UNFOLD THE FUTURE

This was my introduction into 'The Flower Kings' and I must say I'm glad I started here. The two epical songs sandwiching a host of great songs was a grand idea. Although, like most double albums there are low points that I usually over-look, which weaken the overall deliverance of the album. Let's take a dive into the music, shall we?

The album starts off with the biggest bang on the record. The thirty minuet colossus that is 'The Truth will set you Free' is one of the best 'Flower Kings' songs I've heard yet. Amazing build ups, great plains, beautiful climaxes and wonderful use of music. The only low point in the song is 'Straight from the heart' part. It just doesn't seem to fit the over-all lay out, other then that, this song is a MUST hear for any prog lover.

Anything after 'The Truth will set you Free' just flounders in comparison, so the rest of the first disc is just filler to my ears. Because 'The Truth will set you Free' ended on such a nice note the beginning of 'Monkey Business' is less enjoyable. Luckily the end of this song brings a tasty sound for the ears. 'Black and White' is also a very nice peace, giving character back to the album. 'Christianopel' is a forgetful track (I'm going solely by memory of the album here) as is anything after 'Silent Inferno'. 'Silent Inferno', the second longest track on the first album, third of the inter album, has only one grand sound of the song, which makes the 14+ minuets of the rest of the song seem almost worth the wait.

On to the second disc. Were the first disc, in my opinion, had better songs overall, the second disc has a better structure with the songs on it, making the disc overall more enjoyable to listen to. Presentation has a lot of impact with music. Although the true filler tracks can be found on this disc, with songs like 'Soul Vortex' and 'The Devil's Danceschool' being nothing but noise, with no resolution in the end. That being said, the rest of the songs are quite enjoyable to listen to, being typical 'Flower Kings' songs. Some are stronger then others; which leaves the lesser strong songs to drift away from conciseness too easily.

The album (My version does not include 'Too late for Tomatoes' so I can't write about it) ends with 'The Devil's Playground' the second epical song of the past 20 minuet sound. Unlike 'The Truth will set you Free' only the beginning and end of this song are enjoyments to the ears; the middle part of the song is just filler from beginning to the end. I have no problem with this, as it makes the end of this song that much more enjoyable. True, compared to 'The Truth will set you Free', 'The Devil's Playground' seems to sink then swim on the album, but it rounds the album out nicely. I would like to see a single version of this song which includes just the sound from the beginning/end of this song.

So my overall impression of this album looks like this: There are some truly beautiful moments on the album, but because it's so large it gets overwhelming if you're not prepared for it. The greater songs drown out the weaker songs, which I don't think is fair for them. You find yourself skipping over tracks, which is a big problem for me with an album. So in the end, it's a great addition to any prog collection, and if you're planning on getting into this band, this is a great place to start. I think this album could have been much better with better placement of songs, and leaving more 'fat' off the album.

3.75 stars out of a possible five, rounded up to four.

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