Pain of Salvation is a progressive rock band from Sweden, who have been around since the mid 1990s. Headed by singer/guitarist Daniel Gildenlöw, they started out as a progressive metal band, venturing into more progressive experiments between 2004 and 2010. The 5 octave vocal range of Gildenlöw, combined with the heavy, yet where necessary melodic sound of the band may be an acquired taste to some, but will win over many a progressive rock and metal fan.

After a year of illness and recovery in 2014, when people feared for his life and the future of the band, Pain of Salvation are back in 2015. Track-of-the-day is the freshly released video for Falling Home, title track of last years cover album. I did a Track-of-the-day with them earlier, but this is to celebrate the return of Daniel Gildenlöw.

All life must come to an end, but some will live forever. Today, Daevid Aellen, founder of both Soft Machine and Gong announced that he has been diagnosed with inoperable cancer, and has at most 6 months to live. A sad day for fans of Soft Machine and Gong, but Aellen asked them to start letting him go, and be prepared for the inevitable.

The mind that came up with the Pothead Pixies will be no more, but the creatures that sprang from it will live on forever. David, todays Track of the Day is dedicated to your life’s work – Fohat Digs Holes in Space, from the brilliant album Camembert Electrique, released in 1971.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wxh6dPnTj4

While the Krautrock scene was raging in Germany in the eary 1970s, there was also a band named Grobschnitt. Not a typical kraut band, like Faust or Amon Duul (they were even mentioned as a Yes-clone at some point) they produced an eclectic mix of Kraut, symphonic and psychedelic music, with the highlight being the release of Solar Music Live. A brilliant live album released in 1977 – evolving around a piece cold Solar Music that had evolved over a number of years (first appearing on 1974’s Ballerman).

One of my favourite albums of all times – and a good candidate for a track of the day. Here’s Solar Music I, in one video with Food Sicore, the second track on the album. Please note the brilliant rhythm section, with co-founder Joachim “Eroc” Ehrig on drums and Wolfgang “Popo” Jäger on bass.

As can be seen on the bands web site: all 14 albums will be re-released in February 2015, by Universal music. Each CD will be filled with 79:10 seconds of brilliant music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0hxIk0S-9M

There is no reason to introduce Fish, the man who got his nick name writing Marillion lyrics in the bath tub. He left Marillion in 1988 to pursue a solo career, starting with the album Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors. 

In 2015, he is doing a tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of Misplaced Childhood. After that, he has promised to release one more album before retiring from music in 2017. He will be missed on stage, but his records will keep the memory alive.

Track of the day is State of Mind, from that his debut solo album, with great fretless bass work by John Giblin.

At the highlight of Neo progressive rock, bands like Marillion and IQ got a lot of attention, and other bands followed at a very close distance. One of these bands was Pallas, a band with a slightly louder, slightly more guitar oriented hook to their music. Like many others, they have survived until today, and are still actively releasing new material.

Their latest album wearewhoweare was released in December 2014, and shows a band that has ‘progressed away’ somewhat from the classic 1980s neo sound without loosing its identity. Here’s one track of it, a full review together with my good friend Bruce Waren at CarayzeeDiamond will appear in the next two weeks.

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