MEET THE FLOWER KINGS - LIVE RECORDING 2003

The Flower Kings play some of their best epics that they had written up to this point (2003), and I must say, this record blew me away the first time I heard it, and still blows me away. I would argue that most of the material here is superior to their studio counterparts, as the energy level on some tracks is much higher, and there is a level of spontaneity, along with some jamming and improvisation. Not to mention the best TFK rhythm section of Jonas Reingold on bass and Zoltan Czorsz on drums playing the older material like Garden of Dreams, Humanizzimo, and Stardust We Are.

While it is necessary to hear the studio versions first so that you can tell what changes were made on these live versions (such as Garden of Dreams being edited down, but with added jams), if this is your first Flower Kings venture, you can't really go wrong. The band is known for the highest quality epics, some of their strongest material is held within these monster pieces of music. It's also nice to have Daniel Gildenlow as a member of the band here, as his voice adds nice color to the already colorful music. Having 3 lead vocalists in the band was a very great thing and it's unfortunate Daniel left.

Anyway, any TFK fan will look at this track list scream for joy. This should be an auto-buy for any TFK fan, or fans of symphonic prog of the highest order. The sound quality is perfect, and at times I feel like I'm listening to a studio album. Not every live album is worthy of 5 stars, most aren't; but this is an essential Flower Kings album, live or studio. You won't be disappointed.