PARADOX HOTEL

Well, in concern to this album, I have few to add to what official prog reviewer Trickster F. said in his review. Once more, I would be embaraced if I had to show someone this album as an exemplification of modern progressive rock. Honestly what would that person think? I would bet that person would be very disappointed.

More again, he/she would meet a collection of cliches of 70's classics, with some uninspired back arrangements, which at times, can be ridiculous and completely out-of-date. Or could even laugh at your face with the unfashioned 80's-like, even nauseating, progressive pop- tunes. The most dramatic example is "Lucy had a Dream" in which its "fantasmagoric" video- game backgrounds and the dramatic lyrics discredit completely the tune. In fact, lyrics are other issue of the vast "completely out-of-date list". And when the band tries to make something different, the result can be the embarassing "Unorthodox Dancinglesson" on disc 2. The band seems to like to prolong to the exhaustion their poor compositions, like the starter "Monsters and Men" which has a tremendous poor structure for a 20 minutes song, it is few more than a collection of piano/organ/guitar/voice solos. In fact, what could we say about Flower Kings was that they could master brightly complex compositions, like in Space Revolver. But even that is lost in this album. Everything seems to be so forced. The appelative soft pianos only cover the completely lack of sense of musicality the band showed in the album.

Regressive and uninspired progressive rock, only for prog purists or fans of the band.