Panther by Pain of Salvation

Panther, the most recent album by the Pain of Salvation, from 2020, is the follow-up to the concept album “In the Passing Light of Day” created after two years of composition, in search of new sounds, with the theme of the difficulties of abnormality and the consequences that lead the human being to confine himself.

The album sees the return of guitarist Johan Hallgren after six years, and it is the last with bassist Gustaf Hielm. 

It is an experimental album that fuses heavy, dark, and electronic sounds and tackles deep themes with excellent performances.

Although each track is characterized by a different sound, the tone is consistently dark and post-industrial, and there is no shortage of metal, electronics, acoustic instrumentation, and progressive metal.

Daniel Gildenlöw's voice is extremely versatile, both in melodic sections and in the more aggressive moments or rap digressions.
Léo Margarit's drumming is great, complex, and precise. 

Notes on some tracks
- Accelerator is an absolutely atypical track with industrial electronic music, obsessive rhythms, and imposing guitars, very unsettling.
- Keen to a Fault with a lot of electronics and synthesizers and beautiful fully instrumental sections but also great vocal parts.
- Fur is a short instrumental with a dark retro atmosphere that introduces the title track
- Panther is an extravagant fusion of rap, oriental sounds, and electronics, unique and in its uniqueness, in my opinion, beautiful.

Species and Icon are the top tracks in my opinion: 

- Species with fantastic progressive guitars 

- Icon is a masterpiece that, after a very intense album, closes with calm atmospheres and an atmospheric mood.

A great album and although many reviews I have read are not enthusiastic, I like it a lot, excellent in composition and production, with very high-level tracks.

I particularly liked Unfuture, an album in line with the previous ones but with more current sounds, a title track that is certainly effective (although divisive given the criticism). 

Great work, I like all the albums by this band.

I highly recommend it.

Tracklist

1. Accelerator (5:31)
2. Unfuture (6:46)
3. Restless Boy (3:34)
4. Wait (7:05)
5. Keen To A Fault (6:01)
6. Fur (1:34)
7. Panther (4:12)
8. Species (5:18) 
9. Icon (13:31) 

Duration 53:32

LineUp

- Daniel Gildenlöw - lead vocals, guitars, drums, bass, pianos, keyboards, cellos, banjo, percussion, noises, programming
- Johan Hallgren - guitars, vocals
- Daniel Karlsson - keyboards, guitars, vocals
- Gustaf Hielm - bass, vocals
- Léo Margarit - drums, vocals

Note: All links to the musicians' works are in the TAGS below the article title or on the "Artists" page