by Martin Popoff
One of the most distinct characteristics of the Pain Of Salvation sound is Daniel's vocal dexterity. I thought of Glenn Hughes right away, which incredibly, Daniel had said he had never heard from fans or press as a comparative. But then he brought up a name that also made perfect sense.
"One of my biggest influences is Mike Patton. I think it was very important for me to hear him when I was 14, 15, maybe 17, when I was trying to find a voice of my own, trying to explore the voice, trying to sing in more than just one particular pitch or with one particular method. So it was good to hear him then. He was a vocalist who used his voice in different ways, and because of that, I could feel that, yes, my approach was right. I knew it was a good idea. Because usually when you hear vocalists they are usually just singing in one pitch and have one kind of voice the whole time. To me, that's really odd. Because it's like having a guitarist who is playing only the first string from the 12th fret and up or something, just doing hammer-on, pull-off technique, one technique in one particular pitch or something. It's really strange. You wouldn't accept that from any other instrument. So I'm really trying to use my voice as an instrument in all senses."
Daniel's chameleon-like vocals become an integral part of the emotions and tones that comprise the elaborate storyline of the album, a story that may or may not be carried forth on the band's next album (this one is subtitled "I", as in Part I), but possibly the one following the band's '01/'02 effort.
Pain Of Salvation - Setting Straight The Periodic Table Page 3