THE FLOWER KINGS

The universe of The Flower Kings is limitless as it seems! I truly believe that at this point there could not ever be a bad album by this band, which for the record, has once again been reformed in a way. This time around the group is minus Zach Kamins, American keyboard player who contributed some very good sounds to the band's last couple of albums, whereas most keyboard duties are taken over by Roine Stolt himself, like in the good old days when he was basically responsible for almost everything happening on the albums (referring mostly to 'The Flower King', his solo album that spawned into the band). Jonas Reingold is now entirely replaced by no other man but Michael Stolt, the guy even provides some lead and backing vocals across the album! Then come, of course, Hasse Frobers and Mirko De Maio, the latest amazing drummer to join the ranks of the Kings, to put it plainly.

It seems incredible that the days when TFK are ardently releasing album after album every other year are back, but they have been incredibly active in the studio ever since they reunited in 2019, with this being their fourth album after the reformation of the band and sixteenth overall, a great achievement indicating the longevity and the legacy of the legendary Swedes. Truth be told, these latest albums have not been able to recapture the spark of the older releases, despite the fact that they sound extraordinarily well produced. The main reason for this could be the leaving of Tomas Bodin, their ex-keyboard maestro, or the fact that the band have been in fact trying to recapture this magical spark of the past, whereas none of their new ideas sound as revolutionary or vibrant as before.

'Look At You Now' clocks in at sixty-eight minutes in length and is comprised of ten new tracks, with the band continuing their exploration of the shorter song format, with most if not all of the songs clocking in at around five minutes. The album is packed with amazing sounds, beautiful melodies, fantastic instrumentation, all the aspects of a good TFK album. Some highlights have to be the opening track 'Beginner's Eyes', or the quite nocturnal and serene 'The Dream', quite glad they included this track on the album; 'Hollow Man' is no blunder, 'Mother Earth' sees Michael Stolt singing leads and delivering a new and interesting performance; 'Scars' and 'Stronghold' are quite enjoyable as well. The ending title track, also worth some eleven minutes of music, is a good attempt at the more epic song format the band is generally recognized for, although this one is far from the greatness of their epics of the near past. I could not really point out to any bad songs, the album as a whole is entirely enjoyable and celebratory, but the truth is that it does not bring anything new to the table. None of these last four albums now do, but this is not a problem. The band is going strong, their creative juices are flowing, and they continue to deliver great collections of songs full of flower power.

I didn't even hesitate when giving this album a 5-star rating. This is one of the best albums from the Flower Kings out of a collection of many fine and great albums. The album presents the band at their finest. Excellent musicianship and high production values while offering up a very rejuvenated and refreshing sound make this album really stand out.

I thoroughly enjoyed every listening minute of the 13 tracks on the album that seem to flow quite seamlessly although they are, for the most part, individual songs. And though I love all the songs on the album, there are two songs I'd like to mention here. The first is the anthem "Day for Peace" which is too beautiful for words (you'll just have to listen for yourself) and the second song is, of course, the title track "Look at Your Now" which is a symphonic prog masterpiece in the vein of 1970's YES.

There are so many wonderful prog bands making really great music in the 21st Century. The Flower Kings are certainly one of them and I am so happy they continue to do so with great effect and honor to the genre.

'Space Revolver' is the fifth studio album by The Flower Kings. The band were entering the 21st century on this record with a new bass player, the one and only Jonas Reingold, who is one of my favorite bass players of all time. 'Space Revolver' is the album I would point to if someone wanted me to recommend them a starting point to get into The Flower Kings. It's merely a single-disc album, which for the band was unorthodox at the time. Despite its relatively short duration, 'Space Revolver' ranks among The Flower Kings' best albums. The structure and flow of this album is excellent.

"I Am the Sun - Part One" opens the album and "I Am the Sun - Part Two" closes the album. The structure of the album is similar to 'Wish You Were Here.' Though these two tracks are nonconsecutive, I think of them as one piece when isolated from the album. "I Am the Sun" is one of the best epics from The Flower Kings. The first part has an atmospheric intro which leads into the song, containing organ and mellotron galore from Tomas Bodin. The melodies that The Flower Kings create are superb. "I Am the Sun" ebbs and flows from section to section seamlessly. Towards the midpoint of the first part, the band enter into jazz fusion territory with great saxophone from Ulf Wallander. The jazzy elements of "I Am the Sun" foreshadows the band's seventh studio album, 'Unfold the Future.' The first part of the epic ends with mellow nylon string guitar and vocals from Roine Stolt. The second part of the piece starts with a pastoral sound. As it progresses, themes heard from the first part are reprised, culminating in the end section which contain atmospheric synths. The piece, and album as a whole, ends beautifully.

"Dream on Dreamer" is a jazzy keyboard and vocal piece that I enjoy quite a bit. This piece also features Ulf Wallander on the saxophone, which adds color to the atmosphere of the song. "Rumble Fish Twist" is a song of two halves: the first half being complex and intricate fusion music, the second half being a slow, building concluding section which eventually leads to a great climax. "Monster Within" starts off with a Christmas-like intro that transitions into a heavy guitar riff. Roine Stolt's vocals and the music accompanying it give the song a nightmarish quality. This song goes through many twists and turns. The ending guitar melody is gorgeous and is the perfect coda to this frightening piece. "Chicken Farmer Song" is a happy pop song that I love as it adds lightness to the weight of this album. The next three tracks ("Underdog," "You Don't Know What You've Got," and "Slave to Money") are the weakest songs on the album. "Space Revolver" would've been a stronger record if it didn't include these songs. "A Kings Prayer" is one of my favorite songs from The Flower Kings. It's a ballad which contains one of Roine Stolt's most passionate guitar solos that never fails to give me chills. At the end of the song, the band reprise the "Monster Within" riff, giving the album a sense of cohesion.

In conclusion, 'Space Revolver' by The Flower Kings is excellent and probably their best single-disc album. Outside of a couple weak tracks, this album contains some of the band's best material. Four stars.

'Flower Power' is a double-disc album from The Flower Kings, which is a regular occurrence for this band. The first disc is mostly comprised of a nearly one-hour-long epic composition entitled "Garden of Dreams," and the second disc consists of "shorter" songs. I say "shorter" in quotations because the songs on the second disc are still quite lengthy with two tracks being over eleven minutes in duration.

"Garden of Dreams" is one of the greatest pieces from The Flower Kings. I love the way Tomas Bodin arranged the piece, as there are themes heard in the beginning that reprise towards the end. There are odd time signatures galore throughout the piece, especially the use of 5/8, which I adore. Each section flows into each other seamlessly and takes the listener on an epic journey. The guitar solo at the end of "All You Can Save" which leads into "Attack of the Monster Briefcase" is superb. Tomas Bodin's keyboard work on "Mr. Hope Goes to Wall Street" is excellent and borders on jazz fusion. The "Garden of Dreams" section has what I believe to be a synthesized orchestra, giving this part of the piece a magical quality. The band rocks out on "Don't Let the d'Evil In," and "Love Is the Word" contains interesting three-part vocal harmonies. "There's No Such Night" is the emotional midpoint of the composition with Roine Stolt's passionate vocals. Roine Stolt isn't my favorite singer in the world, but his vocals on "Garden of Dreams" are his best ever in my opinion. "The Mean Machine," "Dungeon of the Deep," and "Indian Summer" are the most subdued and instrumentally scarce moments of "Garden of Dreams," which is needed after all the intense music that preceded it. The track gains energy on "Sunny Lane," which is a pleasant song with great Roine Stolt guitar playing. The theme that was introduced during "Attack of the Monster Briefcase" is brought back and makes me emotional when I hear it. The melody and chords are simple, but that's what makes it beautiful. "Gardens Revisited" and "Shadowland" also reprise themes heard earlier in the piece, and lead us to the final section, "The Final Deal," which is transcendent. Roine Stolt's vocal performance moves me to tears and the song ends with a beautiful ambience.

The band decided to place the two shortest songs on the album after the longest track as a joke I presume. "Captain Capstan" and "Ikea By Night" are forty-five seconds and four seconds, respectively. "Ikea By Night" is a rapid Jaime Salazar drum fill that leads into the final track of the first disc, "Astral Dog." This song is a jazz fusion-inspired piece that features excellent lead guitar from Mr. Stolt.

The second disc opens with "Deaf, Numb, and Blind" which has a middle eastern flavor to the music. "Stupid Girl" is a nice pop song that I enjoy. "Corruption" contains interesting organ and overall is a great rock song. "Power of Kindness" reprises themes heard from "Garden of Dreams," and is a pleasant Tomas Bodin keyboard instrumental. "Psychedelic Postcard" is, as the title describes, psychedelic. "Hudson River Sirens Call 1998" is an atmospheric song with choral voices. The next three tracks are underrated Flower Kings songs, in my opinion. "Magic Pie" is a Hasse Fröberg piece, and is genuinely great. I love his vocals, and the song doesn't feel as long as its duration which is eight minutes. "Painter" is my favorite song on the second disc and one of my favorite Flower Kings songs. The chorus is heavenly with the multilayered vocal harmonies. "Calling Home" is another favorite of mine that I don't think gets enough recognition for being a great song. The song at its core is a pop song but it's wearing a prog costume. Sure, it's eleven minutes long and has an atypical structure, but like most Flower Kings songs, the music is catchy and memorable.

In conclusion, "Flower Power" is an excellent album to follow the masterpiece that is "Stardust We Are." If I were to be fussy when contemplating this album through a critical lens, the first disc of the album does overshadow the second disc a bit. The second disc doesn't reach the same high points that were reached on the first disc with "Garden of Dreams." Nevertheless, there are still many great songs and moments on the second disc that, when isolated, are exceptional. If the album was restructured so that the first and second disc were swapped so that "Garden of Dreams" ended the album, maybe I would give it five stars instead of four and a half rounded down.

"Stardust We Are" is the first of many double-disc albums from The Flower Kings. While the first two Flower Kings albums that preceded this one are great, "Stardust We Are" captures the band firing on all cylinders from a creativity standpoint. Considering that this album is one hundred thirty minutes long, the music is flawless. This is also the first album where Hasse Fröberg is regarded as a proper Flower Kings member. "Stardust We Are" contains themes interspersed throughout the album that eventually culminate into the epic twenty-five minute title track, which I will analyze and gush about ad nauseam at a later point in this review. There is a good mixture of long prog songs, shorter pop songs, and brief interludes, all of which are like pieces of a jigsaw; when connected, these songs form a cohesive album. Though "Stardust We Are" is not a concept album, it does deal with lyrical and musical themes in the beginning of circus clowns, which may seem odd, but it's thought of more metaphorically than it is literally. Clowns are typically viewed as happy people, but sometimes the people that appear happy externally aren't always happy internally.

The album opens with "In the Eyes of the World," which has an almost Halloween quality. This song is high energy and adrenaline-pumping. "In the Eyes of the World" is a great live number, as evident on the "Instant Delivery" DVD. The chorus is grand, especially with Hasse Fröberg's soaring backing vocals. This is one of my favorite Flower Kings songs and is a perfect opener to the album. "A Room with a View" is a Tomas Bodin instrumental interlude. The chords used in the piece are jazzy and soothing which accompanies a nice melody. "Just This Once" starts off in an unconventional fashion, but it all makes sense once the rest of the instrumentation enters. Tomas Bodin's keyboard work throughout this song is riveting. "Church of Your Heart" begins with engrossing guitar harmonies that lead into the song, which has a strong Yes flavor. This is especially apparent when Hasse Fröberg is singing, as his voice reminds me of Jon Anderson at times. This song is gorgeous and ebbs and flows beautifully throughout its nine minute duration. "Poor Mr. Rain's Ordinary Guitar" is another instrumental interlude that contains interplay between two acoustic guitars. This piece is tranquil and peaceful, especially after the bombast that preceded it.

"The Man Who Walked with Kings" is another instrumental piece and starts with organ and classical guitar. It gradually builds into a heavier song with impressive lead guitar playing from Roine Stolt. "Circus Brimstone" is a twelve minute instrumental. When I first listened to this track, I didn't understand it. Over time, it grew on me as it is currently my favorite Flower Kings instrumental. As the title suggests, the song permeates with a circus feeling due to the off-kilter rhythms and instrumentation. The music is unsettling at times, like the circus can be. This is especially true after the midpoint of the song where the music starts to build up after the brief moment of silence. During this section, the guitar and keyboard interplay is exquisite and it's topped off with creepy, high-pitched laughter. There are even moments when the music becomes heavy, at least for Flower Kings standards, as The Flower Kings are not a particularly heavy band. "Circus Brimstone" bleeds seamlessly into "Crying Clown," which is a strange waltz interlude. "Compassion" closes the first disc in a dark manner. The track is eighth minutes and forty seconds in duration, but the actual song is four minutes and forty-five seconds with a hidden track at the end. On the Stardust We Are 2022 remastered version, the hidden track is entitled "Hidden Dust" and contains odd sounds which I'm not quite sure how the band created.

The second disc is as great as the first disc. "Pipes of Peace" opens the second disc and is a pipe organ instrumental interlude which serves as musical foreshadowing of the title track. "The End of Innocence" is an interesting song with impressive Tomas Bodin piano playing. The album increases in energy on "The Merrygoround," which during the first half is uptempo and fun, and the second half is sombre with a great Roine Stolt guitar solo. The music brilliantly encapsulates childhood naivety, which is the antithesis of the track that preceded it, creating a satisfying juxtaposition. "Don of the Universe" is an instrumental jam that uses the main "Stardust We Are" theme as the cornerstone of the piece. Håkan Almkvist is featured on this track and plays sitar and tabla, which gives the music a strong Hindustani quality. "A Day at the Mall" is a short Bodin instrumental that leads into one of my favorite songs on the album, "Different People." This song is a beautiful pop song with great melodies and moving lyrics about how we are all intrinsically different from each other, which is a remarkable thing. "Kingdom of Lies" is a great, melodic rock song that showcases Hasse Fröberg's lead vocals well. "If 28" is a gorgeous piano instrumental interlude that familiarizes the listener with the "Stardust We Are" themes before the piece has even started. "Ghost of the Red Cloud" is another favorite of mine as it further proves that the band can successfully write short pop songs in addition to writing some of the most riveting progressive rock of all time.

"Hotel Nirvana" is an eerie prelude that acts as the calm before the storm; the storm of course being the epic twenty-five minute title track. This piece is, for my money, on the same level as "Supper's Ready" by Genesis and "Neverland" by Marillion. Every moment and section of this song is spellbinding and the musicianship is superb. From the start of the piece, you experience a déjà vu moment where you ask yourself, "Wait a minute, surely I've heard this before." Throughout the song, the listener experiences that, and that's because you have heard this before. The Flower Kings insidiously implanted themes into the brain of the listener prior to the title track, creating this wonderful effect at the end of the album. This is when all the pieces of the puzzle come together, and you, the listener, sit back, overwhelmed by its ethereal beauty. The melody in 9/8 time that appears about a third of a way through the piece and at the end is exquisite. Later in the piece, the music dies down and Tomas Bodin plays delicate piano arpeggios that twinkle like stars in the night sky... oh wait, that's clever. This section leads into the climax of the song which contains one of Hasse Fröberg's most intense vocal performances. The only way I can describe the chorus is that it's magical. As my family can attest to, I love to sing this part of the song in my room often. Outside of the magnificent music, another reason this song resonates with me profoundly are the lyrics. Whenever I feel sad, the lyrics to "Stardust We Are" help me feel better. We all came from the stars, which is truly astounding. Because of that fact, we are close to Divinity in a way. That should make everyone feel special.

In conclusion, "Stardust We Are" by The Flower Kings is essential and a masterpiece of progressive rock music. I know many individuals who claim that the seventies was the peak of progressive rock. While I agree that the seventies contains some of the greatest music ever recorded, it was not the peak. The second and third wave of progressive rock, in my humble opinion, is equally as great as the first wave. This is my favorite Flower Kings album as it contains many of my favorite songs from the band, and the flow of the album is impeccable.

I don't think it is possible for Roine Stolt to release a bad album, no matter what band he is involved with, and here we have the fifteenth studio effort from the group who took their name from his incredible 1994 solo album, which I loved when it came out. It thrust the name of the ex-Kaipa guitarist right into the heart of the underground, and in these days of the internet it is hard to explain just how big an impact it had on the scene when it was released, back when all anyone had were a few fanzines and word of mouth. Since then, there have been various musicians through the group, and to be honest as long as Roine is there in control of it all that is all that matters.

But, one of the major issues he has always had is a refusal to self-edit as much as he should, and it is not unusual to release albums which are overlong and should have been cut back in size. At 94 minutes this is not their longest release, but that is still pretty lengthy and demands two CDs, and here they have used the opportunity to spread their wings and sit strongly within symphonic prog yet also bring in influences from other areas as well. It is an album which takes quite a bit of listening to, as it takes quite a bit of time to really get inside, even though it feels highly commercial and the musicianship is stunning. I did smile when I saw Rob Townsend guesting on sac (and his addition is inspired), given the last time I saw him was in his normal day job with Steve Hackett, who on the last tour had Jonas Reingold on bass. The first time I played it all the way through I kept looking to see when it was ending and how much longer it had to go until it finished, but the next time I just let myself fall into the music, with the result being the realisation that this is another very good album indeed. Not up to the standard of 'Waiting For Miracles' perhaps, but still very enjoyable for all progheads.

Been a hot minute since I made a Flower Kings review, let's change that.

I think there are two types of Flower Kings albums, the grassy albums, and the aquatic albums. The grassy albums are more of the pastoral, almost prog folk albums that contain more of a flowery atmosphere, whilst the aquatic albums feel a lot more seaside oriented, with a lot of marimbas, blue images, and very tranquil sounds. The only exceptions for me in these two Flower Kings archetypes is Retropolis, Stardust We Are, and The Rainmaker, though sometimes they skirt on the edges of the two types. For The Sum Of No Evil, it is an aquatic Flower Kings record. What we find here is a really sweet undertaking from these wonderful prog guys. A lot of The Flower Kings material since here have been very long, clearly as a band who wishes to not leave anything on the cutting room floor, but here we may get quite the opposite of those undertakings with 6 songs, all taking their time in establishing this oceanic view of an album.

For starters, I think Love Is The Only Answer is a magnificent epic. How the song weaves through these boundless oceanic plates, some of which have sounds that feel very much in-tune with bands like Dream Theater and Symphony X (though with a Flower Kings coat of paint). If there is one thing this band does right every time, it is to make masterful prog rock epics, which isn't quite surprising due to Roine Stolt's track record within multiple bands he is, or was a part of.

The smaller tracks on here are also superb, such as Trading my Soul and The Sum Of No Reason. These tracks really do showcase the band's strength in song structure, creating these very vibrant tracks that meshes the innate joyfulness of the band's image with very classical prog rock sounds to create some very nicely made music that I have fallen in obsessed with.

I would say, though, that this feels less like an original Flower Kings record like Flower Power or Unfold The Future, and more like the band trying to recreate their older workings. Many tracks on here feel a bit too similar to ones on previous albums, and whilst I know this band never quite changes sonically from album to album, here it feels almost like they aren't quite being completely original for themselves. It is also quite apparent as this is their shortest album in terms of track listing, and also after this released, the band went on hiatus until their 2012 comeback of Banks Of Eden. I guess by this point the band ran low on steam and so had to take a bit to refuel.

A very great album from this lovely band, however the lack of originality is quite apparent, especially when you've been listening to a band of this caliber quite a lot. I definitely can recommend this record, but I think it shouldn't be the first record you check out from them, as it isn't quite a definitive album in the band's catalog in my mind.

This is the 15th album from veteran Progressive rock band The Flower Kings, and 3rd since their 2019 reformation with this current lineup. This is a double album, as each of their previous few have been as well, so it is quite expansive and contains a lot of music, 18 tracks of mostly shorter songs (thus, no long epics that they are somewhat known for) coming in at ~96 minutes of music. First, the album sounds great, and the musicianship and lush arrangements are superb throughout. The instrumental passages and sections within songs are the real highlight here, as they generally raise the level of the songs. Unfortunately, I have a bit of an issue with many of the songs themselves, particularly many of the verse and chorus sections, as they tend to be somewhat lackluster and just not very memorable. Overall, it's quite pleasant and enjoyable, but not much more than that. For me, most of the songs pass by without generating much enthusiasm, doesn't grab my attention, and just kind of fade into progressive background music. The album doesn't really take off until near the end of the first disc, with a great sequence of songs: 'We Can Make it Work' is a bright little pop ditty that is elevated by the unique instrumentation and wonderful arrangement (use of xylophone, various guitar fills, and vocals), followed by 'Peace on Parade', a great instrumental that shows what this band is capable of, too bad there are not more like this here, and then the disc closer 'Revolution', another album highlight. Disc 2 continues with hit and miss tracks, but includes several more highlights. So yes, overall, the album is quite good, and contains many great moments, but it is just not great overall. I do not think it measures up to their best work. There are several fine songs here, but also many just OK ones. Best tracks: 'Peacock on Parade', 'Revolution', 'Evolution', 'We Can Make It Work', 'The Big Funk', 'Funeral Pyre', 'A Million Stars'.

The most recent installment and technically their fifteenth studio album(!), By Royal Decree is their fourth (including 2018's Manifesto of an Alchemist, under the seemingly backhanded name Roine Stolt's The Flower King), following the still-mysterious departure of the once-seemingly-quintessential--I still want to give him compliments galore--Tomas Bodin. Through and through, regardless of personnel, The Flower Kings are still wondrously capable monarchs, and kindly for continuing to share this mutual love with us [I guess I've been in my feels recently haha].

Opening up the album, "The Great Pretender" is a triumph. As with much in the Flower Kings catalog, this has classic Prog moments and modernity alike. Solid melodies and a composition which is so convincingly confident and daring, it's successfully moving. Big shock coming from these veteran Swedes /s. Killer synth solo toward the end, from Bodin's replacement, Zach Kamins. "World Gone Crazy", with Flower Kings' branded drama in title and sonics, is dark and tense; a tad Fusion-y, a tad spacy. Delicious stuff; forever impressed specifically with drummer Mirkko DeMaio; yet another insane synth solo to wrap this one up as well. Plenty to love.

"Blinded" has a classic, Dark Roine-penned theme. Awesome layers and satisfying buildup and release of tension throughout. Gotta unclench that jaw some time haha. There is some incredible saxophone soloing here, performed by a man I incidentally saw last night, Rob Townsend of Steve Hackett's band (incredible show, if you ever are granted the chance; I was truly blessed). Indeed "Blinded" could well have been something in Hackett's catalog, a plenty high praise. Modern Prog simply doesn't get much better than this! And then, we get a bit sentimental on "A Million Stars", don't we? Sonically reminds me of Styx or America [that sounds confusing now that I'm reading it back]? As a whole, impressive, though I'm not wild about the song, if you're trackin'.

We come back to familiar big feelings Flower Kings on "The Soldier". Sweeping and beautiful (3.5/5.0, to be clear; less readied for your "prog rock music collection", but a fine song nonetheless). Unveiling more about ourselves than what I was ready to hear tonight /s, "The Darkness in You" is sweet in its melancholic intro. Before the second verse, it drops away, besides drums, and my mind went to Celine's ridiculously epic take on "All By Myself", yet there's nothing sweeping or epic to that degree here. Honestly, the first low-point on the record. "We Can Make It Work"? More like "We Can Make a Mid-00s Singer-Songwriter Hit Psychedelic Pop". Quirky Edwardian something-rather. I'm on the fence about it, but it is plenty well performed.

And finally we get a moment from the band that I am excited to proclaim, 'Now this is Flower Kings!': "Peacock on Parade". I still get excited about these things. I guess you could say it's working then [toothsome smile emoji]. This has a really great organ solo, so excellently performed, driven harder and seemingly faster with the rhythm section to boot. "Revolution" up next features some medieval-esque sounds. Charming and then booming. Another one forward-driving, despite the hard swing of the drums. Synth in the middle reminded me of Starcastle, yet this section is like Jazz-meets-Alt-meets-Melodic-Metal. In some sense, I think it had me wanting just a little bit more.

"Time the Great Healer"... I guess Roine's short stint recording with Jon Anderson rubbed off on the guy, huh? Emotive. The synth's airy timbre, impressive as all these thangs are today--before the compositional shift nearing minute 3--made me think of present-day Todd Rundgren keysmith Glasys [You should definitely take a moment to check out his insane videos on, in the very least, Instagram]. The experimental soloing and general soundscape, especially that of the bridge section, really saved this one for me. I was a bit skeptic at the start. "Letter" most immediately had me wondering if this was inspired, in part, by Frank Zappa (think Hot Rats or perhaps Uncle Meat). Quirky, exciting and eclectic, yet undeniably Art Pop. Pretty unorthodox for them, but I found it a real treat.

"Evolution"! Woah! Epic and classic! Recognizing here and now, since I've used the term 'epic' I think twice now, By Royal Decree quite surprisingly has no track over 8 minutes in length. Just one of the truly plenty-if-not-many reasons the album has been so approachable, this unsurprisingly (speaking as a fan of these Kings, this is a feat haha). We return to our 'feels' on "Silent Ways" (too pretty a track to make a fart joke? I'm not so sure...). Our first lead vox track in a while with the great Hasse Froberg, I welcome it always [Oh, wow, I haven't listened to "The Truth Will Set You Free" in a longer while...]. What I would think was the bridge has a lot of noggin-massagin', but I was definitely not in love with this track. Great ideas nonetheless.

"Moth" is... dark haha. And sad? Y'all into melancholia? Weird in the second half... Is this Danny Elfman? We about to hear this on the next Tim Burton film soundtrack? Sort of another out of character for the band, but good at what it does. "The Big Funk" begins with a... space Raga? Fantastic sound. The track features more Worldly sonic choices and instrumentation throughout. Again, triumphant, glorious, righteous feel. More Jon-Anderson-isms on "Open Your Heart"? Perhaps. Even on these sort of tracks, focused on emotion and their encouraging benedictions, they do find a way to stir interest. It's not boring, at least haha. In fact, like with the shifting and sliding into the outro, we get a tasty guitar solo from Roine.

Approaching the close, "Shrine" is a minute-long piano interlude, somewhat an intro to the final track, "Funeral Pyres" (perhaps weaker as both interlude and intro?). Roine's guitar is soulful and powerful on the latter track. The rhythm is slinky and loose, a bit of a foot-tapper. This is a Hasse vocals number. We get some mallet work, too! Around the midpoint, the rhythm shifts once more, into a bluesy, seemingly gospel-inspired section. Nice track overall, but not the most stellar closer in my opinion.

Happy to hear more from Stolt and Co, regardless, and of course I look forward to the next!

True Rate: 3.75/5.00

[Currently sitting in a newer cafe in my hometown I hadn't been to yet, and it's honestly as if a Target showroom spat up. Anyways, House Blend strikes again.] [This is now a day later, not at a Target-sponsored cafe, and god, I love this band.] [Editing this weeks later, as I can't help but do, I did in fact listen to their magnum opus, in my opinion, "The Truth Will Set You Free". Highly, highly recommend that classic.]

Let's face it, these guys are an extremely productive bunch of musicians! 140 minutes of music in a double album and this was not even the first time they did that! (Nor the last as a matter of fact!) You have to admire the Flower Kings only for their productivity if not anything else. But as we all know, quantity does not guarantee quality, so what's the deal with this one?

Here I think that the quantity of the music is a big factor that straightly affects the quality. I mean that any of the two discs would do for a very good album on its own, but the fact that there are two of them lessens the final effect they have on the listener.

The music of course is as always more than competent. The level of musisianship is top notch throughout the 141 minutes of the album, never failing to deliver. Strongly delved into 70s symphonic prog but with a somewhat modern approach especially on the rythm section and a lot of jazz moments thrown into the mix. Yes seems to be the most obvius point of reference, not only musically, but also in the logic of excess behind the way that this album was conceived and created.

As for the individual performances, the star that trully shines in my opinion is Jonas Reingold. His basslines were made to stand out from the rest of the orchestration without losing sense or cohesion. Listen to "Black and White' as a perfect example of this. Z. Csorsz and H. Bruniusson contribute greatly to the overall result adding some really well executed percussion as well. Tomas Bodin and R. Stolt are their usual selves, especially the former has some really imaginative moments. (see Silent Inferno).

As it frequently happens with TFK, the longer tracks are the more interesting of the bunch. It is where the band has a chance for a full out exposition of their musical and compositional skills. The lyrics, as usually again, is not their strong point, but nothing offensive either. All in all this is another album of what one might expect from TFK, only in... excess! I would give it 3,5 stars, but I shall give this extra half just for the accomplishment of making a more than 2 hours album without any real throwaway pieces. (Well, we could do without Soul Vortex, but you get the point!) So, 4 stars in total...