THE FLOWER KINGS

As a dedicated fan of this band (I am a frequent poster on the Flower Kings appreciation thread in the forums, as well as the Flower Kings Yahoo group and other forums) , I was very much looking forward to their glorious return to recording and touring. I was excited to get my hands on the new album, and after 5 years to recharge their batteries, I figured they would probably have a very good album as a result, at the very least.

So you can imagine my disappointment when I heard this for the first time. Actually, knowing how prog albums can take time to grow (as did a previous masterpiece by this very band, Unfold The Future), I didn't think to much of my initial disappointment. However, after more listens than I can count, this album still disappoints me. It's not that the album is outright bad, it's just that I find it lacking in so much of what drew me to this band in the first place.

I keep hearing this is a "return to form" or some such, but I just don't hear that at all. It's a stripped down version of their former greatness, and it's lacking in the quirkiness and symphonic grandeur that they previously possessed. Another surprise for me is that all of Roine's lyrics, bar none, are dreadfully dark and depressing on this album (despite most of the music being in the typical upbeat Flower Kings style), which is a very unusual occurrence. He has has songs and parts of songs that used such lyrics, but never an entire album. Jonas Reingold's two compositions on the album do the opposite, however, and save the albums lyrics from being totally dark.

Numbers is almost as dull and plodding as my least favorite Flower Kings epic track, Monsters and Men, though does feature one brilliant symphonic climax in the second half of the track that almost makes up for the dull and dreary nature of the rest of the track (along with some excellent guitar solos from Roine Stolt). Despite my rather unflattering description, as a while it's not a bad piece of music.......I just find that it seems overstretched and that the melodies are not strong enough to maintain such a lengthy piece of music. A rare occurrence for the Flower Kings, to be sure. Moving on to For The Love Of Gold, we have a very typical Flower Kings upbeat song that renews my faith a little in this album. It may not be particularly new or original, but it does encapsulate the spirit of the band far better than the opening track. Pandemonium is probably my favorite track on the album, as it has quirkiness in spades as well as some drive and vigor, which is noticeably absent from much of the album. Some have complained about the vocal effects, but I think they suit the song well. For Those About to Drown is an average song that doesn't really leave much of an impression, despite repeated listening. Rising The Imperial is a lovely Jonas Reingold tune that has uplifting lyrics and a mellow symphonic grandeur that ends the short album well.

Speaking of short, I have the special edition, that features 4 bonus tracks. These are shorter, more "pop" oriented numbers that are all quite decent, though not anything particularly special.

What's interesting to me is that I find I like the album more when I incorporate these tracks into the main album, and place the opening epic next to last (I find the instrumental Illuminati makes a nice coda to the album). Doing this makes the album 76 minutes long, much like more typical Flower Kings albums. I like the that they kept the main album to around 50 minutes, but I find that on the whole the material just isn't strong enough to keep that short running time from seeming too long to me. Which is odd since their normal 70+ minute albums have never seemed too long to me.

After the incredible Sum Of No Evil album, I probably shouldn't be too surprised that this was overall a disappointment to me. Numbers didn't even improve when I saw it performed live (though the climactic point I mentioned earlier did come across more powerfully and impressively in the live setting). I had hoped that 5 years of other projects would have brought us something a bit more in line with their greatest works, but I guess even Roine Stolt can't crank out masterpieces indefinitely.

On the whole though, this isn't a bad album by any means, and despite my disappointment I can enjoy this from time to time. Though it will probably be relegated to the "once a year or less" pile with Adam & Eve and the second CD of Flower Power. Still, a fairly solid 3 stars is the perfect rating for this for me. Good, but in no way essential.

It took me a long time to finally grab this album though. I still don't have the DVD. After listening to these CD's yesterday morning and this morning, I am actually looking forward to purchasing the DVDs one day.

I want to write this review without giving away any of the surprises. They do a couple of nifty, unexpected things. Despite not changing their setlists from night to night, and even despite playing some of the same songs tour after tour, The Flower Kings will do one thing or another that'll catch you by surprise when you go to their show. This live album is a good reflection of that.

Get these Tour Kaputt releases if you are a fan of The Flower Kings. I don't think you will be disappointed. I'm pretty well locked into giving this a 4 star rating. Definitely not BLOWN AWAY by Tour Kaputt, but it's better than just "good". In fact, I do think this would make a fine addition to any prog music collection. You don't have to be a fan of TFK to appreciate this (Although it's hard for a fan to make such a statement objectively).

Also, if you are worried about what it sounds like with the sit-in drummer for that tour, Mr. Pat Mastelotto, don't be worried. He does an outstanding job considering the amount of time there was for him to prepare and gel with the band. To be completely honest, there are moments where he is doing a satisfactory job, but it feels as though he's not QUITE getting the right groove. Hard to explain... He does very very well. Fear not! I'd take him as a sit-in drummer in my band any day.

Another win for the Kings!

The drums of Pat Mastelotto are heavier compare with the usual Flower Kings's drummer, but he fit well in this symphonic rock that has his King Crimson influence, the beginning of "Retropolis", for example. Pat create a little bit of sound effects with his electronic drums, throughout the performance.

If this is a bootleg, i would take any day this kind of bootleg, because the sound is clear, each instrument are clear in the mix. The picture is not perfect, but doesn't ruin the whole production. I enjoyed very much "Hudson River Sirens Call" with his psychedelic build up and the final song "The Sum of No Reason", for the heaviest guitar riffs from Roine Stolt.

Don't miss to read the booklet to find out what events occurs during this tour, one of them is told by Ronnie at the start of the show. Nice addition to a prog collection, and a must for a Flower Kings fan.

I don't have the skills or patience to write long, flowery reviews, so I'll just be brief and to the point: this is a delightful album for all those who like high quality, well-executed, intelligent music. I have a feeling that virtually anyone, of any musical taste could listen to Banks of Eden without having any of his/her special sensibilities offended.

I don't know if The Flower Kings have attained much linear progress with this album, as the music seems to be quite to the template of what could be described as the mainstay, safe and sound symph. But, good music has a huge advantage that's hard to ignore or deny: it's pleasant to listen to, even thought the listener might realize that he/she is not witnessing a musical revolution, or the birth of a new genre.

Oh, another thing worth mentioning: despite its hefty length (2CD's or 2LP's), the Flower Kings newest creation is free of padding and fillers and can be listened to without track-skipping. Now, that's a feat! To sum up: 4.5 rounded to 5 stars

Unfold The Future contains unique and classic pieces in the discography of the band led by Stolt. Mainly The Truth Will Set You Free, whose title quotes the words of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of John chapter 8, verse 32: "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." I love this song, half an hour of sublime music and lyrics, which never fails to interest in his half- hour.

Devil's Playground is another winner, and slightly behind Silent Inferno.

The short songs I enjoy most are: The Navigator, Vox Humana, Genie in a Bottle, Grand Old World, Man Overboard and Solitary Shell.

In addition, Too Late for Tomatoes is a good bonus.

Yes, that's right, 136 minutes. The album is too long. So also contains sections that can not miss in a good record collection. A great band in great shape.

The strong melodies and upbeat feel you've come to expect from The Flower Kings are definitely present here, and the majority of the compositions on this record are actually quite strong, sometimes even touching on brilliant. The first disc in particular contains some great pieces, including "In The Eyes Of The World" and "The Man Who Walked With Kings". The second disc, on the other hand, isn't quite as strong and contains many forgettable tracks. This said, it redeems itself in the end with one of the Flower King's best tracks: "Stardust We Are". This twenty-five minute epic is extremely well composed and is consistently good, never getting boring or redundant. It is a perfect way to close the album.

In between many of the longer songs are shorter pieces which act as interludes and serve to connect the pieces and offer some continuity. For the most part, these are very relaxed and are dominated by atmospheric guitar and keys. Despite not being the focus of the album, I really enjoy these shorter songs.

The Flower Kings also partake in some wacky experimentation on tracks like "Circus Brimstone" and "Compassion", adding things like random sounds and backwards speech to the music. The results are sometimes interesting, but more often than not I found them challenging to listen to and made otherwise good tracks difficult to appreciate.

There's one thing you can't argue with, though: this band has talent. Roine Stolt in particular is striking on this album, and you really see his flexibility as a guitarist. His emotional solo in 7/4 on "The Man Who Walked With Kings" and his work on the title track are just stellar. Keyboardist Tomas Bodin provides an array of sounds (strings, choirs, and organs, just to name a few), and while he isn't usually at the forefront, his playing is integral to the atmosphere of the album. The vocals on this record are also generally pleasing; Stolt, who takes over most of the vocal duties on this release, is a competent and likable singer. It would have been nice to hear more from Hasse Froberg, however, who has an outstanding voice and really shines towards the end of "Stardust We Are".

Stardust We Are is plagued by the same problems as many other Flower Kings double albums: there is too much material, and too much of it is filler. As it is a good album I do recommend giving it a listen if you like The Flower Kings (even if just for the title track), but I wouldn't suggest it as an introduction to the band. If you're looking for a place to start, "The Flower King" (technically a Stolt solo album) and "Banks of Eden" are much more consistent.

I will add that you will get more from this album with repeated and attentive listening as many of the themes in the magnificent title track are hinted at and introduced in several of the previous songs and interludes.