THE FLOWER KINGS

'Adam & Eve' is still to this day one of the most entertaining albums by The Flower Kings, this is the Swedes' 2004 studio release and is one of the rare occasions of a 2000s single album, featuring ten new tracks, both traditional prog epics as well as short snippets of music connecting the major pieces. This also happens to be the second album with Pain of Salvation's Daniel Gildenlöw, who shares vocal duties with Stolt and Fröberg, as he had done on 'Unfold the Future'. His addition is a rather interesting one as well as surprising, knowing how "busy" the vocal department within TFK already was, but his strong and roaring wails add a tone of aggression and edge to the otherwise lush symphonic sounds explore by the band.

Not necessarily a concept album, 'Adam & Eve' deals extensively with the themes of religion, love and sexuality, all while remotely touching upon some Biblical topics as well. Music-wise the listener will experience the usual blend of symphonic and experimental rock with a strong retro feel that The Flower Kings mastered on their early releases, although this particular album has some unusual entries. The sound of 'Adam & Eve' is dense and complex, of course, but there is a general feel of harmony and textural richness that elevates the album, whose structure is quite interesting as well - enframed by the two exquisite epic pieces 'Love Supreme' and 'Drivers Seat', very strong offerings filled with great melodies, virtuosic playing and excellent vocals. In-between them, one shall discover the quirky 'A Vampire's View', with lead vocals by Gildenlöw, this song is not your typical TFK mini-opus, but it still contains some intriguing bits, the uplifting title track, another well-written song, and the crammed and chaotic 'Timelines', co-written by bassist Jonas Reingold. The transitional shorter tracks are no less enthusiastic in their soundscapes, while the album ultimately remains a very consistent and creatively-acute work that presents a familiar but slightly unusual side of the band.

A darker, bluesier and a tad bit more cynical version of The Flower Kings is to be experienced on the band's 2001 studio album 'The Rainmaker', the sixth installment in the Swedish band's discography, an album following a string of excellent works and the first album of their that dares to be significantly odder than its predecessors. Of course, such a statement comes at the premise that 'The Rainmaker' is a single-disc album with a fair balance between epic, lush suites and shorter, more straightforward pieces, often instrumental and improvised, unliked previous efforts on which a strong taste for the unhinged symphonic rock pomp had dominated the music. 'The Rainmaker' may as well be a more prudent record, one that follows a more conceivable structure, allowing each piece to breathe and unfold itself and to affirm its place on the tracklist.

A signature opener in the face of 'Last Minute on Earth', a longer composition that remains of the band's finest moments in terms of songwriting, production, and performance, a piece that explores Roine Stolt's blues roots and allows Hasse Fröberg to deliver a stunning vocal performance. A shorter and less salient track titled 'World Without A Heart' bridges the other long piece on here, 'Road to Sanctuary', an epic that is much more jam-oriented and improvisational, also very symphonic and ornate for what concerns the keyboards department. The prog-march instrumental title track introduces 'City of Angels', another classy piece full of fine vocals and excellent guitar works. Some shorter tracks follows, of which the rocker 'Sword of God' is particularly noteworthy, something that cannot be said for the mellow pieces 'Elaine' (despite its lovely fusion ending) and 'Blessing of a Smile', until the album closes off with the elegant prog-blues epic 'Serious Dreamers', delivering a somewhat melancholic and dreamy final tone to an otherwise beautiful and well-arranged album with a few experimental spots testing the resilience of the band's most dedicated enjoyers.

Well I guess its time to review the album in my profile picture. The Flower Kings' fast rise to the top of the progressive rock community was equal to their recording pace. The two hours of music on "Stardust We Are" completed a four-album run in a little less than four years. Roine Stolt's creativity seemed without limits, but listening to this two-CD set, one finds a little more filler than usual, mostly in the form of poppier tunes (like "Different People," "Kingdom of Lies," and "Compassion") and short instrumental pieces meant as bridges between more significant songs. Strangely, it didn't affect the album's cohesion or interest (it wouldn't be the case for Flower Power) and, although it could have been stripped down to an even stronger 75- minute CD, Stardust We Are made a strong impression and opened the U.S. doors for the Swedish band. The opener "In the Eyes of the World" has the strength and positive drive of the best Stolt songs and became an instant live classic, as did "Church of Your Heart," which also contained all the Flower Kings trademark ingredients: a memorable melody; intelligent shifts in time signature, speed, and key; lush arrangements; spirited musicianship; heartfelt vocals (alternating between Stolt and Hans Fröberg, depending on register and the emotional effect required); and a positive attitude toward life. "Circus Brimstone" is a strange and complex instrumental piece with backward voices inherited from Frank Zappa -- one of Roine Stolt's least-suspected influences. Disc two contains less strong moments: "The End of Innocence" is a good track, but afterwards it seems "Different People," "Kingdom of Lies," and "If 28" are just there to kill time before the epic "Stardust We Are," a 25-minute tour de force, full of well-developed music ideas seamlessly stitched together. More cohesive as a whole than the previous album Retropolis, but it remains one of the very good Flower Kings albums, by far my personal favorite of the Flower Kings discography and one of my favorite albums of all time.

The 1990s was a great decade for more progressive rock and metal revitalization. Dream Theater made their breakthrough album in 1992, Porcupine Tree started to become popular around that time too. Spock's Beard debuted with The Light in 1995. Opeth was picking up the pace along with many other prog metal groups. It was around the mid-1990s that a less known prog group under the work of guitarist and vocalist Roine Stolt would be created. After finishing his solo album, the "Flower King" his next work would make a studio album involving the group he had worked with in his solo album. This album would become Back In the World of Adventures.

The first thought that may come to mind is this: will the Flower King's first studio effort still sound like it should be a solo artist album? It has happened many times before and after. Zeitgeist was considered as just another Billy Corgan work. The same could be said about Genesis's Invisible Touch with Phil Collins. At first when listening to the first song or two, it may seem like just another Roine Stolt album, but as the album progresses, there are moments in which the drummer or the keyboardist steals the show for a while. So, it is not completely a soloist album. However, it still has its signs to make other listeners think differently. And since this was only the first Flower Kings album, the music was still developing. So, there are places in the album that may be questionable. Other than that, Back in the World of Adventures is mostly composed of good elements.

One nice factor is that Stolt is continuing to improve both his vocals and his guitar playing from his previous works. He adds more emotion into his voice and puts more of a mood to his guitar melodies. Take for example, Stolt executes more difficult solo passages, heavier riffs, and builds more onto the foundation of the group. This only helps them more than they already were.

All the other members as well as Stolt seem to know their prog rock pretty well. They appear to make their music off of the influence of older albums. Oblivion Road sounds like a cross breed between something from Any Colour You Like by Pink Floyd and Moonchild by King Crimson. Perhaps the same could be said about Temple of Snakes. There are times when Theme For a Hero, World of Adventures, and Atomic Prince gives you the ballad feel of Close to the Edge.

The Flower Kings aren't just good at knowing their prog elements in their first album. They also know each of their instruments pretty well too. Roine's brother, Michael, who plays the bass, could possibly match up his level of musicianship with him. The only factor that prevents that from happening is that Stolt has more experience in more instruments than his brother does. Thomas Bodin plays very beautiful keyboard passages throughout the album, giving it more magic. Hans Bruniusson and Jaime Salazar both have a nice percussion talent that gives the album more flavor, rigor, intensity, and eccentricity. And the soprano sax is like the spice; thus completing the recipe that is the Flower King's first album. This proves that the Swedish can make some pretty neat progressive rock.

Another great advantage of this album is that each of the songs is pretty well spread out in time length. The songs longer than 10 minutes are guaranteed to keep the listener busy and interested while the shorter songs are fun, catchy, and contain some the more upbeat feeling to bring the listener back to focus. And another plus: The Flower Kings's content blooms with some of the greatest modern prog elements without sacrificing the older, more traditional ones. This is where another nice sense of balance in the music is found. The only content this album could have used more of is some more moody tunes.

So to conclude, The Flower King's first album is a pretty well done effort, showing a good deal of musicianship, progressive rock content, and balance. There were minor flaws in the first album, but there were more positive impacts in it than bad ones. The Flower Kings would continue to improve over the years until there were even better albums such as Space Revolver, Stardust We Are, Unfold the Future, and much more after this. All of this would be because of an album that brought a new prog rock band to life.

The Flower Kings shuffle their discography on latest live release titled 'Live in Europe 2023', capturing one of the final shows of their tour recorded in the Netherlands, presenting a recording of six tracks, both old and new that really put on display a mature band of veterans who have been focusing on the more serene side of their music recently. The recording is quite well-made as you would expect from TFK as we have a live album on which each member is able to shine through in their respective ways (as the lineup features Roine Stolt, Hasse Fröberg, Michael Stolt, Mirko DeMaio, and Lalle Larsson); we can definitely speak of a brilliant mix by Roine Stolt.

The album opens up with a 'Garden of Dreams' medley, quite a nice rendition of the one-hour long suite, with the band focusing their efforts on the instrumental first half; then comes 'Big Puzzle', which predisposes Stolt and Co. to exercise their bluesy side. We then have two mellow tracks from the latest studio album 'Look at You Now', followed by 'What If God Is Alone' from 2005's 'Paradox Hotel', and finally, there is the classic epic 'Stardust We Are', a lovely playthrough of which graces the last half hour of this live album. This is a great addition to the band's discography that captures one of their really fine shows of 2023.

Swedish band The Flower Kings was founded in 1994, after a number of band members assisted singer/guitarist Roine Stolt earlier that year during the recording of his solo album "The Flower King". The group's popularity is increasing rapidly and after just a few albums they are commonly deemed, the standard bearers of progressive rock, together with Spock's Beard. These musicians owe this title entirely to themselves. Especially the musical capability and the own identity that is created with it is unprecedented. In particular, the achievements of frontman Stolt and his keyboard-playing colleague Tomas Bodin are top-notch. On "Retropolis" from 1996, their sophomore album, as discussed here, it is clear that their rapid rise to fame is more than justified.

First of all, the cover artwork catches the eye. We see part of an imaginary city called Retropolis. The time factor does not seem to exist as past, present and future merge into each other. A look at the booklet makes it clear that this has led to poetic lyrics. Musically, this gives you license to justify the large number of tempo and atmosphere changes. Necessary, because "Retropolis" is full of said changes. Inherent to progressive rock, The Flower Kings know how to let their music, heavily inspired by Genesis and Yes, go in all directions.

After the ping-pong sounds of the short opener Rhythm Of Life, which I think is a variation on a heartbeat, the instrumental title track follows, lasting eleven minutes. Here Stolt and Bodin give free rein to their creativity, resulting in a tasteful and lush song that captivates. It is a series of bombast, cinematic music and Santana-like jazz prog with wonderful Hammond playing. In addition, there are things like psychedelic darkness, lots of exuberance and a brilliant ending with acoustic guitar. Anyone who accuses The Flower Kings of copycat behavior is missing the point in my opinion, this song (and actually the entire album) shows a lot of their own identity, my brothers and sisters. The subsequent Rhythm Of The Sea has a mild character with a beautiful synth line. Stolt makes himself immortal once again with his elusive touch. It's the perfect precursor to the album's three highlights to come.

There Is More To This World: get a load of this. It goes through life as a wonderful song for the first few minutes until the acoustic guitar makes its appearance and Hasse Fröberg takes over on lead vocals. What happens then is magical. Fans of the angelic voice of Jon Anderson (ex-Yes) can indulge themselves here, especially when Fröberg increases the intensity. At the end the chorus from the beginning returns and Fröberg and Stolt together sing the song to an end. Extraordinary.

Another highlight is undeniably the instrumental The Melting Pot and yes, it is indeed a gigantic melting pot of styles. Here the band mixes progressive rock with fusion and world music, with Ulf Wallander trying to blow the copper from his sopranosax like a true Klaus Doldinger (Passport). Great!

The third wow song is the slightly heavier The Judas Kiss, a catchy song with strong guitar lines and a somewhat jumpy synthesized bass section. It's funny that the song is full of barking dogs and howling wolves, the lyrical protagonists. Halfway through the band ends up in dark jazz after which it goes in all directions. We also find such bursts of creativity in the catchy Silent Sorrow, where the atmosphere changes after a few minutes. This time the band comes with smooth jazz blues in all colors of the rainbow.

For variation, there are also three tracks composed by Bodin. In addition to the aforementioned opener, these are the piano intermezzo Romancing The City and the electronic Retropolis By Night, which builds on a keyboard theme from the title track. It's also nice to be able to step out of the atmosphere of the album to refresh your mind for a while.

The last two songs form the finale of the whole. Flora Majora is a beautiful instrumental track with a stunning melody that is a finale in itself. The majestic The Road Back Home then finalizes it completely. Filled with a host of reflective feelings, it's over.

"Retropolis" is an incredibly exciting CD. The subsequent albums "Stardust We Are" and "Flower Power" are a bit better, but the desire to return to "Retropolis" is always there.

Orginally posted on www.progenrock.com

This is an essential for fans of symphonic prog and of The Flower Kings. A great song selection that includes recent and old classics. The recording and production, as well as the high level of singing and playing make this such a joy to listen to. Nicely balanced production and such a clear recording that works in the car, the home sound system or headphones. There isn't any filler on this release. Just want to play it again as soon as it's over. Would be great if this release was supported with a video of the concert.

After a long spell, I´m back to ProgArchives. I decided to start by the new Flower Kings album, Look at You Now, because I think this is really an important CD, at least for me. I must say I was not specially taken by the post Tomas Bodin FK albums . Islands (2020) for instance, is one I still find hard to relate. Its follow up did not move me much either, and I tended to think that the band lost something around the pandemic year. I wondered if the last great abum to bear the Flower King moniker was 2018´s The Flower King: Manifesto of An Alchemist, even if it is cited as a Roine Stolt solo album (but it is not, really).

It all changed with Look at You Now: although this record follows the group´s recent trend to keep on writing shorter songs, this CD has a freshness and energy I haven´t seen in any FK output for years. Superficially the new songs seem not as good as they really are, but upon listening to the album a few more times, I got the same feeling I used to when I heard their 90´s classics. The band is in great shape and it was a joy to hear those classic guitar lines, very much in the vein of Steve Howe, back into the tunes. Was it something to do with the chemistry of having brother Michael Stolt back in the group? did it help the songs turned out so much better and inspired?

Whatever the true reasons, the fact remains that this CD moved me like the Flower Kings used to. Of course it is not another Retropolis or Stardust We Are, but the spirit is back. It´s like they now don´t need to write an epic of sorts to make some point. In fact, the short songs sound just like they should. Look at You Now is like a mix of the "old" Flower Kings with the more concise stuff they´re writing lately. It seems they finally found the right balance and I hope they continue in this path. With no fillers and with an excellent flow, it´s a real nice surprise.

Final rating: something between 3,5 and 4 stars. It may not be essential, but it is more than just very good.

'Look at You Now' is the sixteenth studio album by The Flower Kings. The album opens with the upbeat track "Beginner's Eyes." The following track, "The Dream," starts subdued and progressively crescendos, while maintaining serenity. The melody during the verse of "Hollow Man" reminds me of "Sympathy" by Rare Bird. The chorus is grandiose and contains magnificent vocal harmonies. The instrumental "Dr. Ribedeaux" features wonderful lead guitar playing from Roine Stolt and keyboard playing from Micheal Stolt. "Mother Earth" is essentially an apology from humanity to the Earth for our negligence towards the environment. Micheal Stolt sings lead vocals on "Mother Earth." He sings in an operatic style, and I quite like it. "The Queen" is another instrumental with an appropriate title, given the regal quality of the music. Mirko DeMaio's drumming on "The Light in Your Eyes" is excellent.

I like the trading vocals between Roine Stolt and Hasse Fröberg on "Seasons End." "Scars" and "Stronghold" are a bit forgettable, though both songs have climactic endings. I love the driving 7/8 rhythm of "Father Sky." My favorite song on 'Look At You Now' is "Day For Peace," which features Marjana Semkina of Iamthemorning. Both her and Stolt's vocals together are exquisite. DeMaio's marching snare drum is also a nice touch in the background. The eleven-minute title track closes the album. The music ebbs and flows from tranquil sections to more driving sections. The end of the closer references the opening track of the debut Flower Kings album, "World of Adventures." Which begs the question: Is this the Flower Kings' swan song? You would think, as it makes sense to end your career by bringing everything full circle, like they did here. If this is the final Flower Kings album, then they went out on a strong note.

'Islands' is the fourteenth studio album by The Flower Kings, not to be confused with the King Crimson album of the same title. 'Islands' is a COVID record, hence the title. Roine Stolt has claimed that 'Islands' is meant to be regarded as one, giant suite of music. However, the tracklist of 'Islands' indicates that the album comprises multiple, independent songs. The Flower Kings are known for writing lengthy epics. 'Islands' consists of concise songs, which is a breath of fresh air. I was disappointed by the previous Flower Kings record, 'Waiting for Miracles.' When I contemplated the iconic Roger Dean album artwork, I had some hope (from the album art alone) that 'Islands' could be a return to form for The Flower Kings. I'm pleased to say that what I hoped for was true.

The album opens with the incendiary "Racing with Blinders On." A pulsating 7/8 rhythm section, provided by Jonas Reingold's powerful bass and Mirkko DeMaio's acrobatic drums, lays the groundwork. Roine Stolt's guitar and Zach Kamins' keyboards play intricate melodies on top of the rhythm section. The vocals appear during the second half. I love the lyric, "Don't let the sadness grow and grab you. Don't let it take away that dream." "From the Ground" is a jovial song that I can't help but feel good listening to. "Black Swan" is a Queen pastiche. Roine Stolt's harmonizing guitars sound exactly like Brian May. Even the music of the verse reminds me of "Killer Queen."

"Morning News" is a simple song with a country twang. I like the classical guitar licks that are sprinkled throughout. The lyrics of "Broken" use the template, "Too many (this), too many (that)." The music resolves to the Yes-like chorus in 5/4. "Goodbye Outrage" is a classical piece that Stolt co-wrote with Kamins. Despite being less than two-minutes in duration, "Journeyman" is a highlight of 'Islands.' "Journeyman" is an instrumental that was written by Kamins. On this interlude, The Flower Kings hark back to the jazz fusion elements of 'Unfold the Future.' Like "Goodbye Outrage," Stolt also co-wrote "Tangerine" with Kamins. "Tangerine" has an irresistible groove and excellent bass playing from Reingold.

I adore the orchestral section of "Solaris" that culminates in a mellotron choir. There is a musical reference to "Stardust We Are" at the end of "Solaris." "Heart of the Valley" references the main lyric of "Morning News." Roine Stolt plays a climactic guitar solo on the instrumental entitled "Man in a Two Piece Suit," which closes the first disc of 'Islands.'

The second disc opens with a Hasse Fröberg piece entitled "All I Need Is Love." This is a great melodic pop/rock song that is incredibly catchy, despite having a chorus that's in 7/8. The vocals and instrumental of "All I Need Is Love" are both equally phenomenal. "A New Species" is similar to "Ascending to the Stars" from the previous record, in that it's an instrumental that utilizes orchestra programming. "A New Species" starts with atmospheric synths and an arpeggiated classical guitar. Eventually, the song becomes electric and allows each musician to shine. The yearning lyrics and beautiful melodies of "Northern Lights" make it a highlight of 'Islands.' Most of the song is in 7/8, but it's fairly simple.

Like "Journeyman," "Hidden Angels" is a brief, instrumental jazz interlude that was written by Kamins, and is the precursor to "Serpentine." Rob Townsend, who I know from Steve Hackett's band, plays soprano saxophone on "Serpentine." Townsend's saxophone playing elevates this song significantly. During the "Make it happen" lyric, the time signature shifts from 10/8 to 11/8. "Looking for Answers" is an instrumental that features a guitar solo from Stolt. "Telescope" borrows the lyrical motif ("the world is opening like a rose") from "Morning News." "Telescope" also features a guitar solo from Stolt.

"Fool's Gold" reinvigorates the second disc a bit, though it's not the most memorable. "Between Hope & Fear" is pleasant, but considering that it's the penultimate track, I was expecting a song that was more intense. The closing title track starts, fortunately, feels like a proper ending to 'Islands.' The title track is a grandiose instrumental that somewhat reminds me of the ending to "I Am the Sun." The music is slow and powerful, and Stolt's lead guitar work is extraordinary as always.

In conclusion, 'Islands' is an excellent addition to any prog rock music collection. The first disc and the beginning of the second disc are very strong. 'Islands' loses a bit of steam towards the end. Therefore, I will rate 'Islands' four stars.