Former Pain of Salvation bassist Kristoffer Gildenlöw is stepping back into heavier territory with his latest solo album, [Humanised], released on 29th May 2026.

And fair warning, mun — this one isn’t tiptoeing through the tulips.

Packed with seven-string guitar weight, shifting time signatures, bruising riffs and flashes of doom, prog, sleaze rock and art rock, [Humanised] sees Gildenlöw reconnecting with his progressive metal roots while still keeping the wide-ranging musical personality that has defined his solo career.

🎶 A MUSICIAN WHO REFUSES TO STAY IN ONE BOX

Many listeners will know Kristoffer Gildenlöw from the original line-up of Pain of Salvation, where his bass work helped shape some of the band’s most celebrated material.

Since then, his career has taken him across the globe, recording and touring with a seriously impressive collection of artists including Neal Morse, Damian Wilson, Lana Lane, For All We Know, Mr. Fastinger and plenty more besides.

But his solo work is where he has truly been able to stretch out, experiment and build a sound entirely on his own terms.

His debut solo album, Rust, arrived in 2012, followed by:

  • The Rain — 2016
  • Homebound — 2020
  • Let Me Be A Ghost — 2021
  • Empty — 2024

Each record has carried its own musical and lyrical identity, but there has always been a clear thread running through them — Kristoffer’s distinctive arrangements, detailed production and those warm, intriguing vocals that somehow manage to sound comforting and unsettling at the same time.

That’s a tidy trick, fair play.

🔥 THE RIFFS ARE BACK

With [Humanised], Gildenlöw turns the amps up and digs deeper into the heavier side of his musical DNA.

The album features weighty seven-string guitar work, driving riffs and complex rhythmic shifts, all of which point back towards his progressive metal background.

But this is no nostalgia exercise.

Rather than simply revisiting old ground, Kristoffer folds in elements of sleaze rock, art rock, doom and progressive rock, creating something darker, broader and more unpredictable.

The result is a record that moves with purpose, balancing aggression with atmosphere and technical detail with emotional punch.

This sounds like the kind of album that can flatten you with a riff one minute and drag you into an existential crisis the next.

Lovely stuff.

🪞 A MIRROR HELD UP TO MODERN LIFE

The album’s title and concept take aim at modern society and the increasingly strange way we all live within it.

[Humanised] is described as a mirror — or perhaps even a selfie camera — held up in front of the modern person.

The record explores a world of:

  • Overproduction
  • Overconsumption
  • Shallow behaviour
  • Greed
  • Contradictory ideas of inclusion
  • The relentless pressure to perform and present

It is a sharp look at humanity in an age where everything is photographed, filtered, packaged, sold and consumed before anyone has had five minutes to work out what it actually means.

At the centre of it all is one brutal truth:

Nothing stays the same.

Not careers.
Not relationships.
Not society.
Not the version of ourselves we desperately try to preserve online.

Cheery, innit?

But that tension between modern excess and inevitable change gives [Humanised] its emotional backbone.

🥁 SOME SERIOUS MUSICIANS JOIN THE CHAOS

Kristoffer has brought in a small but mighty group of guest musicians for the record.

On drums is Leo Margarit, known for his work with Pain of Salvation and For All We Know.

His inclusion makes immediate sense once the album starts moving, with his powerful and precise playing giving the heavier material a massive sense of momentum.

Fans of the wider progressive scene will also recognise Daniel Magdič, currently with Prehistorical Animals and formerly of Pain of Salvation, who contributes a guest guitar solo on the track “Landfill”.

Meanwhile, emerging Dutch guitarist Thijmen van der Meer steps into the spotlight with a solo on “The Fields”.

Both guest appearances add fresh colour to the album while fitting naturally into Kristoffer’s carefully constructed sound.

🎧 AN ALBUM BUILT FOR PROG FANS WHO LIKE A BIT OF DIRT UNDER THE NAILS

There is often a danger with progressive music that technical ability becomes the whole point.

Thankfully, Gildenlöw has always understood that complexity only matters when it serves the song.

[Humanised] may feature heavy guitars, unusual time signatures and detailed arrangements, but it is also driven by atmosphere, melody and meaning.

This is not music designed purely for musicians to nod at thoughtfully while counting beats.

It is music meant to hit emotionally.

The heavier sections give it muscle.
The art rock elements give it shape.
The doom influence gives it weight.
And Kristoffer’s vocals give it humanity.

Or perhaps, given the album title, something close to it.

🤘 THE RIFF REPORT VERDICT

Kristoffer Gildenlöw has built a solo career on evolution, mood and refusal to be boxed in, and [Humanised] looks like another bold chapter in that journey.

By returning to the heavier foundations of progressive metal while pulling in sleaze, doom and art rock, he has created a record that sounds ambitious without becoming bloated and heavy without losing its emotional depth.

For fans of intelligent, layered rock music with actual teeth, this one deserves a proper listen.

[Humanised] is out now, and from the sound of it, Kristoffer Gildenlöw has delivered one of his most powerful and thought-provoking solo releases yet.

Turn it up loud, stare into the metaphorical selfie camera and prepare for a bit of uncomfortable reflection.

Proper prog business, butt. 🤘🔥

Are you checking out [Humanised]? Let us know your thoughts and your favourite track.

#KristofferGildenlow #Humanised #ProgressiveMetal #PainOfSalvation #TheRiffReport