With the album "In The Passing Light Of Day" the Swedish progressive metalers Pain Of Salvation return to their roots after years of stylistic excursions. That they can do this is anything but self-evident: at the beginning of 2014 Daniel Gildenlöw fell ill with a life-threatening streptococcal infection. The singer/guitarist had to spend several months in hospital. In a very personal interview he told eclipsed how this time has shaped the new album and what is currently going on with the 43-year-old exceptional musician.
eclipsed: Daniel, almost three years have passed since your severe infection. How are you today?
Daniel Gildenlöw: When you consider the condition with which I was discharged from the hospital, I am doing very well. I had a hole in my lower back so you could see the spine. In the beginning it was all about getting out of bed and sneaking the ten meters to the breakfast table. In the meantime I even do Parkourläufe and Capoeira. Things I wouldn't have dared do before the surgery.
eclipsed: What initially looked like a small inflammation quickly developed into a life-threatening situation.
Gildenlöw: In retrospect I read that more than fifty percent of those affected die from something like this. Of course I didn't know anything about that when the doctors treated me with strong antibiotics on the first day. When that didn't help, they had to cut me open. At first it all seemed to me like an annoying story, but within a few hours there was the possibility of dying quite real in the room.
eclipsed: When you were in the hospital, fans watched your recovery in the social media. Despite your bad condition, you were creative again relatively early. I remember, for example, a photo series in which a certain "Mr. M" documents life in the hospital.
Gildenlöw: Creativity always saves me when I feel really bad. And the occupation with this photo series has helped me through many a valley.
