THE FLOWER KING

I believe this is one of the classic statements of the prog rock scene. I also believe this is the statement of intention from Roine Stolt and the foundation of The Flower Kings. I originally thought this was the first album of the said band and I was unsuccessfully looking for this album under that name. Then I discovered it was the third solo album from Roine Stolt. Well, being a newbie in prog rock and not paying too much attention to details has it's tribulations. The album is now purchased and in my possession. Thankfully !

I am still not totally into the new wave of symphonic prog represented by THE FLOWER KINGS, SPOCK'S BEARD and other bands. I am more of a YES, GENESIS, VDGG, RUSH and FOCUS fan with both feet stucked in the 1970s. But I gladly admit that this album is a refreshing change and one I am very much into. I need to get the rest of THE FLOWER KINGS output. I only have one Live album at the moment. The rest is now on order from my prog supplier.

The songs...... The music is pretty symphonic with some good references to Fusion too. Symphonic, epic, majestic, melodic and jazzy. Those are the words I would use. The first two tracks are excellent. Dissonata has a good fusion feeling too. The following three tracks are good. The music is dominated by Roine Stolt's brilliant guitars. Very good guitar work throughout this album. The vocals are good too. Roine Stolt is not Bruce Dickinson or Robert Plant...... and he knows it. He therefore use his voice accordingly. I wish some other unnamed vocalists also could follow his example too.... The real outstanding track here is Humanizzimo. A long epic track which has everything a good symphonic prog epic should have. A lot of soul, technical brilliance, time shifts and majestic melody lines. LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN would nod approvingly to this track.

This is really an album down my alley and one I will enjoy for a long time. I am withdrawing 1 point due to the lack of a killer/signature track. Besides of that, this is one album I recommend.

4 stars.

Share this ROINE STOLT review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to toroddfuglesteg
• Report this review (#201433)
• Buy ROINE STOLT music online with PA partners
• Show all ROINE STOLT MP3/Stream
• Go to ROINE STOLT page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to The Flower King page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for ROINE STOLT related discussions