DESOLATION ROSE

Arriving one year after their comeback album, I have never felt such a sonic change between two adjacent FK albums. This one stroke me by its relative simplicity and accessibility. Playing has been streamlined which put songwriting in more focus. Only the first track has complexity somewhat reminiscent of the old times. In the next tracks, we are exposed to symphonic rock/prog with less excesses than ever before. Vocals seem tired to me, maybe as a result of aging and I would pick keyboards as the best played instrument on the album. To me, a clear 3-star album. Then I listened to the bonus track and like the instrumentals quite a lot, I found some Kaipa's spirit in them, too. The second CD is really pleasant, allowing thoughtful and sometimes reflective music to the forefront. Therefore I will add a half-star to the rating.