Flower Kings Official Thread

[The Letter M]

Just got done spinning BITWOA this morning (after listening to Stolt's TFK last night), and yeah, I still *really* dig this era for Roine and The Flower Kings. The bright, positive vibes of these albums definitely lift me up in ways that few bands can. I almost forget just how much of BITWOA is instrumental, though I do miss the presence of Hasse Froberg (who only appeared on two songs in The Flower King anyway, being the songs that bookend the album).

I'll be spinning an album a day from here til the 30th, so today is the band's proper debut, tomorrow will be Retropolis, etc. I'll try to make it a point to post every day after listening to each album, but depending on my schedules, we'll see how well I keep that up. 

I am looking forward to revisiting each of the Flower Kings albums in the lead up to Islands!

-Marc.

[darkshade]

One thing I like about the chronological progression of TFK albums is the gradual increased inclusion of Hasse's vocals while Roine sings lead vocals less often after the first four or five albums and gives Hasse more of the frontman lead vocalist role in later albums.

[darkshade]

I'll be spinning an album a day from here til the 30th, so today is the band's proper debut, tomorrow will be Retropolis, etc. I'll try to make it a point to post every day after listening to each album, but depending on my schedules, we'll see how well I keep that up. 

I am looking forward to revisiting each of the Flower Kings albums in the lead up to Islands!

-Marc.

I'll be doing the same.

[The Letter M]

Listening to Retropolis right now, and between BITWOA and this one, I always flip-flop on which one I like more. They're both great in their own ways, and both feature some extensive instrumental sections as well, but Retropolis features Hasse Froberg, who adds so much more to the music, so part of me tends to lean towards Retropolis.

On my own personal version of Retropolis, I inserted two songs from that era that were left off the album: "Buffalo Man" sits in the middle between "The Melting Pot" (I created a crossfade between the two) and closes the first CD-r, while "Silent Sorrow" opens the second CD-r, though on my phone/iPod, it's a single 81:39 album. I can understand why they left off "Buffalo Man", but "Kite" (which I place just before the album closer "The Road Back Home") has some reprisals from "There Is More To This World", and fits perfectly on the album.

I always found "Rhythm Of Life" as an odd intro track with its ping pong sounds and scream/glass breaking at the end. I'm sure there are some deep meanings behind it, but to me, it's just Roine being quirky (which he does again for the intro on Paradox Hotel). The title track, "Retropolis" is a quintessential TFK instrumental track, and I think if I wanted to show off the band to someone new, this might be a song I'd share with them. That, and "There Is More To This World". Speaking of, I think it's funny that the first three TFK albums all have lengthy songs with the word "World" in them ("World Of Adventures" and "In The Eyes Of The World" being the other two).

I remember when I was first getting into TFK, and they had already had 8 albums under their belts by then (in 2005/2006, just before Paradox Hotel came out), I remember *really* digging Retropolis, and to this day, it's still definitely in the top half of TFK albums for me.

-Marc.

[HOF]

Retropolos is my favorite from TFK (I think). I love that ping pong intro! There is More to this World might be my favorite TFK song, although The Road Back Home is way up there too. I also love Flora Majora and it’s call back to Scanning the Greenhouse.

[DTA]

Retropolis is probably their strongest single disc album and it has a great balance of instrumental and vocal parts. Silent Sorrow and Judas Kiss are the hidden gems of this album imo with the former being a big favorite of mine and the latter being one of those unique FK tracks that just have everything that makes them incredible in a relatively shorter package.

[darkshade]

Of all the 90s TFK albums, Retropolis is my least favorite. Maybe bottom 3 TFK album for me overall. I don't dislike it, but I never latched onto it like the other albums before and after. I like the opening title instrumental after the intro track, good stuff. I also dig the last two songs. There are bits and pieces in between I like, but overall I'm not into any individual song on this album outside of those three cuts. Rhythm of the Sea is OK I guess, but I'm not feeling it just after an instrumental. Judas Kiss is alright, but maybe should have been the lead off song with vocals. I tend to think it's the structure of the album, the track listing could have been different. Still, I feel they put out stronger work before and after this one, it's just never grown on me, even today listening to it I still wasn't feeling it like I do for the debut or the next album.

[The Letter M]

I'm wrapping up my listen of Stardust We Are, and this will always remain a Top 5, heck, Top 3 Flower Kings album for me. Everything just sits perfectly in its running order, a great blend of heavy and light moments, every member gets to shine through their voice or instrument, the songs have powerful vocals, and the instrumentals provide the best atmosphere for the album. Even the short, intermediate tracks have their own charm.

And of course, there's the title track epic, which is one of my favorite modern prog epics of all time. It encapsulates everything I think of when I think of The Flower Kings, and if I ever suggest the band to anyone who wants to hear an epic from them, this is the one I'd go to. In fact, I think this was the first epic of theirs I ever heard, and it prompted me to buy the album. Hearing the epic first before the rest of the album was interesting for me because I heard all the melodies and themes used in the song earlier in the album and thought "Whoa, that's from the title track!" and thought it was really cool that they weaved those motifs throughout the album to give it a very cohesive, almost concept like feel.

The one thing I always wonder about the epic song, though, is why the band never plays the studio version of the ending? I quite like how the song finishes on the album, reprising the 9/8 section from earlier in the song. I guess Roine wanted a more bombastic way to end the song for the live stage, and also give Hasse a chance to do some vocal wailing in the outro.

The album cover for SWA is still one of the weirder ones in their catalog, at least to me, but it works for the feel of the album. It's a weird mish-mash of the band members' faces upon flowers and space and planets, and all of that just feels like what the album feels like.

-Marc.

[hefdaddy42]

SWA is my favorite TFK album, and the title track is my favorite TFK song.

[The Letter M]

SWA is my favorite TFK album, and the title track is my favorite TFK song.

  Can't ever disagree with anyone who has that opinion. It's a fine album, and possibly their best, and the title track is easily one of the finest prog epics to come out of the prog world in the last 30 years.

I spun Flower Power last night and this morning, and I remember when I was first getting into TFK, this was one album I had a bit of trouble getting into. The idea of an 18-track, hour-long epic seemed a bit TOO much to me, especially with how it meanders and doesn't seem to have much cohesiveness to it, but many fans praised "Garden Of Dreams", so I kept digging into it more and more to see if I could hear what they all heard, and eventually, I grew to appreciate it, though I think I enjoy some of the other songs a bit more, like Deaf Numb & Blind, Hudson River Sirens Call, Psychedelic Postcard, and Calling Home.

I think I enjoyed SWA and UTF so much that the other TFK double album at the time (pre-Paradox Hotel) just felt like it was deserving of being their third best double behind the other two, despite having some great material throughout. By now, though, I think I like it a bit more, and it's definitely in the upper half of their discography for me, but I definitely have to be in the mood for it, otherwise, given the choice between SWA and FP, I will always pick SWA as my go-to early TFK double album.

-Marc.

[kirksnosehair]

Got my Islands CD in the mail yesterday and it was signed. 


I made it through the first disc so far I really like it.  They went full-on analog this time, you can hear it.  I wouldn't be surprised if they recorded this onto tape.  It sounds like it was recorded in 1978 and I don't really mean that in a bad way.  It's actually kind of charming.  And quite nostalgic. 


The songs all flow into each other so it doesn't really sound like a bunch of short tracks when you listen to the album. 


To early to say what I am going to think of it overall but my first impression is definitely positive.

[The Letter M]

Got my Islands CD in the mail yesterday and it was signed. 


I made it through the first disc so far I really like it.  They went full-on analog this time, you can hear it.  I wouldn't be surprised if they recorded this onto tape.  It sounds like it was recorded in 1978 and I don't really mean that in a bad way.  It's actually kind of charming.  And quite nostalgic. 


The songs all flow into each other so it doesn't really sound like a bunch of short tracks when you listen to the album. 


To early to say what I am going to think of it overall but my first impression is definitely positive.

Oh wow. You got yours already? Did you order from Roine's site? I hope mine comes in this week!

Also, interesting to read that the tracks "flow into each other" when I just read a review on Sonic Perspectives that says "the songs do not segue into each other" so now I'm curious as to how it really sounds.

-Marc.

[emtee]

Starburst We Are and Space Revolver are my 2 favorites. Not a weak moment on either one. Terrific drumming too!

[kirksnosehair]

Got my Islands CD in the mail yesterday and it was signed. 


I made it through the first disc so far I really like it.  They went full-on analog this time, you can hear it.  I wouldn't be surprised if they recorded this onto tape.  It sounds like it was recorded in 1978 and I don't really mean that in a bad way.  It's actually kind of charming.  And quite nostalgic. 


The songs all flow into each other so it doesn't really sound like a bunch of short tracks when you listen to the album. 


To early to say what I am going to think of it overall but my first impression is definitely positive.

Oh wow. You got yours already? Did you order from Roine's site? I hope mine comes in this week!

Also, interesting to read that the tracks "flow into each other" when I just read a review on Sonic Perspectives that says "the songs do not segue into each other" so now I'm curious as to how it really sounds.

-Marc.

Yeah, I got it on Roine's site.   

[darkshade]

Stardust We Are is one of my favorites. The opener Eyes of the World was the first TFK song I heard, as it was a free song on ProgArchives back in 2005. I acquired the album at some point and listened to it once and didn't go back, this was during a period of time where my musical world was opening up, and I was just absorbing so much new music. Years later, this was one of the first albums I revisited when I was starting to get into the band more. I've always enjoyed the first disc, everything is great, it has awesome flow. 2nd disc is hit or miss, mostly hit though. However, I dislike 'Different People' so much, I skip it every time, I've given it plenty of chances. The title suite is fantastic, top 5 TFK track. I agree about the live version, the Meet The Flower Kings version is not as enjoyable as I'd hoped it would be when I first listened. Never seen them live. But as far as the album concerned, I can listen to this straight through (minus DP) as I did yesterday, and not feel like I want it to end soon, partially because the epic finale, but the music leading up is pleasant enough on the 2nd disc. This is contrary to the next album.

Flower Power. The mammoth Garden of Dreams is the definition of epic. If the album was just that first disc, is would be hands-down the best Flower Kings album, no album since has had a better single disc of music than this one. I heard this album after digging into other TFK albums and from the moment I first put on that first disc I knew this was going to be pretty good. I think GoD might be a tiny little bit too long, but the ending is just great, the payoff makes it all worth it. Then having that transition into the coda which is Astral Dog wraps everything up nicely into a little bow.

But then they had to make a second disc.

I don't hate the 2nd disc. I think there are fine tunes on there. The opener, Psychedelic Postcard which is a little weird. I really like Magic Pie's refrain. Calling Home is good. But it's too long. I basically treat them as two separate albums, even though there are quotes from the massive epic Garden of Dreams throughout the 2nd disc. But the second disc is just too long, even for the Flower Kings. As one disc, it's approaching the CD limit, and I think the first disc works really well as it's just over an hour or so. Some of the stuff like Stupid Girl, Corruption, and Power of Kindness is a very bland run of songs to me, early on in the disc, and could have been removed to make a tighter disc.

Looking forward to the next few albums, my personal favorite era of the band.

[RoeDent]

I'm jumping the gun a bit here, but I'm currently listening to an expanded version of Desolation Rose. There was a TFK Discography thread on here about 6 years ago, and The Letter M posted their expanded albums, inserting the bonus tracks and re-ordering some of the album tracks to create more double albums. I'm following that one for Desolation Rose. There are a few others I'd like to try, although I only have the bonus tracks included on the Kingdom of Colours box. Some of the names of, say, the Space Revolver tracks, I don't have. But I have quite a few of them.

Also one or two of the tracks of the AKOC bonus discs I have no clue where to insert them, what album eras they belong to, etc.

[SwedishGoose]

My CDs arrived today....  one listen an I really like it

[kirksnosehair]

I got through my first full listen and I really like it.  There are a lot of great melodies and it's kind of dense so it's going to take more than one listen (obviously) to really grade it but I have to say my initial impression is definitely positive.


I don't know that I heard any of the "holy shit!"    moments that many of their early and mid-era albums have, but I am going to reserve judgement until I've given it my undivided attention at least 3 or 4 times. 


The one thing that really stands out to me initially is the production choices they made here.  I don't really have the time to scour the internet for clues about how they recorded this but analog equipment played a heavy role here for sure.  Everything about the sound is analog, from the synth patches to the vocal microphones to the acoustic guitars and the drums, it's all very warm and airy sounding.  It's all very 1978(ish) 

[The Letter M]

Just got mine from Sweden in the mail today!!! Time to rip it and give it a listen before work (if I have time), but if not, then later tonight!

Also, I spun Space Revolver last night/this morning, and wow, STILL an amazing album. The introduction of Jonas Reingold to the band really took them to a new level, and the bookending epic is one of the band's best. Of course, the other two long songs on the album, RFT and MW, are highlights as well, and of course, I cannot talk about SR without mentioning the powerful beauty that is "A King's Prayer".

I'm jumping the gun a bit here, but I'm currently listening to an expanded version of Desolation Rose. There was a TFK Discography thread on here about 6 years ago, and The Letter M posted their expanded albums, inserting the bonus tracks and re-ordering some of the album tracks to create more double albums. I'm following that one for Desolation Rose. There are a few others I'd like to try, although I only have the bonus tracks included on the Kingdom of Colours box. Some of the names of, say, the Space Revolver tracks, I don't have. But I have quite a few of them.

Also one or two of the tracks of the AKOC bonus discs I have no clue where to insert them, what album eras they belong to, etc.

Hey, thanks for the shout out. Yeah, I feel like Desolation Rose kind of suffered by not including those instrumental pieces throughout the album, so I fixed that by inserting those bonus tracks back into the album to give it a classic TFK feel. I find it a better listen, to be honest, and find myself liking it a bit more than Banks Of Eden.

-Marc.

[RoeDent]

I enjoyed listening to Desolation Rose that way this afternoon. Dispersing the instrumental bonus tracks into the album itself helped. Whenever I've tried to listen to them on their own disc, I've struggled, and when I've listened to DR on its own, I've struggled more than other TFK albums. This is a good compromise. The only thing I might try when I listen again, is putting The Final Era earlier, to keep Blood of Eden/Silent Graveyards as the finale of the album. SG in particular feels very much like a closer, not just of that album, but of that entire era (no pun intended) of The Flower Kings before the 6-year break.

[The Letter M]

I enjoyed listening to Desolation Rose that way this afternoon. Dispersing the instrumental bonus tracks into the album itself helped. Whenever I've tried to listen to them on their own disc, I've struggled, and when I've listened to DR on its own, I've struggled more than other TFK albums. This is a good compromise. The only thing I might try when I listen again, is putting The Final Era earlier, to keep Blood of Eden/Silent Graveyards as the finale of the album. SG in particular feels very much like a closer, not just of that album, but of that entire era (no pun intended) of The Flower Kings before the 6-year break.

I made a crossfade between some tracks using Audacity, most notably, between Tower ONE and Burning Spears, and the final two tracks in my version, with Silent Graveyards segueing into The Final ERA (Which I distinctly recall seeing typed that way in some promotional materials, so it felt fitting to book end the album with Tower ONE, which had an all-caps word, and The Final ERA, which also had an all-caps word. Also the title felt fitting to close the album as well). And while Silent Graveyards is a powerful song, I liked the more uplifting feeling of The Final ERA to close out the album.

Thanks for checking out my remixed running order for Desolation Rose! I really put a lot of time and thought when I do these sorts of things, thinking about how the band might have sequenced them in and give them a side-length set for each chunk of music to create a classic 70's prog feel. Thankfully Roine and company have already done that with Islands, so no need to meddle with the track listing this time!

Also, I opened my envelope from Foxtrot Records, and my copy is number 4 of 200! Didn't realize I ordered mine that quickly!

-Marc.

[darkshade]

I didn't pre-order Islands so I won't be listening to this until release day unless my "local" record shop puts it on the shelf early. As for Desolation Rose, I've never been able to get into that album. I'd like to try listening with the bonus tracks inserted. I felt like that might work for Banks of Eden, I really enjoyed that one when it came out, I think that one works well as a single disc. I may listen to Waiting for Miracles soon as I haven't listened to that one yet and I'd like to at least know it a little going into it during this marathon before I listen to Islands.

Space Revolver was the first album I bought by the band. This was 5 years after first hearing of TFK. First that one song off SWA, I remember checking out the first track or so on UtF a year or two later, then I listened to the band's most recent album at the time The Sum of No Evil once. I just wasn't getting into the band, it seemed so easy to get into all the classic prog bands and all the classic albums. I have up. Then after Transatlantic's The Whirlwind came out something clicked. I listened to that album many times, I had been going through sort of a Dream Theater renaissance at the time, and TW became an important album for me. I soon realized I had never gotten into The Flower Kings, but recall not getting into anything I had checked out over the years. After revisiting the first two TA albums, I realized that TFK's music is a lot more dense than DT or TA and much of the 70s prog in some ways. I decided I would go with Space Revolver first, single album, this was the one I remember enjoying the most when I first heard, mainly because of the bass.

I chose right, I loved it and this was the only album I had for a while before I ventured into more greater TFK pastures. I see this album as a good entry point into their discography. It seems like the most accessible of their albums, even though it leads with a 15 minute track. Jonas on bass really adds a new dimension to their sound, as to me, he is the best musician in the band, technically speaking. I don't think it's their absolute best album, but I put it in my top 3 TFK albums. It's solid all the way through and has a really bright sound to it and has the least flaws to my ears.

[The Letter M]

I'm on my 2nd spin thru this 92 minute monster of an album, and my only concern so far is an odd skip in "Hidden Angles" around 0:41. Anyone else with the album hear this, or did I get a bum disc?

-Marc.

[Fritzinger]

I'm on my 2nd spin thru this 92 minute monster of an album, and my only concern so far is an odd skip in "Hidden Angles" around 0:41. Anyone else with the album hear this, or did I get a bum disc?

-Marc.

Did they send out the album a week early? Awesome! 

I'm still sitting in a lecture, will check out the part you mentioned later.

[darkshade]

Gave Waiting For Miracles a spin. Very good overall imo, I enjoyed it more on first listen than all the times I've listened to Desolation Rose. Off to The Rainmaker next.

[The Letter M]

I'm on my 2nd spin thru this 92 minute monster of an album, and my only concern so far is an odd skip in "Hidden Angles" around 0:41. Anyone else with the album hear this, or did I get a bum disc?

-Marc.

Did they send out the album a week early? Awesome! 

I'm still sitting in a lecture, will check out the part you mentioned later.

Yeah, a lot of fans have been getting their discs this week, so I was happily surprised when mine came in the mail yesterday.

But yeah, I checked the waveform in Audacity of "Hidden Angles" and at about 0:41.055 in the track, there's a weird drop in sound for about 0.014 seconds, and it sounds like skip in the track. My CD plays this way too, so it isn't just a faulty .wav rip from the disc.

Other than picking up on that, the album so far has been great, after a couple of listens. I'll definitely post more thoughts by next week after several more listens! Thankfully I have a 3-day weekend starting today so I'll have plenty of time to listen to Islands!

As for continuing my TFK journey through the discography, The Rainmaker still remains merely a GOOD TFK album. Not their best, but it has some good pieces on it, but over-all, it can be a bit underwhelming, especially compared to Space Revolver, and what would come after it (Unfold The Future).

-Marc.

[darkshade]

Agreed, The Rainmaker is merely good. Some strong cuts on there, the band is slowly getting jazzier, but it sits between two of their best albums and this one is up and down as far as quality of songs here.

[The Letter M]

Unfold The Future remains a classic and a favorite of mine. Some might find it a bit long and bloated, but I enjoy the jazzy improvisations, and the epics on this album are, of course, stand-out tracks, but the shorter songs aren't slouches either. The introduction of Zoltan Csorsz to the band really added a new feel, and given his strength in jazzy playing coupled with Jonas Reingold's jazz fusion influences, they form a powerhouse rhythm section. I can't forget to mention the vocal addition of Daniel Gildenlow, who I assume was asked to guest on the record after Roine toured with him in Europe for Transatlantic.

This line-up definitely feels very FULL, though, with six members in the main band, plus Gildenlow guesting on vocals and Ulf Wallander on sax, it's a behemoth line-up and a behemoth album.

I've never heard the 2017 mix of the album, though I dare not give it a try because, for the life of me, I cannot fathom why Roine would cut nearly a quarter of "Devil's Playground" out of the new mix. I quite enjoy that song as it is on the original album, but I guess Roine doesn't mind revising history if its his music.

-Marc.

[The Letter M]

I'm on my 2nd spin thru this 92 minute monster of an album, and my only concern so far is an odd skip in "Hidden Angles" around 0:41. Anyone else with the album hear this, or did I get a bum disc?

-Marc.

Did they send out the album a week early? Awesome! 

I'm still sitting in a lecture, will check out the part you mentioned later.

Did you ever get around to checking "Hidden Angles"? I posted the question in the Flower Kings Facebook fan group and both Jonas and Mirkko both replied saying their copies were fine, so I guess I got a bum copy. It's really weird because, as far as I could tell, that was the only bad spot on the whole album for me, but I'll have to listen to it again to be sure. Now it's going to bug me....

-Marc.

[HOF]

Unfold The Future remains a classic and a favorite of mine. Some might find it a bit long and bloated, but I enjoy the jazzy improvisations, and the epics on this album are, of course, stand-out tracks, but the shorter songs aren't slouches either. The introduction of Zoltan Csorsz to the band really added a new feel, and given his strength in jazzy playing coupled with Jonas Reingold's jazz fusion influences, they form a powerhouse rhythm section. I can't forget to mention the vocal addition of Daniel Gildenlow, who I assume was asked to guest on the record after Roine toured with him in Europe for Transatlantic.

This line-up definitely feels very FULL, though, with six members in the main band, plus Gildenlow guesting on vocals and Ulf Wallander on sax, it's a behemoth line-up and a behemoth album.

I've never heard the 2017 mix of the album, though I dare not give it a try because, for the life of me, I cannot fathom why Roine would cut nearly a quarter of "Devil's Playground" out of the new mix. I quite enjoy that song as it is on the original album, but I guess Roine doesn't mind revising history if its his music.

-Marc.

I bought this last year and tried to get through it a couple times but it’s sat unplayed since then. I need to try again I suppose.

[RoeDent]

I think I'm beginning work on a complete playthrough of the Flower Kings discography, although mine is not in order. I just finished Flower Power after running through Desolation Rose and The Rainmaker in recent days.

[The Letter M]

Adam & Eve is an interesting album. To me, it sounds like they tried to pull back on the jazzy improv stuff of UTF and go back to some more solid prog rock, but there's also a lot of oddly heavy moments on this album as well. I wonder if that was because of any influence of or inspiration from Daniel Gildenlow, who was then featured as a full-time member after his tour with them. Speaking of Daniel, his vocals are ALL OVER this album, so if you enjoy his voice, this is probably an album to check out. I think his vocals really give these songs some more p unch in a way that's different that Hasse's powerful voice - Daniel does some crazy operatic background vocals, but also some strong lead vocals as well.

Over all, Adam & Eve isn't one album I'll normally go back to, but I do enjoy it when I spin it. It holds my attention and entertains me a bit more than The Rainmaker, but both are still relatively low in my TFK rankings (and funnily enough, bot A&E and TR are the two lowest rated albums on Progarchives). Of course, the two epics are the highlights of the album, and I quite enjoy "A Vampire's View" and "Starlight Man". The title track is a bit quirky, musically and lyrically. Counting bonus tracks from their respective sessions, I think Adam & Eve is their shortest album since their debut BITWOA: Retropolis (plus Kite and Buffalo Man) clocked in 81:39, Space Revolver had about 8 bonus tracks essentially making it a double like SWA, FP and UTF, and The Rainmaker's bonus tracks push it to being a 95:33 long album, so Adam & Eve, being only 10 tracks at about 78:06 was their shortest studio output in awhile, and I think they definitely tried to narrow down their ideas after the 2.5 hour monster that was Unfold The Future.

I think I'm beginning work on a complete playthrough of the Flower Kings discography, although mine is not in order. I just finished Flower Power after running through Desolation Rose and The Rainmaker in recent days.

Very nice! Hope you're enjoying (re)visiting these albums as much as I have been lately!

Unfold The Future remains a classic and a favorite of mine. Some might find it a bit long and bloated, but I enjoy the jazzy improvisations, and the epics on this album are, of course, stand-out tracks, but the shorter songs aren't slouches either. The introduction of Zoltan Csorsz to the band really added a new feel, and given his strength in jazzy playing coupled with Jonas Reingold's jazz fusion influences, they form a powerhouse rhythm section. I can't forget to mention the vocal addition of Daniel Gildenlow, who I assume was asked to guest on the record after Roine toured with him in Europe for Transatlantic.

This line-up definitely feels very FULL, though, with six members in the main band, plus Gildenlow guesting on vocals and Ulf Wallander on sax, it's a behemoth line-up and a behemoth album.

I've never heard the 2017 mix of the album, though I dare not give it a try because, for the life of me, I cannot fathom why Roine would cut nearly a quarter of "Devil's Playground" out of the new mix. I quite enjoy that song as it is on the original album, but I guess Roine doesn't mind revising history if its his music.

-Marc.

I bought this last year and tried to get through it a couple times but it’s sat unplayed since then. I need to try again I suppose.

I hope you got the original mix and not the 2017 one. Definitely give it a spin sometime soon, it's totally worth it, but I can understand how it might be difficult for some to get into, and not just because of its length. There is just a lot to digest over-all, even with just the opening epic.

-Marc.

[DTA]

Adam & Eve is an interesting album. To me, it sounds like they tried to pull back on the jazzy improv stuff of UTF and go back to some more solid prog rock, but there's also a lot of oddly heavy moments on this album as well. I wonder if that was because of any influence of or inspiration from Daniel Gildenlow, who was then featured as a full-time member after his tour with them. Speaking of Daniel, his vocals are ALL OVER this album, so if you enjoy his voice, this is probably an album to check out. I think his vocals really give these songs some more p unch in a way that's different that Hasse's powerful voice - Daniel does some crazy operatic background vocals, but also some strong lead vocals as well.

Over all, Adam & Eve isn't one album I'll normally go back to, but I do enjoy it when I spin it. It holds my attention and entertains me a bit more than The Rainmaker, but both are still relatively low in my TFK rankings (and funnily enough, bot A&E and TR are the two lowest rated albums on Progarchives). Of course, the two epics are the highlights of the album, and I quite enjoy "A Vampire's View" and "Starlight Man". The title track is a bit quirky, musically and lyrically. Counting bonus tracks from their respective sessions, I think Adam & Eve is their shortest album since their debut BITWOA: Retropolis (plus Kite and Buffalo Man) clocked in 81:39, Space Revolver had about 8 bonus tracks essentially making it a double like SWA, FP and UTF, and The Rainmaker's bonus tracks push it to being a 95:33 long album, so Adam & Eve, being only 10 tracks at about 78:06 was their shortest studio output in awhile, and I think they definitely tried to narrow down their ideas after the 2.5 hour monster that was Unfold The Future.

Adam & Eve was my least favorite for awhile but I revisited it a year or two ago and was surprised by how much better it sounded to me. Timelines is a long-forgotten track from them that is really strong and both epics are really cool. It sounds like they wanted to push their boundaries a bit more in some places but also pull back the overt jazz influence like you said and get back to their core prog-rock sound so the album has sort of a bipolar vibe to my ears.

[darkshade]

Unfold is IMO the band's best album, as well as my favorite. It's got a bit of everything good about the band, with the best rhythm section the band has ever had (Zoltan, Jonas). Monster epics bookend the album, both are fantastic and some of the band's best work. The other epic Silent Inferno is another great one, if more overlooked. The jazzy improvs are fun and provide nice breaks between the other songs. I find these are some of the band's strongest "short" songs. Man, Jonas is everywhere on this one, ridiculous player. I like that there are a few recurring themes throughout the album, but it's not everywhere.

Adam & Eve is a little less jazzy and while they bring more of the classic prog sound back in, it's done with an overall darker tone. A lot more singing from Froberg now. The album isn't anywhere near the band's best, some think it's their worst. I think it's one of their weaker albums as well, but I like it for what it is and it isn't a bad album. I think it just lacks a lot of things I like in TFK's music like their more upbeat moments, which are here and there on this one. My favorite is the last epic, Driver's Seat, that's a great underrated Flower Kings epic. Pairs well with the closing track Blade of Cain.

[HOF]

Unfold The Future remains a classic and a favorite of mine. Some might find it a bit long and bloated, but I enjoy the jazzy improvisations, and the epics on this album are, of course, stand-out tracks, but the shorter songs aren't slouches either. The introduction of Zoltan Csorsz to the band really added a new feel, and given his strength in jazzy playing coupled with Jonas Reingold's jazz fusion influences, they form a powerhouse rhythm section. I can't forget to mention the vocal addition of Daniel Gildenlow, who I assume was asked to guest on the record after Roine toured with him in Europe for Transatlantic.

This line-up definitely feels very FULL, though, with six members in the main band, plus Gildenlow guesting on vocals and Ulf Wallander on sax, it's a behemoth line-up and a behemoth album.

I've never heard the 2017 mix of the album, though I dare not give it a try because, for the life of me, I cannot fathom why Roine would cut nearly a quarter of "Devil's Playground" out of the new mix. I quite enjoy that song as it is on the original album, but I guess Roine doesn't mind revising history if its his music.

-Marc.

I bought this last year and tried to get through it a couple times but it’s sat unplayed since then. I need to try again I suppose.

I hope you got the original mix and not the 2017 one. Definitely give it a spin sometime soon, it's totally worth it, but I can understand how it might be difficult for some to get into, and not just because of its length. There is just a lot to digest over-all, even with just the opening epic.

-Marc.

It’s the original 2002 release. I ripped it to my computer yesterday (hadn’t even gotten that far with it before!) and gave the first disc a good listen. Now I remember that it was more the second disc I had a hard time getting through, but the first disc is pretty strong just on the strength of The Truth Will Set You Free and Silent Inferno. I think I mostly just didn’t set enough time aside to dig into a 31 minute epic when I got it. Silent Inferno is one I’ve had for a long time (I have an Inside Out sampler that came with (I think) Spock’s Beard’s Feel Euphoria that has it on it), and I’ve always really liked it.

It’s definitely very jazzy and the rhythm section of Zoltan and Jonas is pretty amazing. Will try to give the full thing a listen, hopefully before Island shows up in my mailbox next week.