SPACE REVOLVER

SPACE REVOLVER has three very good tracks, to be precisely the first three songs. While listening to them and not knowing the rest of the album, you could think this one is as good as for example the excellent RETROPOLIS. These three songs are bombastic, have complex rhythms and nice melodies, good but few chant by ROINE STOLT and all of the members of THE FLOWER KINGS play their instrument quasi perfectly.

Unfortunately, the album turns into boring, bog-standard symphonic rock, some songs are even poppy, to put it bluntly some are very superficial. The loose of quality culminates in the song "You Don't Know What You've Got" which is by far one of the worst songs that were ever made by a Progressive Rock band. The other songs are not much better, they have a lack of ideas. Regrettably you won't find any great guitar- or keyboard solo here. This all is a bit disappointing, I really would have expected more of THE FLOWER KINGS here because I know they are able to make some high-quality albums, but while listening to the songs after the third track, you can't rid the feeling that ROINE STOLT and his men didn't exert themselves for this album.

The last song of SPACE REVOLVER is a little bit better then, but it is not as good as the first three songs and you won't find any interesting stuff in this tune, the taking up of some melodies from the first song excluded, which is actually also nothing new. But this song is at least more listenable in comparison to the previous six songs.

I give this album three groggy stars and this just because of the fact, that the first three songs are really pretty good. I would have expected a little bit more of THE FLOWER KINGS.