate DJ looping samples ad nauseam. As such, as this doesn't appear to be that, I think calling it a remaster is more appropriate.

I also love Remedy Lane, so I'll try to check this out.

As a sidenote, Pain of Salvation is perhaps my most enduring example of how I always seem to discover bands right after their last good album came out and they start sliding quickly towards mediocrity. With them, I discovered them right after BE came out. As such, my anticipation for Scarsick was great, especially when they let it slip that they considered it to be part 2 of The Perfect Element. As you can imagine, my disappointment was even greater.

As another sidenote, I just realized that, holy .... do I ever say "as" a lot.

 

[DLG]

When I hear the word "remix," I think of some ....ty second-rate DJ looping samples ad nauseam. As such, as this doesn't appear to be that, I think calling it a remaster is more appropriate.

There's a difference between remastering and remixing, in this case, they literally made a new mix to make sure that you're hearing everything that's going on in the mix a lot better. There were a lot of cool guitar intricacies and vocal harmonies that were hidden in the first mix, they are now much more present and easier to hear.

 

[LuizPauloDT]

I'm a fan of that album. Definetely goin' to check it out. Thanks.

 

[Glosni]

I am a huge fan of POS early stuff (including BE), how did this completly fly under my radar? Thanks for letting me know, sso.

Just had a quick listen to some songs and the difference is very noticeable. I think I am going to be listening to the new version from now on, but I don't care for that "ReLive"-version.

I HATED Scarsick. My first listen of that album was by far the worst experience I've ever had with an album. It honestly sounded like someone had forced Gildenlow to put it out, and he just intentionally made it as bad as possible in an aggressive way to stick it to whoever made him record it. Like Pat Metheny's "Zero Tolerance for Silence." After I stopped being angry about it years later, I listened to Road Salt, and was bored to death.

Completly agree. I was so disappointed by Scarsick, especially since it is Part II of The Perfect Element. Oh well, at least with the Remedy Lane Remix, POS finally, after 12 years (!) of schlock, have a decent release again.

 

[Xaios]

For all the crap Pain of Salvation has released post-BE, I will definitely give them this: Daniel Gildenlow has finally dispensed with the Mike Patton-isms which tended to be one of the weakest aspects of their classic material. Here's hoping they keep that up if they return to recording good music.

 

[Dyingsea]

Probably won't re-buy those albums as I'm so used to the sub par production it's just part of the album for me anymore. Glad to hear they are returning to their roots. Their newest song "falling home" was good albeit simple. Kind of a throwback to the 80's ballads.

 

[Demiurge]

Am I the only one who actually liked the Road Salt albums? On the heels of Scarsick and Be (the former half-baked and under-thought, the latter an EP with ALL THE SKITS & INTERLUDES to make it full-length), it seemed like it was a sidetrack they needed to take. Neither is perfect but each have a decent proportion of well-written songs, IMO.

 

[chopeth]

There are a few very good songs in the Road Salt Albums indeed, but I admit they don't even get close to the best ones in the old albums. I didn't know PoS was preparing a new album and the return to their first prog approach. Very glad to hear that.

Last thing I remember was reading an interview with Daniel after a serious illness and some dramatic events in his life. I though he was quitting music for good.

 

[TedEH]

I tend to discover a lot of music through Spotify, but I tend to just listen to the most recent studio release on an artists page, and if it doesn't catch my attention, I move on- so whenever a bands older material is where it's at compared to new mediocre material, I end up missing out. I know this band by name, but not any of the actual music, so thanks to this thread I'm giving this band another shot today- so far so good.

 

[Sang-Drax]

To be honest, I was far more impressed by the live album (RL: Relived). I may be wrong, but it seems to me that PoS might start to work more like a band instead of a Gildenlow solo career. I mean, the only new song in Falling Home (the album title) was co-written by Daniel and Ragnar. And it's a pretty song.

IMO, RL didn't even needed a remix nearly as badly as, say, TPE1.

I HATED Scarsick.

That said, the acoustic version of Flame to the Moth in their acoustic album is incredible. It should have been like that since the beginning.

 

[Sang-Drax]

There are a few very good songs in the Road Salt Albums indeed, but I admit they don't even get close to the best ones in the old albums.

If they picked the best songs in the Linoleum EP and on both Road Salt ones, it would be a pretty good album.

I could do without the 70's production, though.

 

[wankerness]

I tend to discover a lot of music through Spotify, but I tend to just listen to the most recent studio release on an artists page, and if it doesn't catch my attention, I move on- so whenever a bands older material is where it's at compared to new mediocre material, I end up missing out. I know this band by name, but not any of the actual music, so thanks to this thread I'm giving this band another shot today- so far so good.

Their first four albums are all prog classics. Perfect Element I probably makes the most immediate impression since it's the most ambitious musically. Remedy Lane is a bit lighter, but still is incredibly complex musically. It's also even more lyrically driven. Those two albums are the only prog albums I've ever heard where the lyrics actually improve the music immensely, and where all the time signature changes seem written around the lyrics instead of vice-versa as normal.

The first album (Entropia) is spazzier and the lyrics are as bad as most prog, but has some great stuff on it (People Passing By and Stress in particular are awesome). The second album (One Hour by the Concrete Lake) was where they started to really form their sound. The second half of it is incredible. "Water" and "Home" rank up with their best material IMO. "Inside" and "Handful of Nothing" and "Inside Out" are pretty damn exciting and spazzy prog. It's a GREAT album.

But, Perfect Element I is definitely the best entrance. I made some non-prog fans listen to it and most of them were just floored by the emotional intensity of it and some of them immediately wanted copies of it. It's a harrowing album. The bridges on "In the Flesh" and "King of Loss" are on a very short list of my favorite couple of minutes in music history.

"Dedication" is a truly gorgeous ballad with some beautiful lyrics about the death of a family member, and you don't even notice while listening to it that there are things like bars of 17/16 all over the place since the music is so tied to the lyrics that it sounds smooth as hell. "Morning on Earth" and the transition track "Song for the Innocent" are also so pretty it hurts. The last track is one of the most depressing I can think of. The only song on the album I don't get that excited about is King of Loss, but its bridge is possibly the best part of the album, so...? It's a near-perfect album.

Remedy Lane beats it in the lyrics department overall, but some of its lyrics are also stunning. "In the Flesh" in particular is some scary stuff. Just look out for a couple silly things, particularly the "rap" in the first track. But, much of that track is still amazing, and you'll immediately get what it's doing with time changes written around lyrics. Some parts of it are incredibly difficult to follow musically, but following along with the lyrics, it makes total sense.

12:5 is a live acoustic album of material from their first 4 albums and it is also fantastic. Don't even bother with Be and after until you've digested the first 4 (and the live album).

 

[Xaios]

But, Perfect Element I is definitely the best entrance. I made some non-prog fans listen to it and most of them were just floored by the emotional intensity of it and some of them immediately wanted copies of it. It's a harrowing album. The bridges on "In the Flesh" and "King of Loss" are on a very short list of my favorite couple of minutes in music history.

"Dedication" is a truly gorgeous ballad with some beautiful lyrics about the death of a family member, and you don't even notice while listening to it that there are things like bars of 17/16 all over the place since the music is so tied to the lyrics that it sounds smooth as hell. "Morning on Earth" and the transition track "Song for the Innocent" are also so pretty it hurts. The last track is one of the most depressing I can think of. The only song on the album I don't get that excited about is King of Loss, but its bridge is possibly the best part of the album, so...? It's a near-perfect album.

Remedy Lane beats it in the lyrics department overall, but some of its lyrics are also stunning. "In the Flesh" in particular is some scary stuff. Just look out for a couple silly things, particularly the "rap" in the first track. But, much of that track is still amazing, and you'll immediately get what it's doing with time changes written around lyrics. Some parts of it are incredibly difficult to follow musically, but following along with the lyrics, it makes total sense.

"King of Loss" would be amazing if it weren't for the chorus. It's a shame, because the bridge is absolutely ....ing powerful, gut-wrenchingly emotional and beautiful. Gildenlow at his very best.

My favorite song from TPE1, though, is the title track. Such beautiful builds and haunting lyrics, and the section before the final chorus with the multi-layered vocals actually rivals the bridge from "King of Loss" in how ....ing gorgeous it is.

I think my feelings mirror yours pretty well for the rest of the album as well. The spoken word sections of "Used" work incredibly well, and are far more effective than similar sections from "Ending Theme" from Remedy Lane. "In the Flesh" is lovely, especially the ending.

I don't think you touched it, but "Ashes" actually doesn't do a whole bunch for me. That and "Reconciliation" are the two tracks that I find myself hitting the "skip track" button on. I'd call them the weakest parts of the album (feel free to disagree).

 

[wankerness]

"King of Loss" would be amazing if it weren't for the chorus. It's a shame, because the bridge is absolutely ....ing powerful, gut-wrenchingly emotional and beautiful. Gildenlow at his very best.

My favorite song from TPE1, though, is the title track. Such beautiful builds and haunting lyrics, and the section before the final chorus with the multi-layered vocals actually rivals the bridge from "King of Loss" in how ....ing gorgeous it is.

I think my feelings mirror yours pretty well for the rest of the album as well. The spoken word sections of "Used" work incredibly well, and are far more effective than similar sections from "Ending Theme" from Remedy Lane. "In the Flesh" is lovely, especially the ending.

I don't think you touched it, but "Ashes" actually doesn't do a whole bunch for me. That and "Reconciliation" are the two tracks that I find myself hitting the "skip track" button on. I'd call them the weakest parts of the album (feel free to disagree).

I used to skip King of Loss cause I hated the chorus so much (it sounds like being on a boat in a boring windstorm). Then someone pointed out the bridge to me, I listened to it again, and I realized it was more than worth putting up with the rest of the song for it.

Ashes is the simplest song and the catchiest (I remember for years, it was the only one there were any tabs for). I like it, though. The chorus is effectively desolate, especially the keyboard washes, and it makes for more effectiveness when it comes in again in the outro of Idioglossia in sped-up form.

Speaking of which, I love Reconciliation. It's not one of the best tracks on the album, partly because it's simpler, but it sounds like the album is starting to get to a climax right at the beginning when the creepy keyboard theme from the beginning of Morning on Earth comes in there in full-force at the beginning in a rather eerily harmonized way. And, when the chorus from that song happens later in the song, it reminds me of one of those stage shows where they'd have a reprise of the big love song towards the end, usually wrapped together with some other character singing at the same time about how he was going to kill the hero, or something. It is just very effective in the context of the album. Plus, I love the intro/outro. It's less interesting, though, sure.

Another one we haven't mentioned is Her Voices. The whole second half of that is awesome, and totally unlike anything else on the album. It's like a weird ethnic jam session right in the middle of the album.

 

[chewpac]

i always dug king of loss.

even though both TPE and RL are best digested as complete albums, i think TPE had songs that stood alone a little better, but RL might be slightly stronger as a complete piece.

or my mind could change on this tomorrow.

anyway, great to see some love for these records here. they had a big impact on me when they came out, and it's been great revisting them. i feel optimistic about some new material from Daniel and crew.