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The Flower Kings - Islands CD (album) cover

ISLANDS

The Flower Kings

 

Symphonic Prog

3.83 | 236 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

Hrychu
4 stars The Flower Kings sound is back!

I initially thought the album was going to be TFK on sleeping pills in a way. Like a continuation of Waiting for Miracles except even less exciting. Welp, I was dead wrong. It's one of the most exciting albums Roine and Co. have done in a long time. I love it. The sugary and safe vibe of the previous album is there, yes, but the compositions are way more fun this time. Every piece sounds more musical and fresh. The compositions touch my heart in a similar way, the 90s tracks did.

Zach Kamins' keyboard work which to be frank, while not that different from Bodin's, did have its dose of Casioesque cheese on W4M. However, this time, the sounds he choses to utilize are way more elegant. Especially the orchestral tones which Bodin couldn't quite nail. Sweet! I also really dig the idea of having the drums less in your face in the mix. Jonas's bass really shines. The nasal gooey tones we all like are once again adding a lot of excitement to the mix! It's hard to believe this was all recorded in virus lockdown mode. It sounds just right! The guitar and vocal work by Roine and Hasse is absolutely gorgeous but I think it might be time for Roine to step down as the lead singer for IMO his voice lost the power that it had back in the early 2000s. :(

This album does have some filler though and longepicoholics may not be 100% satisfied but the REALLY really good moments do compensate for it all. So in conclusion, I totally recommend this album. Go listen to it.

Hrychu | 4/5 |

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