Be

Pain of Salvation - BE
(Recorded: various places, Sweden, February-July 2004; Released: September, 2004)

“BE” is Pain of Salvation’s fifth studio album, released by InsideOutMusic in September 2004. It is a concept album focusing on the existence of God and humankind. Along with the band it features a nine part orchestra, The Orchestra of Eternity, which features prominently throughout the album. This is the last album to feature Kristoffer Gildenlöw on bass. The album is the first Pain of Salvation album to be divided into more than three chapters.

The band performed it live as a rock opera. It was released as “BE” (Original Stage Production).

Outline
“BE” attempts to explore the many facets of human existence. It begins with the narration of Animae, someone or something who/that has existed for as long as he/she/it can remember and contemplates the nature of his/her/its existence and then begins a journey of understanding with the words: “I will call myself GOD and I will spend the rest of forever trying to figure out who I am”.The story continues from there. The characters that appear and disappear throughout the story are as follows:
* Animae: Animae is the album’s representation of God, or a Godhead.
* Nauticus: Nauticus is the name of a fictional space probe that is, according to the album, the most intelligent space probe ever to be created. In reference to the marine ‘neighborhood’, Nauticus ‘drifts’ throughout space, searching for answers to save Earth from itself.
* Imago: Imago is the image of humanity in its most natural form. Combined, Imago is the reflection of Animae.