THE FLOWER KING

And so the Flower Kings legend begins, being this the prologue for the extraordinary career that these great swedish musicians have developed over the last decade and beyond, with the guide of the amazing Roine Stolt.

To my ears, if I consider this album as part of The Flower Kings' discography (which many do), then I could proclaim it the most solid effort of them all. There would be gorgeous musical achievements in the Kings' music over so many (and so lenghty) albums, but I think this is the closest to a flawless album they've made.

The album's opener has already become a sort of hymn, and deservedly so, as the chanting of "we can serve the flower king" now stands far beyond than a simple song chorus, it's more like the beginning of a modern legend in prog. Great upbeat song. Then comes a tremendous song, "Dissonata", which works wonderfully where it's been placed: after the happy melody of the first track you get hit with this strange 5/8 with excellent chord changes and an unforgettable instrumental break. Once these 10+ minutes first two songs are over we find the first of a trio of instrumental songs: "The Magic Circus of Zeb," "The Pilgrims Inn" and "The Sounds of Violence". The first one more in the vein of the album opener in its upbeatness, the second somehow quieter, and the last one with a nervous pace that cracks with energy. Great stuff. In the midst of it there's the one that I consider the least interesting song from the album, the short ballad "Close Your Eyes". Nothing wrong with itself, but it kinda gets lost among the other musical giants. And speaking of giants, "Hummanizzimo" is one of the best 20+ minutes songs I've had the chance to enjoy. Everything a prog lover dreams of is there, in a combination of surprise (when the second part of the song kicked in, I was like "what the hell????" with a smile on my face) and coherence. Finally, "Scanning the Greenhouse" brings back the FK anthem of the first song, closing the experience in the positive way it had started.

Amazing album. Absolutely essential.