ADAM & EVE

'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.

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