Pain of Salvation's new 6-track EP.
1.linoleum- similar sounding to songs from "Scarsick". The only noticeable difference in sound are dirtier sounding guitars and organs. after the second verse-chorus, there is a slow buildup beginning with a music box and daniel's delicate vocals. after a couple of minutes the crescendo crashes into a powerful climax. the lyrics are about a woman who shut herself off from emotions in order to get ahead in the world but who is now broken down, weeping on a linoleum floor. "sometimes that's all it takes-- a hand on your shoulder-- then she breaks."
2. mortar grind- retro sounding with distorted guitars, organ, and high-pitched snare. daniel sings with a lot of grit in his voice, some have said he sounds too much like mike patton. the song itself is simple, just a verse chorus repitition. i don't mind the sound, but this song is not progressive at all.
3.if you wait- a pain of salvation ballad. reminds me of some songs from BE. daniel's singing becomes quite inaudible at times; i have no idea what he's saying. yet, this song has a lot of emotion and you can really feel the pain gildenlow wants to convey in the lyrics (which deal with being permantely separated from someone).
4.gone- a powerful song about a character recognizing his loss of individuality to altruism and not being able to stop it. daniel's lyrics really creep you out with its vivid imagery:
"So crawl over the words I've bled
I'm not really there
Undress and crawl into my bed
I'm not really there
I'm gone
You see, deep inside I'm gone"
this song is most like pain of salvation's other work and is my favorite from this EP.
5.bonus track b- not a song, just the band talking, but it's funny. it involves hair.
6.yellow raven- a scorpion's cover. amazingly, pain of salvation's cover sounds even more blues-like than the original. a faithful rendition.
pain of salvation's linoleum differs from previous work with its retro-distortion guitars, less progressive riffs, and scratchier vocals. i don't really think it suites PoS, sounds almost like classic rock. still, a lot of the great things about PoS are still here: powerful lyrics, crescendos, etc. these songs are already confirmed as being on their upcoming "Road Salt", so expect this EP to be a good indicator of their new sound.
