FLOWER POWER

The Flower Kings never cease to amaze me. After their amazing Retropolis and Stardust We Are, there wasn't a conceivable way that The Flower Kings could top themselves. They did it with this. The opening track, the 60 minute Garden of Dreams, is easily one of the greatest Prog epics ever. Going through many different moods, tempos, and shifts in texture, there is nothing not to like about it. The musicianship from every member is incredible, especially Stolt and Bodin. Stolt truly is an underrated guitarist, playing many different styles on the entire album.

After the opener, the rest of the first CD is what I call filler. The instrumental Astral Dog is a great instrumental, but can get old rather quickly. The Flower Kings were always good at supplying an album with great material, then after the great material, there is always filler to "fill" the gaps. Sometimes it is not bad, sometimes it's mediocre. Regardless, this album is great. Other noteworthy tracks are Deaf, Numb, and Blind, which features superb playing by Stolt and Bodin. The rest of the 2nd album is great, the only filler tracks I don't like are Hudson River Sirens Call 1998 and Afterlife.

Overall, this album is a great effort by a great band. I really do enjoy this album immensely. The Flower Kings never cease to amaze me, and this is another reason why I cannot dislike them.