The Perfect Element Part I
1. Used
2. In The Flesh
3. Ashes
4. Morning On Earth
5. Idioglossia
6. Her Voices
7. Dedication
8. King Of Loss
9. Reconciliation
10. Song For The Innocent
11. Falling
12. The Perfect Element
13. Epilogue (Japanese Bonus Track)
The Perfect Element, Part I is Pain of Salvation’s third studio album, released in October 2000. It is a concept album that focuses on the forming of the individual, particularly on the events from one’s childhood and adolescence. It is the first segment of a planned three-part concept. The Perfect Element, Part II was released in 2007 under the title Scarsick.
“The album is in a way a blend of the two earlier albums, with the groove and originality of Entropia and the focus, thoroughness and production of One Hour by the Concrete Lake. However, it will be quite unique as an album.”
The Perfect Element, Part I is the first part of a planned, two-piece concept, and is divided into three chapters, each containing four tracks.
Part one of the concept is a story human development, which focuses specifically on the progression from childhood to adolescence. It contains many themes within its context; which include but are not limited to:
- Child abuse (sexual and physical)
- Sexuality
- Tragedy
- Drug abuse
- Love
- Pain
- Anger
- Loss (of life and innocence, among other things)
- Shame
- Regret
- Despair
- Inner struggles
All these themes are dealt with as the story explores the lives of two characters, one male and one female (known commonly as “He” and “She”) who are broken, dysfunctional people. They meet in the events of the song “Ashes” after the first two songs of the album present us with a depiction of their troubled pasts (“Used” for “He” and in “In the Flesh” for “She”). After that introduction, the concept focuses on the inner struggles and feelings of the characters after the events on “Ashes”, and we also have some memory flashes, telling us more about their pasts and revealing what events in their lives caused them to become what they are, finally ending with the “falling” of He on the last song, “The Perfect Element”.