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Pain of Salvation: Be (DVD)
Pain of Salvation - Be (DVD) - [InsideOut Music]

2005-03-21

For months Daniel Gildenlow has added oil to the big fire of expectation for the bands first DVD based on the live production of their latest album BE.
The album itself rose lots of expectations before its release and when it finally came out (the end of 2004) it became very controversial, some would say it's a masterpiece, and some call it their weakest one.
In my opinion it is one the more interesting albums, that saw daylight in this late times.

Before the albums release, the band "tried it out" on some more intimate performances but a with a large scale production, because they won't be able to place this setting in their tour, the band decided it's definitely worth capturing in DVD.
The stage is quite complex, and has a 4 on 4 meter pool (in which Daniel pays a few visits during the concert), the orchestra and band members, are placed around it, the band brought a live orchestra to play with them, and Fredrik drops the synth for playing only the cembalo and grand piano letting fill the parts that are usually played by keyboards on such occasions.


This version is the original one, and was of course written before the album was recorded, so there were a few changes since that period of time, this changes are noticeable mostly in the lyrical aspect……And now, the show.

Because the concept is so complicated and Daniels obsession with trying to get the message across to the listeners there is a lot of use in video clips which I find a bit disturbing, as it pulls you away from the live feeling of the concert, and sometimes makes you wonder, if Gildenlow himself doesn't think the fans would like to concentrate on the bands performance and feels the urge to make up for it with all kinds of visual effects, or maybe he will just trying really hard to explain his concept with every lyrical and visual effect possible.

As the album has a lot of layered and varied parts in it (such as the monolog in "I AM" and "Vocari Dei") here they are all playbacks which kinds of ruins the moment, but what really came as a disappointment for me, was the playback in "Dea Pecuniae", instead of bringing the real live singer, which again, damages the live feeling.

but lets stop being picky and tell you about the great stuff about this DVD.

The show is taking place in a rather intimate venue, so you can see and feel the bands connection with the audience which sits patiently throughout this masterpiece, and waits hungrily for every note the band plays.

The band performance is really exciting to see, and you notice how they are all deeply involved in this grand concept, and of course, there is Daniel, which gives a Peter Gabriel vibe as he exchanges costumes and moods for every role he plays, from the white cape of "Imago" to the suit and sunglasses in "Dea Pecuniae", afterwards he plunders in the pool, making us see the lost soul that wonders alone in one of the most beautiful songs the band has ever written called "Iter Impius" and keeps on surprising on and on for the entire show.

Another thing I liked about the stage setting was how the band and orchestra blended in perfectly together, giving you a definite feeling of "this is how it should be",

The main thing in this performance (the performance itself not the DVD production), is something, the similar to Daniels concept, is hard to put in words, throughout the show there is a special feeling that hooks you in, a magical, intriguing and wonderful satisfaction watching it, and again I mention, there are no words to describe it, beyond fantastic, exciting, and magical all together.

A very powerful performance, though I think they could reduce the use in video clips, and definitely bring a live vocalist for the female part in "Dea Pecuniae", this things kind of part you from the live feeling and the effort that was put into this wonderful production. I believe being there in the flesh was magical, but I feel that the DVD fails to pass exactly this vibe.

Roy Povarchik



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