ADAM & EVE

The Flower Kings eighth studio album from 2004, "Adam & Eve" is as usual with this band a massive collection of songs. It takes some times to get everything out of the record. Released between two even massiver and very good albums this album is something of a filler in the band's discography. I don't like the cover at all, it looks pathetic in my eyes with a gorilla male and a fairytale woman. I am used to some more appealing covers from this band.

The present musicians are Roine Stolt, Tomas Bodin, Hans Fröberg, Daniel Gildenlöw, Hasse Bruniusson, Jonas Reingold and Zoltan Csörsz and the record is one and a half hour. The worst thing with "Adam & Eve" is in some ways the first track, the twenty minutes "Love Supreme". Usually the "epics" are the best and actually this song contains some totally wonderful parts with something of Yes, (but mostly Flower Kings). Those parts are instrumental. The main vocal theme is horrible, and I don't either like the way they sing it(6/10). Then are the other long song much better: "Drivers Seat" is a lovely and very varied track with great musicality, that is the gem of the album and it's actually better than the rest together(9/10). Beside this long track, the album's shortest is also among the best: "Days Gone By" where piano is dominant pleases my ears a lot(8/10). "Cosmic Circus" and "Timelines" are two other nice and harmonic songs(7/10) but the title track "Adam & Eve" is also destroyed by the vocals(5/10). The other songs could you listen to as well but I don't think they'll thrill you a lot.

Give the record some time, if you like the thought about this music. It has a lot to explain. Though does is feel a bit clumpsy here and there and I wouldn't recommend it as an introduction to the band's music. The album passes and gets three solid stars from me. "Drivers seat" is the best song, listen to that at first, then perhaps continue, but don't look at the cover.