I am all the breathing "BE"

Hey guys,

I've decided that my first official blog post ever will be on the most ambitious album I've ever listened to: "Be" by Pain of Salvation. Daniel Gildenlöw, leader and frontman of the Swedish progressive metal band, is the mastermind behind the concept album, which explores existence, religion, the human and divine quests for self-knowledge, the shattered mind, drugs, wars, computers, overpopulation, you name it. Mind you, there are some heavy topics in the album, and they're all based on Gildenlöw's personal hypotheses and research-- although I may not agree with the concept, it's still very interesting to think about and explore. The story begins with a narrative by Animae, a character who's existed for as long as he/she/it can remember and devotes the rest of time to finding out more about itself and how it came to be (you could call this character God, but we learn later in the album that humans, who, according to many religions, are created in the image of God, parallel this quest). In the narration, Animae thinks, "Somehow I seem to have this predestined hunger for knowledge/A talent for seeing patterns and finding correlations/But I lack context." So, God created humans in his image:

"They all carry shards of the whole
Together they become me
I see them interact, develop
I see them take different sides
As were they different minds
Believers of different ways, and different gods
I think they will teach me something"

To make a long story short, we end up doing the same thing-- we create our own "slaves" and pursue our hunger for knowledge. Computers make our lives easier, we develop economies, establish our own values, develop medicine to extend our lives. As we grow, learn, and develop technology, we cause wars, hunger, harm the environment, and become materialistic (overpopulation and Global Warming are also parts of the equation)... and gradually the "shards" (we) stop interacting with each other (at least peacefully). As a result, many of us lose faith, lose our way in life, and become slaves to the problems we cause. Thus, we are overthrown by our creations, and in turn, overthrow God when he can't learn about himself through the context of mankind.

To make the album even more interesting, Pain of Salvation transcends genres and even fuses styles together in certain songs. The creation of the world is portrayed by a folky, even primitive piece called "Imago." Gospel is used to convey prayer, while Gildenlöw plays the role of "Mr. Money," a materialistic, selfish millionaire who tries to later preserve himself through cryogenic freezing in a funky musical piece featuring wailing male/female duo vocal solos. You might consider "Vocari Dei" a breather, but listen carefully and you'll hear people's "messages to God"-- actual messages that Pain of Salvation fans left on an answering machine with their most personal messages of thanks, questions, and deep despair. You could call this album a heavy metal musical-- you'll hear a mini orchestra combined with heavy guitars, interesting double-kick rhythms, odd time signatures, and emotional vocals.

One of my all-time favorite songs is off this album. It's called "Iter Impius" (if you haven't noticed already, all the song titles are in Latin). Yes, the album is incredibly ambitious and very crazy (in a good way). It took me at least five full listens to start appreciating it, so if you're willing to take the time to dive in and enjoy the deep waters of this album, then it'll definitely be worth your while.

Update - I found the performance of "Iter Impius" from the live "Be" DVD on YouTube:



Check out more clips here: BE – Pain of Salvation – Music at Last.fm

Progressively yours,

"The Real" Dan.