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: albums |
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| World number eight... Daniel: "We are starting to get a grasp of the tons of material that I have been working on in my head. My vision is that the next album will be recorded in our rehearsing room, and we have started to prepare ourselves and the rehearsing room for this. The material that I am focusing on for the album at the moment, is some sort of cross breed between the heavy early 70s in the vein of Sabbath/Zeppelin and the dark weirdness of Faith no More/Soundgarden together with a touch of fragile suggestiveness displayed by The Doors/Jeff Buckley. Add some energetic Foo Fighters and you will start to get the picture..." |
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: dvd |
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| Daniel: "The DVD is starting to come together, and will consist of two separate discs - one will be the live show from our last tour, and the other one will be a documentary following the band on the 2005 tour, which marked the end of that line-up. The fact that the band has seen such major changes the last two years made it very difficult emotionally to invest time and energy in this product, and it wasn't until the documentary draft was proposed by Per Hillblom that I started to see what this DVD was trying to communicate. We still have a few commentary tracks to record but we are starting to see the end of it." | |||
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: shows |
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| We have added a few new upcoming shows this fall in the Tour section. As usual, Pain of Salvation will always do what they can to support causes they agree with, and this year they will play in Finnaker, Sweden on the 6th of September at the charity festival Rock for Moc (for Mozambique), and later on in Eskilstuna, Sweden, at the last day of the European Mobility Week, September 22 (car free day). On the 10th of October they will again play in Eskilstuna, at the Balsta Musikslott (Buster stage), headlining the "Rock for the Children of the World" night. Read more in the Tour section! |
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: www |
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| We have finally given up and gotten ourselves an official MySpace page. So, go ahead, be our friends and start writing "Thanks for the add!" all over it in true MySpace spirit :) Pain of Salvation MySpace (www.myspace.com/painofsalvation) Daniel Gildenlow MySpace (www.myspace.com/danielgildenlow) Simon Andersson MySpace (www.myspace.com/bassdude) Léo Margarit MySpace (www.myspace.com/leomargarit) Please note that these are the ONLY official Pain of Salvation MySpace pages run and read by the band members at this point! ...and of course, we encourage any fresh approach to the comments, why not try to form a friendship based on intimacy and content instead of surface and weather talk? |
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: misc |
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| Daniel: "So, lots of people are asking what's happening and, to still your hunger, here is a little update on what we are up to at the moment: DVD We are putting together a nice DVD for you, with some nice bonus material for those who crave it. Problem right now is we haven't decided on the title yet, but we have a bunch of good ones to choose from. "Sub Par", "Briefly Described", "Insert Random Word-Joke Containing the Word 'LIVE'", "Not a Concept" and "Want Your Name Here?" are just a few of them. We'll see what comes down when we have shaken it long enough...  Léo MargaritWell, most of you know that Léo Margarit from France is the new drummer of the band. We are rehearsing new material now and learning to know each other musically as well as personally - and he is also in the process of moving to Sweden! Russia We visited Moscow, Russia, some weeks back, and we had a great time. The crowd was great, and we had a good time with both organizers, press and fans. We hope to come back as soon as possible. We need to see the Red Square in daylight (with less Disney vibe) and personally I really want to visit the Museum of National History. For those who have not yet seen the clips on YouTube (why do we even bother to make DVDs when we can have lousy recordings released anyway and not even have to bother about getting paid for it), we did a nice rendition of Ashes together with a nice Russian singer named Kiril. We performed sitting in a ring on stage, playing on three balalaikas and spoons, I might add. Now that's a scenery Symphony X will never offer you! :) |
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: gigs |
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| So, finally Pain of Salvation is coming to Russia. On the 25th of February, there will be a lengthy headline show at Apelsin Club in Moscow, and we know a lot of Russian fans will be happy about this after having waited for such a long time. Tickets will be available through www.concert.ru, www.kassir.ru and www.biletmarket.ru and you can also contact LeoNer at www.painofsalvation.ru or use the Russian forum if you wish to get in touch with other Russian fans going to the show. |
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: dvd |
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| The live DVD was mixed and mastered this week. Now it's time for commentary tracks and bonus material... | |||
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: members |
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| "Always two there is..." The search is over, and a new drummer has now joined the band. The level of competition and skills among the few drummers who remained at the top of the crop was extremely high, but this guy outplayed everyone in the end. To the extent, it might be added, that the band even chose to go for the one non-Swede finalist. So, who could this phantom be? Well, just to make things painful, it will not be made official who the new drummer is as of yet. Instead, the veil will fall live on stage next week, at the Motstoy festival in Notodden, Norway, 6th of October. This is not only the very last gig of the Sickening the World tour of 2007, but also the farewell show of long time drummer Johan Langell. This will be the only chance to see both drummers on stage with Pain of Salvation and, needless to say, those who have the possibility of attending this show will definitely be in for a special treat. To celebrate the event even further, the band will also perform some songs that the fans have not heard live in a long time. All-in-all: if ever there was a different and special show of Pain of Salvation, this is bound to be it! Your one chance to say goodbye to the old king, and welcome the new one. Facts about the show: Description: Motstoy Festival Country: Norway Town: Notodden Date: Oct 6, 2007 Length: 90+ min Facts about the new drummer: Description: Drummer of Pain of Salvation Name: Léo Margarit Country of origin: France Age: 26 years old Star sign: Scorpio 
[So, this guy is leaving...]  [...but who's coming?] |
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: dvd |
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| Daniel: "Yes, the rumors are correct, we filmed one of the shows on our latest tour and we plan to release a DVD from that show. I have been on paternity leave for a few months now, an experience I encourage every dad to try, but come September we are starting to work on bonus material, mixing etc. No release date has been set yet, as we are also in the middle of replacing band members and working on new material, but now you at least you can start waiting for real." | |||
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: members |
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| Hundreds of applications from all around the world came in, and after a difficult screening process, focusing mainly on the Swedish applications, a handful of drummers made it to auditions. These auditions have now been held, and all of those drummers proved to be very skillful. The process will now continue to the next level, so there is no point in applying for the part anymore. We want to thank you all for offering your services. News will be posted. | |||
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: site |
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| The drummer application form is being taken off the server as of now. | |||
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: misc |
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| NOTE: Application Closed as of Aug 19, 2007. Due to the fact that we have received tons of drummer applications from abroad, we have now replaced the English application form with a Swedish one. You can still reach the English version from there, but maybe the signals are even clearer now - the band needs a drummer here in Sweden. Kom igen nu Svenska trummisar, visa vad ni går för och sök platsen! |
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: misc |
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| NOTE: Application Closed as of Aug 19, 2007.,,, Pain of Salvation is now seeking a new drummer, who will start playing with the band as soon as possible. If you are a drummer and think you are right for the job, go to the DRUMMER APPLICATION PAGE and answer the questions to apply for the part! "And so, it has begun..." |
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: band |
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"Jag vill ha ett typiskt Svenssonliv" One of the world's best drummers has decided to be one of the world's best fathers and 9-5 workers instead.  We are sad to announce that Johan Langell has decided to leave the band, to focus on family. This is not a sudden decision, but something that has been pending for several years. As the band now rapidly continues to grow for each year, the time and commitment needed for being in studio and on tours increase. Not really wanting this, Johan chose to include the whole band in his doubts regarding this directly from the start, and now when the time has finally come, this is what they all have to say about the situation.Johan Langell: After having been the drummer of Pain of Salvation for more than 17 years, I have decided to leave the band. At this point, many of you may wonder why, and the answer is quite simple. For a few years now I have increasingly felt that the joy and passion of playing drums has diminished, to the point where I feel that I just can't go on anymore. Looking back, I can see that this process started already five years back, when I became a father. Since then, my priorities have shifted more and more from music and playing drums to family, and I have caught myself feeling jealous of friends who lead typical and normal family lives. Some people might find this strange, considering the position and success of Pain of Salvation, but this is actually part of the problem. The bigger the band gets, the more time and devotion is required, and as for myself, family comes first now. That's where I want to spend my time and devotion. I have had difficulties going on tour and spending time away from home, even if it's only a week. Here I want to take the opportunity to say that I really love the guys in the band and the music we have created over the years. My decision comes only from the fact that my heart is simply not in it anymore. Therefore, I feel that it is time for someone else to take over, someone with the hunger and willingness to devote himself/herself to the band and fans as much as I think you should always do. I also want to say that we are very good friends, and will be after I have quit as well. This is not a rash decision, but one that has been considered for a long time, and discussed within the band. It will be a big change in my life since we have played together for such a long time, especially me and Daniel who have practically grown up together, spending virtually all free time in the rehearsing room. Yes, Pain of Salvation has been a big part of my life, and then it is still important for me to see it live on, because the band has so much more to give. Thanks to all you wonderful fans that have supported me through the years. Who knows, maybe we'll see each other in front of the stage? Daniel Gildenlow: I have been playing together with Johan for 17 years now, and I can honestly say I have never played with a better drummer. I remember, as if it were yesterday, the day when he arrived to his audition. I was sixteen and he was fourteen - he had never played in a band and he didn't even know how a count-in worked, but when he played we could instantly see his full potential. During our many years together we have come to a musical understanding that I have shared with few, and he has continued to develop as a drummer and a musician. The sad part is that he is still developing. Sad, because he is not only quitting the band, he is quitting music - at least for now. Johan and us have had discussions about his departure for many years, and I will never understand his decision, even though I accept it. There are so many things I will miss when he finally moves out of the rehearsing room, but the thing I will probably miss the most is his way of saying "it's impossible" when I present a new drum part. "I will never be able to play this!" Then thirty minutes later he nails it, and you know it will always be there, long after everyone else have forgotten their parts. I cannot begin to explain how sad I am to see him go, and for the first time since I was eleven I had to stop and dare to consider giving up on the band. We all had to sit down and seriously think about the future. It was clear though, that none of us would allow Pain of Salvation to be laid in an early grave, least of all Johan himself. It was clear to us before we did the tour for Scarsick that this was going to be Johan's last tour with the band, and it was a profound and bittersweet feeling that I think permeated the whole tour, and hopefully spilled over to the fans attending the shows. If you want a chance to see Pain of Salvation with Johan behind the drums, you need to see any of the shows we have planned for the rest of the year. I know that I, for one, will savour these shows, as will the rest of the band.  Johan Hallgren: Johan Langell is a great drummer and friend. I will miss him dearly as a member of POS. He will always be my good friend and we have yet good times to come. I fully respect his decision and I wish him good luck in life. But remember we have a few more shows with the guy. I recommend you attend one to see a great man! Simon Andersson: Johan’s decision to leave the band sucks big time, but I totally respect it. Since I’m new in the band, which is a great honour, I sadly didn’t have a great deal of time to get to know him that much. I wish him the best of luck with his loving family and future pranks, whatever they might be. Fredrik Hermansson: I am not a man of violence. If one feels the need to express oneself through acts of violence, I find it to be a huge degradation from what we are supposed to be, human beings. However, there are situations that call for, and even require, severe and brutal violence of the most horrifying kind. Yes, you have guessed it right, I’m talking about when you are being confronted with the fact that a well-loved drummer wants to leave the band you’re part of. I, Fredrik Hermansson, can (sometimes) spare annoying mosquitoes from the brutal death of being squashed between two hands and I can gladly go through extremes in order to let a wasp or fly out through a window instead of just killing them. If someone leaves the band I’m in? Now that’s another story. The correct punishment here is pure violence, end of story. Now, Johan has been aware of this threat ever since he first brought up the issue of leaving the band and it’s beyond me how he stuck to his decision, facing the wrath of Mr. Hermansson. But I guess this just proves how convinced he is, and I can do nothing but respect him for this. I still have about 6 months to enjoy his presence and company on stage and off stage. After that I don’t want any contact with him, that selfish, beer drinking, Volvo driving, Mora Träsk-shirt-wearing bastard! But that is of course self explanatory... Seriously though, it’s going to be tough to see Johan go. He will be missed.  So, there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. The search for a new drummer has started, but Johan will stay for the remaining gigs this year, and has also offered to help teach any new drummer his or her parts. "Whoever the new drummer will be, I want us to have a relaxed relation" he concludes. This is undoubtedly a big change, but change is always dualistic to its nature, always two-sided. It was change that initially brought Johan Langell to the band. It was change that gave us Johan Hallgren and Simon. This aspect of life constitutes the pain of salvation that originally gave the band its name - it is an ongoing progress of constant development that forces you to take another step or give in. And we don't give in. After years of discussion and planning, we are ready to take our next step, and we are happy to have Simon onboard for this. Now we can only turn to the fans and ask them to keep following us on our journey. And hey - don't worry. It's all worth it. =) With five tons of love and devotion, Your only Pain of Salvation  |
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: band |
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| So, let it be publically known: on the 10th of March, after the Copenhagen show, Simon Andersson was welcomed into Pain of Salvation as a full member. He did an outstanding job on the tour and we are looking forward to the coming years with great anticipation. Since his girlfriend is a huge Pain of Salvation fan, we happily expect to see this decision put a little silver lining on their sex life as well, since she can now all of a sudden go to bed with a member of the band ;) Congratulations Simon, and welcome to the family! | |||
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: misc |
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| During the European trip, the band was informed that they won the local but very prestigious award "Eskilstatyetten" for being Ambassadors of Eskilstuna. The annual big banquette in connection to this six category award was held on the 17th of March, and the band played an acoustic version of "This Heart of Mine" and "Song for the Innocent". Daniel also had the honorable task of holding the speech. It touched on fatherhood, touring, politics (of course) and relentlessness, and went down very well. The host of the evening was Yvonne Ryding (Miss Universe 1984 and, according to Daniel, the woman of his dreams when he was eleven years old). For more information (in Swedish): E-Kuriren. | |||
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: tours |
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| After the first month-long trip across Europe, we are home again, to catch our breaths before taking on the rest of the upcoming shows. So far, the feedback from the crowds has been wonderful. We hate to single out specific crowds, but special credit has to go out to the fans in Rome and Copenhagen, for being extra energetic and insane. Never before have the words "Don't worry, she just fainted!" sounded so reassuring, casual and bizarre at the same time. :) We also realized what magic we had brought to the scene, until we saw grown up metal heads with big beards and leather jackets totally shake loose and groove in almost Travolta-like moves to Disco Queen, which was one of the obvious highlights of the setlist every night, regardless of which country we played in. Wonderful! We are also happy to see that our crowds get increasingly mixed and diverse; less homogenic in all from age, race, gender, musical background and sexual preference. We want you all! Anyway, we can't wait to get out on the roads again, thank you all for being there. | |||
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: tours |
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| New dates have been added in the Tours Section - some signing sessions within the upcoming tour and some further dates later on this year. | |||
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: tours |
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| At 13:00 on the 18th of February, the same day of their Gothenburg show, Pain of Salvation will do a signing session at CD Specialisten in Gothenburg. They will also do some sort of stripped down performance, so whether you have a ticket to the regular show in the evening or not, it might be good to check this event out. | |||
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: tours |
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| Pain of Salvation will do a signing session at Rock's record store in central Eskilstuna, Sweden, on the coming Friday (the 9th of February) at 17:00. Even the tour bass player Simon Andersson is going to be there, so make sure to take this opportunity to have your album(s) signed. The band will also do some sort of acoustic live performance - and who wouldn't want to see their wild acoustic version of Disco Queen in real life? | |||
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: feedback |
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| So, after the categorization of Scarsick had been adjusted, the album rapidly climbed to top position of the metal charts here in Sweden. | |||
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: feedback |
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| The feedback on Scarsick so far has been absolutely tremendous. The album has rendered more press and good reviews than any of the previous POS albums, and stirred a lot of discussion. Some reviewers have already called it the "Best Album of 2007" and it has received several 10/10 reviews around the world. Sure, the reactions have been partly divided (as always), especially in America for obvious reasons, but the downloads of "America" on Inside Out America's home site quickly reached a staggering 22,000! The album is climbing the charts in several countries and the interview requests for the band are piling up at an impossible rate. The first pressing of the album sold out in less than two days, and the many fans who spent weeks and weeks discussing the possibility of this album being The Perfect Element Part II were finally able to say "What did I tell you" when the official copies reached the stores, ending a long wait and putting an end to the obligatory interview question "When will TPE2 come?" (or rather just replacing it with "When will TPE3 come?"). The complex concept and ideas around this album will be displayed in the hundreds of interviews that the band has already made, so stay tuned to magazines and forums to learn more. Enter the 7th world of Pain of Salvation. |
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: feedback |
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| We have proof that there has been a cold day in hell, or possibly two Thursdays in a week. Let's look at the evidence... Exhibit A The song Disco Queen was elected "Best Right Now" in the Gothenburg Post. This is one of Sweden's big and respected news papers, and should therefore be expected to ignore Pain of Salvation and focus on Paris Hilton and Hammerfall - so what's happening here? Exhibit B Pain of Salvation were described as "genius" by DN, even bigger than the above mentioned GP... Exhibit C Scarsick went straight into the Swedish album charts - at an impossible 6th position (which would have been even higher if the albums hadn't sold out so quickly in many stores)! This is the album chart including international artists, mind you. On the chart for Swedish artists the position was even higher, and the band would have become number one on the Metal/Hard Rock chart with a large margin, if the Swedish distributor hadn't forgotten to categorize Pain of Salvation as Metal/Hard Rock. Exhibit D All the important music magazines in Sweden have woken up and started to show interest in Pain of Salvation, so you will be able to read reports and interviews in magazines such as Slavestate, Studio and Fuzz. In Studio, there will also be an in-depth track-by-track report on the song Disqo Queen, for those who are interested. So, the evidence is this - "Sweden? They won't care about us unless Hell freezes over or there will be two Thursdays in a week!" Well, it seems that might just start to happen... |
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: feedback |
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| Apart from Pain of Salvation being on the Swedish album charts, we have also had reports of the band climbing the German charts as well, going in at #87. | |||
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: tours |
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| There will be a short extra tour in connection to the already planned Europe tour (Feb 17 - March 10). The additional trip will be taking place March 31 - April 9, and will most likely start in Greece. More dates will come as soon as they are confirmed. | |||
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: feedback |
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| The trip to Greece was a positive surprise. Even though only Daniel and Johan Hallgren went there for a short acoustic show, so many people came to see them that more than 200 people couldn't come in and were left outside the venue. And the almost 700 who could, were really screaming their lungs out, singing along to everything - including the new songs even though Scarsick was not yet released at the time... Weird huh? ;) Luckily, it seems that we will be able to get back and play full shows already at the end of March and beginning of April - check the Tour page for any updates. | |||
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: tours |
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| The first gig on the tour - in Oslo, Norway - is already sold out. We can only hope that all of you who didn't get a ticket will have more chances to see the band in the future. | |||
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: misc |
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| The EARTH model of Daniel's signature guitar series Mayones Elements is now on sale at the www.mayones.com site. Check it out! | |||
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: misc |
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| Daniel and Johan Hallgren will be making a short European promo trip the coming week. It will mainly consist of a lot of talking: interviews and radio that is. The week looks like this: Monday 8/1: Amsterdam (NL) Tuesday 9/1: Madrid (ES) Wednesday 10/1: Milan (IT) Thursday 11/1: Paris (FR) Friday 12/1: Paris (FR) This is followed by their attending a release party (arranged by ROCK HARD Magazine) followed by some additional promotion in Greece 19-22 January. |
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: members |
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| Many bass player applications were narrowed down to a handful of interesting ones, who resulted in auditions. Of this handful, three remain. One of these three will follow the band on the road for the upcoming scarsick tour. His name is Simon Andersson and some of you have undoubtedly heard about him before. However, no full member will be chosen until later this year, so Simon is for now to be seen as a temporary tour member. | |||
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: tours |
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| The Scarsick tour is taking shape, and there are a number of tour dates in the Tour Section. The European tour will be taking place in February/March 2007. The band says that more shows are planned for 2007 in other parts of the world, but nothing is 100% confirmed yet. In any case, check out the tour schedule and start planning what shows to see and who to bring... | |||
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: band |
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| Now that Scarsick is finished, the band will focus on finding a new bass player. The first auditions are already scheduled for December, but the quest will be "as long as it takes to find the right guy". Applications have been pouring in from all around the world, despite the band's request for a bassist living in Sweden. Thus, focus will be on the "domestic" applications. But this also means that the field is still open, in case you are hesitating. | |||
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: albums |
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 The long awaited Scarsick album is now done, and is expected to hit the stores late January 2007, just a few weeks before the European tour that will start mid February. The album is (of course) a concept album, and clocks in at 67 minutes, consisting of the following tracks:01. Scarsick 02. Spitfall 03. Cribcaged 04. America 05. Disco Queen 06. Kingdom of Loss 07. Mrs Modern Mother Mary 08. Idiocracy 09. Flame to the Moth 10. Enter Rain The cover artwork and track titles have already spawned a lot of discussions in forums and lists around the net regarding the possibility that Scarsick might actually be The Perfect Element, part II in disguise. Interviews with the band will undoubtedly start to pop up in magazines and online the following months, so keep your eyes and ears open... |
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: albums |
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A lot of fans are wondering about the coming album Scarsick, so what could be better than a studio report at this point? That said, let's take a trip to Sweden and see what's happening with the coming album...
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: misc |
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 The Element Protos are all sold or reserved except for one guitar, the 6-stringed "Air". In other words, not much time left if you want to lay your hands on one.Now the "official" Elements are just around the corner, what can we expect, with the Proto as a point of departure? Daniel: Making the Protos was great - I could try out what I liked and what I wanted to change. The placement of knobs and switches is one big difference - it will be much closer to my first drawings and sketches now. The pickups contest narrowed down to a thrilling final between my original choices. In other words, Seymour Duncan SH-2 Jazz and DiMarzio Air Norton for the neck position and Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB and DiMarzio D-Sonic for the bridge position. Both have their advantages." "The SH-2 Jazz is without competition for clean neck sounds. To my ears, the Air Norton is not even close. The Norton, on the other hand, is better for neck soloing. For distorted and clean sounds in bridge humbucker position the SH-4 and D-Sonic is difficult to choose from. As with all DiMarzios, the D-Sonic sounds a bit artificial and papery, with a high end frizz that cannot be hid no matter how you try. If you want that warm and dense tube sound that just rocks, analog to the point of vintage, you can forget the DiMarzio right away. There is no way to make it sound organic and "real" - it has a very distinct DiMarzio sounds, just two inches better than the previous DiMarzios in the passive high gain field. However, in some situations, when you want that modern crackle and frizzy wall to dominate the audio scenery, it is crucial and irreplaceable. If you like the DiMarzio sound, you will love this. If, on the other hand, you hate the DiMarzio sound, you will still be impressed by the performance of this pickup. So, the final specs of the coming Elements will look like this: BODY: The body is made from American Ash rather than Swamp Ash that is the Regius standard. All elements have transparent glossy finish, showing the wood on the back, with a radiused flamed maple top in element specific colors and 3-ply binding. NECK: The neck is an 11-piece (Maple-Mahogany-Wenge-Amazaque) neck-through-body construction, which has been sponge matted on the backside to get that semi-matt feeling I like. The fretboard is ebony of course. The truss rod is 2-way adjustable, and the fret edges have been angled differently to allow dual way bending and vibratos more space. I just hate it when you are creating something nice and the string slips over the fret edge. For each element I have designed a three frets sized inlay to single out the 12th fret. There are also dots on the side of the neck. On the truss rod cover the name of the model is carved (white in black). The headstock is transparent black on all elements. Nice. 
PICKUPS:- Fire and Air have a DiMarzio setup, with the Air Norton in neck position and D-Sonic in bridge position. Both can be split to single coil. - Earth and Water have a Seymour Duncan setup, with the SH-2 Jazz in neck position and SH-4 JB in bridge position. Both can be split to single coil. - All Elements also have GraphTech Pietzo bridge pickups with adjustable gain and tone (inside the guitar) to allow you to personalize your specific acoustic sound. ELECTRONICS: - More fun. First there is a 3-way switch to switch between bridge/both/neck. Then there are two mini-switches below the bridge to split the pickup coils between humbucker and single coil. That will first of all give you one more possibility since you can choose to play both pickups in either single coil or humbucker mode, and also, it makes it easier to choose your pickup configuration blindfolded on stage. - There are two knobs, one for master volume and one for neck pickup volume. In other words, you can have a lower volume for the neck pickup and switch to that sound for a true semi-clean sound when you are playing a distorted sound. - The volume knob is also a push-pull knob which, in pulled state, will lower the tone of the whole guitar by a value that you can set yourself inside the guitar - see, again with the personalizing possibilities. - In addition to this you have a mini-switch that is used to switch between Magnetic pickups (passive) and Pietzo (active). This means the Pietzo/Magnetic blender knob from the Protos is gone, to add more possibilities and maneuverability for the magnetic sounds. - To sum it up, you have one 3-way switch, one push/pull knob, one halfway-stop knob, three mini switches and three adjustable screws inside the guitar. MECHANICS: - ABM fixed bridge strings-through-body construction with black GraphTech Pietzo saddles on a chrome bridge plate. This blend between black and chrome will run through all the Elements details. - Pietzo May pre-amp. - Sperzel locking tuners - black tuners with chrome pins. - Shaller Hipshot D-tuner. - GraphTech nut. - Shaller Straplock, with the horn straplock placed on the backside of the horn for a better look and a slight lean into the left hand. Sweet. No more making new holes in brand new expensive guitars for me, perfection from scratch! - Custom made knobs, chrome and black. - Separate 9V battery compartment for the active Pietzo pre-amp, very easy to open (are you listening, Parker Guitars?). All of this comes in a sturdy hardcase with a Signature metal plate, Firewire strings on the guitar (my custom signature set with gauges 010-065 and a wound 018 G-string) and one extra set of those same strings, and a signed certificate of authenticity. I will also give a unique name to each sold guitar, to make that finishing touch on a very personal and unique guitar. I have made my best to make this the guitar that is perfect from factory. If you don't love it, I will simply have to hate you! :-) |
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: misc |
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THERE CAN BE ONLY EIGHT!  So, you are down because the limited Element guitar series was delayed? Well, don't be anymore. Now you can actually purchase any (or all, if you have way too much money) of the eight unique prototypes that Mayones and Daniel developed to test the features, looks and feel of the Element guitars! There are two guitars of each element in this series (called the Elements PROTO Series) - one 6-stringed and one 7-stringed. In other words, there is a total of eight guitars - each one unique! These are the guitars Daniel has tested. These are the guitars that will be heard solely on the upcoming album Scarsick. And fan club members have a month's head start to book and buy these guitars, so if you are not a fan club member but you still want to lay your hands on a "Fire" PROTO 7 a whole year before the official "Fire" is available, make sure to sign up - because there is only one such guitar available. In the world. And since the guitars have been tested, they are lowered in price as well. Images and lists of specifications for each individual PROTO guitar will be published on Mayones' home page any day now - and Machinah handles the fan club member sign-ups as usual. |
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: misc |
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The release schedule of Daniel's limited signature guitar series Elements by Mayones has been changed. Instead of "Fire" being released this summer, the sales will start will "Water" this fall (September), followed by "Earth" in the winter and "Air" next spring - all to be complete when "Fire" is instead released in the summer of 2007.  Daniel: "Our goal in this has been to create the best possible instrument - my dream guitar if you wish. We have worked hard these past months, planning, making sketches, producing prototypes and, first and foremost; tried and tested and altered. Since we feel that we want to offer the customers an instrument without limitations or compromises, it was of utmost importance that the guitars felt 100% complete and done before the release; thus the delay of three months. In any case, I can say this: if you don't love this guitar, I am going to question your sanity in the direst of ways. It is simply awesome." There will be a dedicated section in the Kingdom for the Elements guitars when we draw closer to the official release in September. |
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: personal |
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| On the 28th of May 2006, Daniel and Johanna had a son. "We are both completely and utterly in love with this little wonderful person that has come into our lives. It's like having your heart brought out in daylight, with no shelter from the surrounding world - laughs and tears come so easily. Humans are never as beautiful as when they are vulnerable yet brave, and this little being is so brave and vulnerable, and he makes us brave and vulnerable too. So, because of him, we are now a beautiful little family." The boy's name is Sandrian Silver Khan, and he is a Gemini, just like his father :) |
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: albums |
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 Daniel: "The drums have now been recorded for Scarsick. Me and Johan went down to Orebro and the Fascination Street Studio (previously Studio Kuling) for the recording. As usual, Jens was a true pleasure to work with. And, as usual, Johan pulled everything off with ease. The whole album was done in less than five days.""I guess we are a bit old school when it comes to music. We still want the album to be played rather than trigged, fixed and quantized. This could slow things up, but on the other hand you are forced to learn to play and in the end you will be more effective after all. If we are to believe Jens, he hasn't been as relaxed and had such confident in a drummer since his school days, and no album recording had apparently focused so much on real playing for at least three years. I allow myself to be a bit cynical when I consider that, by a coincident, that happens to be just about the time when we were there the last time for the "BE" drum recording."   "Now, I am only longing to get the new drum files into my studio computer and start building the real album up. Only bad thing, as usual, is that in the coming process I am going to have to recreate all the mistakes from the demo recording since, by now, I have come to love them and would miss them if they were left out. As usual."We can't wait to hear the album! |
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: merchandise |
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| Take a look in the SALES SECTION and see what you need - shirts, posters, albums... | |||
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: site |
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| The Subarea has been updated. Oh, don't expect too much, it is more the possibility of future change that should be tempting. And you might just be a part of that. So, newsletter subscribers, enter the subarea and you'll get the picture. The login information is in the latest Letter of Loss... | |||
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: misc |
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| "It is with big sadness that I have to walk away from one of the greatest bands I've ever come in contact with. I wish the situation was different, I wish there was another solution but the show must go on and this is the crossroad. After more than eleven years as a member, I pretty much lived my life around the band and it's going to feel very empty without it. I want to take this moment to thank all the fans out there. Thank you for your passion, thank you for your support and thank you for staying with us for all this time. I wish I had meet more of you, I wish I could have played for more of you. Peace! Kristoffer" |
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: albums |
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 The name of the coming album will be Scarsick, and the band is focusing on the songs right now, to be recorded during the coming months. Daniel describes the albums as much more band oriented and down to the core. Threatening and disturbing. The picture above is the only part of the cover art that has been revealed so far. Now all we can do is wait... |
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: misc |
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Mayones and Daniel Gildenlow have come up with a new guitar series based on the Regius model, but with specs completely in accordance to Daniel's wants and needs.
"I have been offered endorsement from several guitar makers since I started playing Parker back in 1997, but none has caught my undivided attention until now. I have always been very picky about my choices, and now I have finally found the guitars I've been looking for. After having sorted all the details out, I can say that this guitar will kick your guitar's ass regardless of what you play. And the fact that it is one of the most beautiful guitars I've ever played doesn't hurt either."The series of guitars will be called Regius Elements (after The Perfect Element) and will come in five different models or "elements", each one limited to ten guitars (of which five will be 7-stringed and the other five 6-stringed). Every model in the series will have an official "release date" when it is going to be available to the public. Thus, "Fire" will be the first model to be introduced in June this year, and will be limited to ten guitars. It will be followed by "Water", "Earth" and "Air" every three months. "Perfect" is scheduled for summer 2007, and is still cloaked in mystery. 
Every guitar will be hand built and follow the exact specifications of the model, so you'll have the exact same guitar as Daniel. "I hate it when guitar makers introduce a signature series, but you find out that the artists themselves have had their guitars adjusted in certain ways, modified or more precisely built - if you buy Regius Elements you get the real deal."More information and specifications will be revealed later on, but a few interesting details can be noted already:  The guitars have pre-installed D-tuners (or A-tuners on the 7-strings), Pietzo bridges, and have special large fretboard elemental symbol inlays designed by Daniel. They will come with a special set of strings (and one extra pack included) made just for this guitar series by Firewire Strings in Canada - gauges 010-052 (065 for the 7-string) with a wound 018 third string. Attention has been focused on every single little detail on the guitar, and each guitar will be shipped in a hard case with a certificate signed by Daniel. Every guitar will be given a unique individual name by Daniel, and will have a special POS-related serial number, also mentioned on the certificate.Regardless of which element you will choose, rest assured that you will get a killer guitar that will last a lifetime. So start saving your money and stay tuned, because this June, Mayones, Firewire Strings and Daniel Gildenlow will take the show on the road! The first four elements ("Fire", "Water", "Earth" and "Air") will be on display for the first time on MusikMesse 2006 International Music Trade Fair in Frankfurt March 29 - April 4, 2006. The fifth element ("Perfect") will be introduced on the summer of 2007.  Mayones  Firewire Strings |
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: band |
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| There has been a lot of discussions on forums and by e-mail since the announcement that Kristoffer will no longer be part of the band, so we thought we might clear a few things out. First of all, we are very sad to see Kristoffer go of course. Some fans have described this as a catastrophy beyond words, others as a "so-what" event. It is of course neither - it is what we would like to label "a big deal" - but the most important thing to remember is that this was a band decision, with focus on the future of the band. We have decided not to stress this, we will take all the time needed to find the perfect bass player. There is no replacement bass player under consideration as of yet, but since so many bass players have already started contacting us, we might as well make clear what is needed for this task, to save some people the trouble: The premises: 1. You are a very, very good bass player that masters slapping/tapping/finger/pick on both fretted and fretless 6-string basses. 2. You are a fast learner with a very good ear. 3. You have a good voice with a decent range and are used to singing harmonies. 4. You are driven and responsible and can learn the earlier albums basically on your own. 5. You live in Sweden, or maybe you are so rich that you can take a private jet there two or three times a week. In any case, there will basically be rehearsals that often, and you need to be able to be there somehow. 6. You are a nice girl or a boy of say 20-35 that loves music in many forms. 7. You don't do drugs, and you are very restrictive with alcohol (never a drop before a show). The bonuses: 8. You feel at home on stage and can spend tons of energy without having your playing suffer. 9. You have a driver's license. 10. You take an interest in world issues and politics. You probably think that Gandhi's march for salt or his burning of passports were braver political actions than Bush's war on terror. 11. You look cool. So, is this you, or anyone you know? In that case, you are welcome to introduce yourself to us, preferrably with some photos and sound samples. As already mentioned, we are in the process of recording the next album and we will most likely not bring a new member in before this album is done. However, we said the same thing back in 1998 but then we found Johan, so you never know... bassplayer@painofsalvation.com |
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: misc |
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| It is now official that Daniel and Johan Hallgren will be playing Mayones guitars. Daniel will also have his signature model available to the public in a limited series called "Elements". More information about this will follow soon. |
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: fan clubs |
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| The POS International Fan Club (IFC) Machinah has decided to postpone the printing of the next fanzine, in order to add some more in-depth information about Kristoffer's departure from the band. It will be printed and delivered very soon though. Check their home page for more information. www.machinah.com |
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: band |
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| We are sad to announce that Kristoffer is of now no longer a member of Pain of Salvation. After having been the band's bass player since 1994, he has now kindly been asked by the other members to leave the band. The separation derives from growing difficulties to function together as a band since Kristoffer moved to Holland a few years back. The band's own statement: "We are a band who loves to play music together, and who values being a real band rather than a project that functions on distance. Being a tight unit welded together musically and personally is an important part of the band's soul; and constantly being decimated while composing, rehearsing, and even recording, simply proved impossible in the long run. Kristoffer has grown to become a tremendous bass player during the years with Pain of Salvation and it is with sadness that we now see him go, but since this logistic situation will not change within the coming years, we unfortunately see no other choice." The composing and production of the coming album is in full progress and will continue as planned. More news about the album will be published in the near future. |
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: general |
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| Daniel: A little update on what's happening with the band right now might be in place. First, I hope you all had great holidays and all. On New Year's Eve I actually ended up playing Diablo II (Expansion) in LAN with my wife Johanna and our dear keyboard player Fredrik. It was a nice and different Ney Year's indeed. [For those who want to know, in that particular game I am a Barbarian, and we are getting close to finishing the game on Nightmare level. After that we'll continue to Hell level of course.] Anyway... As some of you might have heard or read already, I am all busy writing music and lyrics. I am completely wound up from all the ideas and different angles and approaches running though me and/or presenting themselves to me at the moment, and I can't wait to share it all with our fans. We have finally come to the point where we have regular rehearsals every week. For so long we have been playing with in-ear monitor systems and I have been so happy about that and did not miss amplifiers a bit. Now, when presenting new music to the rest of the band, I felt it would probably be wiser to have amplifiers and a PA again, to hear the sounds more separated and true in all frequencies. And you know what, when I cranked that amp up and felt the lower frequencies pound and work on my chest, I found myself with a big stupid smile on my face. It was like, after driving a Honda Civic for two years, stepping into a Mustang Shelby and rev the engine. That raw power just sends you off on a little trip, all reason aside. That first day of rehearsals, I promise you, there was not one single band in Sweden that were louder than us. And man, we rocked. 
Drawing of Mr. Money by Ma & Koro - I love it!
Several guitar brands have contacted me about wanting me to cooperate with them during the last year or two. So far, I have stuck to the Parker, which I fell in love with back in 1996. Now, however, I have been convinced. The whole band will soon be playing the same brand, with instruments customized according to our own specifications. And not only that - together with this company I will develop a guitar series called Elements, consisting of five slightly different models built according to my requirements. The elements will of course be Fire, Water, Earth, Wind and... Perfect. Every element will be available but limited to ten copies each (five 6-strings and five 7-strings). Start saving your money because these guitars will be killers, and the most beautiful guitars I have personally set eyes on. Who's making them? Well, I am going to have to put you on hold on that for now, but stay tuned for the official news about it in a few weeks... Our international fan club, Machinah, is coming along real nice, and a new copy of their fanzine is ready to hit the fan club members any time now. The column by me is called "Lawn Mowing - Natural Selection in Progress" this time around. If you haven't subscribed already, don't wait any longer. Later this year there will be a little extra surprise for all the members too. Man, I already dig 2006. Take care, Daniel |
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: merchandise |
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| Alright, we are sorry about the Sales page never coming up here. We are still looking for good shop systems that will ease up the work process a bit. Until then, we suggest - if you are interested in buying shirts - that you contact us through sales@painofsalvation.com to find out more about the available shirts and sizes by e-mail. | |||
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: 2005 |
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| A little 2005 summary from me (Daniel) and the band, to all our beloved and dedicated fans out there, who makes our journey worthwhile: And so another year is coming to an end, and we look back at a very nice year on the whole. The two tours in Europe went down really well, and the French crowd managed to reach a staggering 116 decíbel! That's about four or five times as loud as you are normally allowed to play in a venue, just for the record... It was also great to come to Brazil - finally! After so many years of eager fan mail we could be there in the flesh. We hope that the Curitiba cancellation was sorted out in the end so the fans know it was not our fault. Thumbs up! It has been a year of political discussion, due to my refusal to submit to finger printing to enter USA, and thus staying at home for the Flower Kings tour. On the other hand, the support in this matter from my fellow band members in POS has been very heart warming, and the huge positive feedback from fans around the world has been a surprising energy booster. Even fans in the US have voiced their support, along with a disappointment about the results of course. All-in-all, this decision has probably cost me a lot, but it has given me unexpected support too, and I do not regret standing my ground in this issue. If I don't, how can I expect others to stand up for what they believe in? Absent The updating of the home page has not been that frequent, we know. We apologize for that. But on the other hand, since we are running the Kingdom ourselves (and it's getting too big for us to grasp) this usually indicates that we are busy doing a lot of other things that will in the end be beneficial for our fans. This year, apart from the touring, we have started sorting out new material and I have done some major reconstructing of the studio. All of which will result in lovely music in your ears eventually. Machinah We have seen the awakening of the new international fan club Machinah, under which all the national fan clubs are gathered. We are looking forward to follow the development of this growing family in the coming years. We know for a fact that they are working on the next fanzine as I write this. Endorsements This year has also seen the band become endorsed by FireWire Strings from Canada, and Kristoffer being endorsed by impressive Mayones from Poland. While on this topic, and without giving away too much already, I think I can safely say that 2006 will contain some nice surprises for our guitar playing fans, since I will work closely with a guitar company to produce a special limited edition, hand built guitar model according to my needs and specifications. Start saving your money... 2006 then... On the whole, we are looking at a very interesting 2006 from the point we are standing right now. I know, we have a better view, but rest assure that you will enjoy the next year, hopefully as much as we will. We are working on some great material and we have some other nice surprises up our sleeves too. We will not make the mistake of giving out any resolutions for the new year about what we will do - we will simply just do it. And we hope you'll allow us to do it to you... Happy Holidays! I will end this little summary by wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, from myself, the band, and the whole Pain of Salvation family! See you on the other end of New Year's Eve, for the 2006 edition of Pain of Salvation. Take care, Daniel |
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