Pain of Salvation are progressive metal’s most emotionally raw, conceptually fearless band. Formed in Sweden in 1991 and built around the singular voice of Daniel Gildenlöw, they’ve spent three decades making concept albums that fuse the complexity of prog metal with the rawness of grunge and an almost unbearable emotional honesty. Here is our fellow fan’s ranking of their finest songs.

The short version

If you only hear a few, make them “Ashes”, “Beyond the Pale”, “A Trace of Blood” and “The Perfect Element” — a perfect introduction to the band, two of their most devastating epics and the ten-minute centrepiece that gives their breakthrough its name. The full ranking is below.

Prog metal with a beating heart

When Pain of Salvation arrived, progressive metal was full of bands chasing Dream Theater’s technical fireworks. Daniel Gildenlöw wanted something else — a music that put raw human emotion ahead of instrumental showing-off. Formed in the Swedish town of Eskilstuna in 1991 (with roots in Gildenlöw’s teenage band Reality), Pain of Salvation built their reputation on concept albums of startling ambition and honesty, tackling war, sexuality, mortality, identity and faith. Gildenlöw’s voice — ranging from a tender whisper to an unhinged scream — sits at the centre of it all, backed by music that fuses prog-metal complexity with the rawness of early grunge. These fifteen songs are the best.

How we ranked them

This is one fan’s order, weighing emotional impact, ambition, those astonishing vocal performances and lasting resonance. The facts are accurate; the order is a starting point for the debate.

The essential six

At the very top sits “Ashes” (2000), the brooding-to-explosive song that has hooked countless listeners and the perfect way in. With it: “Beyond the Pale” (2002), a fan-poll favourite that marries visceral themes to epic prog; “A Trace of Blood” (2002), a harrowing piece born of a miscarriage; “The Perfect Element” (2000), the ten-minute epic that crowns their breakthrough; “Her Voices” (2000), one of their most beloved deep epics; and “Iter Impius” (2004), the towering highlight of their most ambitious concept album.

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Reliably great

The next tier is essential too. “Undertow” (2002) is a somber, aching mid-tempo masterclass; “Ending Theme” (2002) opens their masterpiece with quiet devastation; “In the Flesh” (2000) is a fan-poll staple; “On a Tuesday” (2017) is the heavy-and-light epic that opened their acclaimed return to form; and “Wait” (2020) is one of the most beautiful ballads they’ve ever written.

Deeper cuts

For the dedicated, these reward repeat listens. “Meaningless” (2017) is the brooding, explosive single from their 2017 album; “Handful of Nothing” (1998) is one of the most intricate things they’ve ever recorded; “People Passing By” (1997) is a relentless, funky highlight of their debut; and “Enter Rain” (2007) is the emotional heart of their most divisive record.

Every song at a glance

All fifteen songs, in chronological order — each linked to the album it comes from, so you can hear it in context.

Where to start

Begin with “Ashes”, then the twin landmarks The Perfect Element, Part I and Remedy Lane — widely held to be their masterpieces. From there, the bold concept album BE and the harrowing, acclaimed In the Passing Light of Day reward exploration, while the bluesy Road Salt One and Road Salt Two show a very different, stripped-back side of the band.

The players

Pain of Salvation are, above all, the vision of Daniel Gildenlöw — singer, guitarist, chief songwriter and the band’s one constant, and one of progressive metal’s most expressive performers. Over the years he’s been joined by long-serving guitarist Johan Hallgren, keyboardist Fredrik Hermansson, drummer Johan Langell and his younger brother, bassist Kristoffer Gildenlöw; the current era features drummer Léo Margarit and keyboardist Daniel Karlsson. In 2014 Gildenlöw survived a near-fatal flesh-eating bacterial infection — an ordeal that he came through and that went on to shape 2017’s In the Passing Light of Day.

Why they still matter

Pain of Salvation proved that progressive metal could be as emotionally devastating as it was technically dazzling. Contemporaries of Dream Theater and fellow Swedes Opeth, kindred spirits of Leprous (who once served as their live band) and an inspiration to modern heirs like Haken, they remain one of the genre’s most distinctive and human voices. Decades on, The Perfect Element and Remedy Lane are touchstones for anyone who believes prog should make you feel.

Go deeper

Keep exploring: rank their records with our guide to the best Pain of Salvation albums, find an entry point with where to start with Pain of Salvation, or dig into the underrated Pain of Salvation albums. You can also place them in the bigger picture with the best progressive rock songs of all time.

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