THE RAINMAKER

On "The Rainmaker", The Flower Kings did what they supposed to do, a record with much music to please their fans. It's the band's sixth studio album and it was recorded 2001. The cover shows a man in suite standing in water on a street in the night. I like the cover and I also like a lot of what I hear on the record. The musicians are Roine Stolt, Tomas Bodin, Hasse Fröberg, Jonas Reingold, Jamie Salazar, Hasse Bruniusson and Ulf Wallander. The lenght of the record is big but not especially big in The Flower Kings' size.

The music on "The Rainmaker" won't give you something especially new if you are used to the sound of this band and I don't think it's a good place to start following this band at either. It is not a bad album but I won't say it's a glorious one either.

As it often uses to be with prog the longest songs seem to be the best. "Road to Sanctuary" is this album's longest and also the one I find most exciting. It has many passages and a fine flow, a good main theme and instrumental brilliance(8/10). Beside that song the title track, the instrumental "The Rainmaker" appeals to me with its modesty and progression(7/10). "Last minute on Earth" although has a quite repeting chorus but the song proves good musicality(6/10) and "City of Angels" too is a pleasant song(6/10) just as the rocky "Sword of God"(6/10) and the two instrumentals "Blessing of a smile" and "Red Alert"(6/10). The others feel a bit uninteresting to me and too average. "Elaine" and "World without a heart" for example would'nt I recommend to you.

As a unite this album is inferior to many other albums of this band. "The Flower Kings" has done many better constructions. This album lacks thoose wonderous tracks that lift the entire art to a rememberable unite. Now, this record will get three (weak) stars.