UNFOLD THE FUTURE

I feel sorry for those who don't get this album. Personally, I think this is the best album they ever recorded (not my favorite mind you, but definitely their best.....there is a difference). Because of the sheer mass of music here, it is understandable that some might have problems with this. I felt a bit disappointed when I first heard it. It took me nearly a whole year to realize just how great this album is. This is not to say I didn't like it at first, because I did. But I felt that they had gone in a direction away from the magic and sound of the early albums that I loved so much. And indeed they had. But the playing and composition on this album is absolutely fantastic. The improvisations are very good, though I think it is a shame that the best one, Too Late For Tomatoes, was only on the special edition.

The 2 giant epics that open and close the album are of course standouts, but other tracks are great as well. Particularly the heavy and somewhat dark Silent Inferno, the almost rock opera like Bodin composition Rolling the Dice, the mellow and excellent sax playing of Grand Old World, and the wonderful mostly instrumental Black and White. Frankly, there are no bad songs on here, though a couple of the shorter numbers are less than excellent (The Navigator, Man Overboard) but still decent. The drumming of Zoltan Csörsz is really what makes this album, though of course the inspired compositions of Stolt are really what makes it all so brilliant. It's a shame that due to personality conflicts between Csörsz and Bodin, it's unlikely Csörsz will ever be an official band member again (though he was brought in for 2007's Sum Of No Evil, and for one show on the following tour). The other notable thing about this album is the contributions of Bodin to the writing, as well as the added vocals of Daniel Gildenlow, who frankly makes Froberg seem shrill in comparison (and I generally really enjoy Froberg's vocals, even on this album). I saw the band with this lineup at Nearfest 2003, touring for this album, and while it wasn't their best performance (they were constrained to a non-headlining slot) it was still quite enjoyable to finally seem them on a stage befitting the grandeur of their music.

Anyway, a pretty much perfect prog album in my opinion. But keep in mind you have to like a jazzier style and be able to enjoy some improvisation (though there is far less improv than other reviewers seem to suggest....just 4 tracks are total improv, 5 if you have the special edition.....the other songs are completely composed). If that is the case, and especially if you like other Flower Kings albums, this is essential.