YEAR REPORT 2005

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 on 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

"BE"-DVD realese in April

And so, there is finally a time of release set for the long awaited "BE" DVD. In the first days of April it will be available; just before the planned European tour.

The DVD consists of the Original Stage Production, which was filmed during one of the last performances. It was performed on a specially built stage, just for this occasion, and was quite impressive. People came from all corners of the world to see this unique show, and since it will never again be performed like this, the DVD offers the possibility to get at least a hint of how it was for all of those who never had a chance to see it.

In addition to the show there is a pile of extra material like commentary tracks, slideshows, a bunch of Messages to God (in addition to the ones in Vocari Dei) never heard before, and quite a lot of hidden features and Easter Eggs. Simply a Must-Have.

Tour in April/May

Pain of Salvation will finally go on a headline tour. As far as anybody knows at this point, the tour is planned to happen between mid April and early May. Being a European tour, it will stop by all "The Most Typical European Tour Countries" as Daniel puts it. Poland and Hungary are on top of the band's "Wanted" list since they have never played headline shows there. Keep your fingers crossed and check out the Tour section every once in a while.

Reactions on "BE"

So, some time has passed since the release of "BE" - by far the most ambitious and most thought-through work coming out of Pain of Salvation this far. How was the reactions so far?

Daniel: "I must say I am positively surprised. I mean, this might sound a bit 'high horses' and all that, but I honestly didn't think people would be able to see the grandness of this album for at least a year. Our previous albums have taken quite some time for the press and fans to digest and we have experienced several times - a ridiculous amount of times as far as I can see compared to other bands - how professional press makes a revision of their first lukewarm review over a year later. And even with that knowledge we knew that this album was even more risky than the others. I was preparing for being torn to pieces and have our recognition for this piece of work two years from now at its earliest - and then, to our surprise, but according to our hopes of course, we get a lot of overwhelming response. Sure, there have been a few Don't-Get-Its, but fewer than we thought.

One thing that makes me happy is to see the female part of our fans grow with every album, that is almost unheard of in the male dominated genre of prog metal where we have been placed. Also, the age span of our fans is unbelievably wide. Now I only hope to see the caucasian dominance challenged in the future. I am certain that our music has the potential to hit home in more places than you'd initially think."

For those who are interested, there are numerous reviews and interviews online by now - they will start showing up here in the Kingdom too for those who don't know how to use Google ;)

Undertow
Rope Ends
Used
In the Flesh
Ashes
A Trace of Blood
Spirit of the Land
Inside
! (foreword)
People Passing By
Idioglossia
Beyond the Pale

Quote from Daniel:

"Yes, I guess we can finally give away for sure that there is in fact a Pain of Salvation DVD on its way. The "BE" DVD will be out hopefully as soon as this December, and will really complete the "BE" world in a very nice way - it will most likely contain a live CD of "BE" as well and a lot more booklet information and pictures, and is thus the ultimate "BE" box together with the studio album, which is being released late September. This is by far the best and most original and brainy stuff that's ever come out of the band. It will be truly painful having to knock it down the ladder with our coming albums... *laughs*"

Quote from InsideOut:

“Be” has also passed the acid test long ago: Already before the studio recordings Pain of Salvation presented the work on several occasions in front of an enthusiastic audience in their home town Eskilstuna. “For three weeks we performed the music in front of local school classes twice on Mondays and Thursdays, and on weekends in front of a rock and classic audience. It seems that everybody was deeply impressed. I think, however, in order to grasp every detail of the show one would have to watch it three or four times. Pain Of Salvation has precautionary hired a camera crew to document one of their shows, so that the DVD of “Be”, which is planned for release at the beginning of next year, will offer the possibility to further explore the matter. But you can already immerse yourself into the mysterious world of sound and ideas with the CD on hand here and now."

The release of a DVD is not confirmed yet.

1. Animae Partus
2. Deus Nova
3. Imago
4. Pluvius Aestivus
5. Lilium Cruentus
6. Nauticus
7. Dea Pecuniae
8. Vocari Dei
9. Diffidentia
10.Nihil Morari
11.Latertius Valette
12.Omni
13.Iter Impius
14.Matius/Nauticus II
15.Animae Partus II