DESOLATION ROSE

Much is said about the Flower Kings' latest being their darkest and the emphasis on shorter songs. Darker, well, lyrically maybe. But not in music. I've heard more metallic from them. Despite occasional hard rock flourishes, this is your typical Flower Kings - winding symphonic retro prog that aimes above all to please the listener.

Best songs here are probably the opening, and the longest, Tower One, which is almost orgasmic in the amount of aural goodies for the classic prog fan (including lots of the typical Roine Stolt's bluesy guitar), and the shorter of the stand-alone songs, the rocker Last Carnivore, which, despite the loudness, still has a nostalgic solo and a huge melodic chorus. There are half a dozen tracks that can stand on their own, the rest being more like samples in the context of a concept album.

Is it the most important Flower Kings album as the ratings would seem to indicate? No. But better than its predecessor, the quasi comeback album Banks of Eden. 20 years strong and still delivering memorable melodies.