Pain of Salvation have been firmly at the forefront of the progressive rock and metal scenes for nearly three decades now. Led by mercurial multi-instrumentalist Daniel Gildenlöw, the Swedish band have consistently demonstrated a sincere passion for moving their own extraordinary music forward, while always remaining lyrically enlightened and ferociously intelligent.

In 2020, Pain of Salvation have already shattered expectations with the release of their latest studio album PANTHER, but Gildenlöw’s crew are not finished yet. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of its original release, the third Pain of Salvation album, The Perfect Element, Pt. I, is to be resurrected in a completely remixed and remastered form as of November 20th, with the title The Perfect Element, Pt. I (Anniversary Mix 2020). Following on from the widely praised remix of classic PoS album Remedy Lane in 2016, the new version of The Perfect Element, Pt. I promises to repeat the trick with this perennially revered fan favourite full-length.

“When we did Remedy Lane, we did think that this might be fun to do with other albums,” explains Daniel Gildenlöw. “At that point we were obviously thinking about The Perfect Element, because it’s really a sibling album to Remedy Lane in many ways and the 20th anniversary was on the horizon. Then PANTHER happened, and then the global pandemic happened… but meanwhile, Pontus [Lindmark, engineer] was still working on the mixes. I think we tried to have the same mindset as for Remedy Lane – to try to make a remix that is different enough for it to be valid, so that there’s a point to it. It should be able to stand on its own.”

Gildenlöw and his band’s relationship with Pontus Lindmark goes back to the original recording sessions for both The Perfect Element, Pt. I and Remedy Lane, when the respected engineer was just starting his studio career. Two decades on, Gildenlöw was too absorbed in the making of PANTHER to embark on another intricate studio project.

“When we first worked together it was great fun and he and I had a lot of the same ideas,” says the frontman. “I had total confidence that Pontus would make it work, because he was part of the original recording process and he’s a great engineer. We share a lot of opinions and have the same mindset about what a remix should be.”

Rich with fresh detail but still true to the original’s album’s ground-breaking spirit and mastered by Thor Legvold from Sonovo (Stavanger/Los Angeles) who already worked with PoS on PANTHER, The Perfect Element, Pt. I has been transformed, upgraded and reborn for old and new generations to enjoy. From ageless anthems like Ashes to sprawling epics like King Of Loss and the title track, it’s an undisputed prog metal masterpiece that Pain of Salvation were planning to perform in full at ProgPower Fest in the USA this year. Unfortunately, the global pandemic situation has scuppered those plans, but Gildenlöw remains optimistic that this revitalised classic album may well live again onstage.

“I think it’s still on the agenda for whenever it’s possible,” he states. “I don’t know for sure because no one knows anything for sure right now! Nothing is set in stone, but I think it will still happen the way it was planned, if it doesn’t collide too terribly with other plans and other tours that are coming up. But that’s me in one or two years from now, and I don’t care about that guy! [Laughs]”