ADAM & EVE

Another admirable album from The Flower Kings, although again I must say it has several weaker moments, Adam & Eve can be initially difficult to get through, as I feel is the case with all of their albums. The initial lengthy track is the greatest on here (and one of the band's best), and afterwards there's much to look forward to.

"Love Supreme" This nearly twenty minute piece is the crowning achievement of the album. The guitar and synthesizer parts blend seamlessly, and the vocals are phenomenal, mainly over a 9/4 time signature. Midway through, the song adopts a sinister feel, adapting the main vocal theme over minor chords. The music drops off to bring in a country-like bit with slide and acoustic guitar, and Roine Stolt delivering one of his best vocal performances. All in all, this is one of The Flower Kings best songs; it's an inexplicably uplifting and dense atmosphere of sounds that somehow manages to stay light.

"Cosmic Circus" Despite the laughable title, this is an excellent short song, with whistling synthesizer and a very memorable melody.

"Babylon" One of my favorite short instrumentals of all time, Tomas Bodin stands out once more as a brilliant keyboardist, providing washes of Mellotron and a grand synthesizer lead.

"A Vampire's View" I doubt I'll ever like this one. It's grimly theatric, which makes it sounds a bit ludicrous. The music doesn't flow very well (it's all a bit random), and the guest vocalist (from Pain of Salvation) would have been a great addition had he not been so dramatic. On the other hand, Bodin's organ work is quite good.

"Adam & Eve" The title track begins with gorgeous Mellotron and synthesizer from Bodin, but it explodes into what is the heaviest song on the album. The instrumentalists do a great job throughout, even if the singing and lyrics do very little for me. Jonas Reingold lets it rip on a killer bass solo that just has to be heard.

"Starlight Man" Stolt's grandfatherly voice sings this gentle song over acoustic guitar and great bass courtesy of Reingold.

"Timelines" This one has a menacing introduction with a lot of wild sounds thrown in. Soon it's just Stolt and an acoustic guitar again. It's largely a forgettable song because it's so hard to follow.

"Driver's Seat" The second epic begins gallantly enough, with a great opening theme and loud Mellotron. It's not quite as strong as the amazing first track, but it's still good, full of interesting bits and some tight transitions. There's a complete cutoff in the middle that gives way to more music, something I've rarely appreciated. Some may appreciate it more, however.

"The Blade of Cain" The final track consists of lovely organ notes plunking in the backdrop, as stellar electric guitar and fretless bass work alongside each other. Over atmospheric sections, the words of "Love Supreme" are revisited, making this a most excellent way to end a most excellent album.