FLOWER POWER

While groups like ELP and KING CRIMSON continue to gain popularity without making any new music, they can continue their legacy based on what they have already accomplished, not what they are currently recording. The FLOWER KINGS however have been making their mark since the 90's and have been moving forward since their inception. They are only second to DREAM THEATER in popularity, and, in my estimation, right on their heels, poised to take their place. Musically they are more interesting and unlike any other prog-rock band active today.

Now that I am working my way backwards through their sizable catalog I have an opportunity to see how they have developed over the years. In 1999 they released this two disc set titled "Flower Power". It's not as strong as their best "Stardust We Are" but very close. Although the musical intensity, complexity, and sophistication are in place, the sound and production isn't quite as good. All the same its an awesome exploration of musical interpretations of their thought provoking colorful stories and characters- "Captain Capstan" and "Astral Dog" to name a few.

Mr. Flower King himself, Roine STOLT, once again leads the rest of his band mates to prog-rock utopia with his dazzling and clean guitar work. I really think that developmentally this group is light-years ahead of every one of their peers, and always has been. The brilliance and compositional range of "Garden of Dreams" on disc one offers a multi-tiered extravaganza comprised of twenty one tracks of the most virtuous prog-rock you will ever hear.

I can foresee more changes and musical surprises over the course of time with this group's proactive progressive evolutionary mindset. They are the real deal, and they're in it for the long haul. How many groups put out double albums loaded with strong material from start to finish like The FLOWER KINGS? And they do it on a regular basis. Look at the total times for each disc! They are phenomenal. Add this to your collection, for that matter pick up every single CD that you can find by this group. You will not be disappointed, I personally guarantee it.

*Note: I found an oddity with the listing of the tracks on Amazon.com and All Music Guide.com (which is consistently incorrect with track times); they list "Garden of Dreams" eighteen times as the same song and not the titles of each track. Please don't refer to these sites for the proper listing of songs on this CD.