Flower Kings Official Thread

[HOF]

So I’ve had a chance to get through both discs of Islands several times. While I think just about every moment on the two discs is enjoyable, I do think a lot of it is not very memorable. Which is really fine, but at some point I expect I’ll pare this down to a single disc’s worth of material. The first disc feels a little stronger to me, but there are a few standouts in the second one as well (Telescope comes to mind, and I really like All I Need Is Love).

[darkshade]

I have to revisit Islands more, so take this for what it's worth, but so far it seems like an album where the sum is greater than the whole. There is no moment so far where I feel like I want to skip, and everything seems to blend into one another, but in a good way. Like I can put it on let it all wash over me. It's like taking a drive, and just going wherever, and not worrying about which roads you take, some empty ones, some busy ones, and the destination is not important. This is unlike other TFK albums where the journey is taking you to a climatic payoff, which of course I love, but I don't need it every time if the music is enjoyable enough. Compared to the albums from BoE through WFM, Islands is like a breath of fresh air, and I'm enjoying the breeze. I think it's because of the attempts at writing 'darker' material but I think Roine strives when the music is more upbeat.

[HOF]

I have to revisit Islands more, so take this for what it's worth, but so far it seems like an album where the sum is greater than the whole. There is no moment so far where I feel like I want to skip, and everything seems to blend into one another, but in a good way. Like I can put it on let it all wash over me. It's like taking a drive, and just going wherever, and not worrying about which roads you take, some empty ones, some busy ones, and the destination is not important. This is unlike other TFK albums where the journey is taking you to a climatic payoff, which of course I love, but I don't need it every time if the music is enjoyable enough. Compared to the albums from BoE through WFM, Islands is like a breath of fresh air, and I'm enjoying the breeze. I think it's because of the attempts at writing 'darker' material but I think Roine strives when the music is more upbeat.

I agree with this. Especially the part about the music washing over you. There aren’t really any huge, climactic moments, but that’s ok. I dunno how it will age for me, but for now I’ve enjoyed just having a pleasant listen.

[Mladen]

I hope you don't mind a semi-fan chiming in, since I would like to share my unconventional history with The Flower Kings with someone. About ten years ago, as I was becoming a fan of Dream Theater, Spock's Beard and Transatlantic, I bumped into The Flower Kings and picked The Sum of no evil at random. I think I dug the album cover. I found it very solid, but wasn't blown away by it. It was only afterwards that I realized it isn't one of the band's more popular releases.

I wasn't too interested in checking the rest of their stuff, but I gave a spin to Banks of eden and Desolation rose when they came out. The latter one appealed to me quite a bit and I still think there are some great songs on it. Still, it wasn't enough to motivate me to check out the earlier stuff.

Years went by, The Flower Kings remained kind of quiet, and then Waiting for miracles was announced. I saw it as a good opportunity to check out another album of theirs or two before I dig into the new one. As I was only familiar with the newer stuff, I decided to move backwards. Paradox hotel featured two of my The Flower Kings songs up to that point: Lucy had a dream and Blue planet. Adam and Eve was fine, but not a single song blew me away as a whole. Unfortunately, I ended up being quite underwhelmed by Waiting for miracles.

So, Islands was announced a while ago and I got excited. It struck me as odd that I am looking forward to a new album by a band that never truly struck a chord with me. A part of me still thinks that, over the years, I will get to the older albums that are being held in a high regard, which will help me appreciate the latter stuff even more. After I'm done with Islands, I will dump the concept of going backwards and check out the first two albums. Lets see how that works out.

Oh, and Islands is pretty enjoyable, actually. Morning news, All I need is love, Broken, Looking for answers and Goodbye outrage are magical. There is something about this band that keeps me going back every now and then. It's like a potential waiting to be unleashed.

[DTA]

All I Need Is Love is the standout for me at the moment...really strong melody on that one. I'm still have trouble differentiating between each track as I always listen to it straight through, but I'm pretty happy with it. It's not top-tier FK music, but has enough going on to make it a worthwhile listen.

[darkshade]

So, Islands was announced a while ago and I got excited. It struck me as odd that I am looking forward to a new album by a band that never truly struck a chord with me. A part of me still thinks that, over the years, I will get to the older albums that are being held in a high regard, which will help me appreciate the latter stuff even more. After I'm done with Islands, I will dump the concept of going backwards and check out the first two albums. Lets see how that works out.

I recommend starting with Roine Stolt's "The Flower King" album, then TFK's "Back In The World Of Adventures" and forward from there.
All the 90s albums are consistently great and more "true" prog rock. Once Jonas joined in 2000, it's been a mixed bag of all kinds of goodies.

[The Letter M]

A little over two weeks with Islands and I have to say that I am really enjoying it more and more with each listen. I think I like it a bit more than Desolation Rose at this point, perhaps on par with Flower Power (per my previously posted ranking). I don't think it'll break the barrier between Good and Great for me, since it still feels like the album has a lot of missed potential in some places, especially where musical ideas could have been fleshed out a bit more, perhaps extended or integrated into other pieces to create longer songs, but as it stands, it's a great showcase for what this current line-up can do together, and a better showcase for Kamins and DeMaio than their debut album with TFK on Waiting For Miracles. I'll have to listen to both albums back-to-back and see how I feel about WFM now, given that Islands has come out. I might like WFM a bit more, who knows! When Pattern-Seeking Animals' second album came out earlier this year, I loved it a lot more than their debut, but when I went back and listened to their 2019 debut, I realized how good it was, so perhaps going back to a lesser-liked album with new appreciation for the line-up might improve my opinions on WFM.

-Marc.

[RoeDent]

I need to listen again to hear if there are recurring musical ideas. Definitely recurring lyrics, but I haven't yet figured out if there are recurring musical motifs. Also, I'm trying to figure out if a passage in A New Species is in 5/16 or 6/16.

[The Letter M]

I need to listen again to hear if there are recurring musical ideas. Definitely recurring lyrics, but I haven't yet figured out if there are recurring musical motifs. Also, I'm trying to figure out if a passage in A New Species is in 5/16 or 6/16.

Are you referring to the part that begins around 1:17, and later on at 3:43? Listening to the song on YouTube at half speed, I can confirm they are playing in 5/16.

Also, the theme at the end of "A New Species" returns in "Between Hope And Fear", which I believe I noted in my song-by-song review earlier in the thread. I call it the "Astonishing" theme because it sounds so much love a motif from DT's Astonishing.

-Marc.

[kirksnosehair]

I don't think I'm going to be just automatically buying their albums from now on.  Last two or three albums have done very little for me.  This newest one is easily the most boring record in their catalog.  Where is all the grandiosity and epic soundscapes?   Where are the big bombastic epics?  This was the disappointment of 2020.  Between this and the new very mediocre record from Fates Warning I guess it's on brand for 2020 a year that resembles a shit show inside a dumpster fire on the titanic.

[Fritzinger]

I don't think I'm going to be just automatically buying their albums from now on.  Last two or three albums have done very little for me.  This newest one is easily the most boring record in their catalog.  Where is all the grandiosity and epic soundscapes?   Where are the big bombastic epics?  This was the disappointment of 2020.  Between this and the new very mediocre record from Fates Warning I guess it's on brand for 2020 a year that resembles a shit show inside a dumpster fire on the titanic.

I'm sensing a lot of negativity coming from you these last few days, are you okay dude?

[darkshade]

Islands is growing on me. I like the first disc more than the second, but it's a lot of music to digest. Off the top of my head, Morning News, Tangerine, and Islands are highlights, but I recall the first handful of tracks on the first disc were all very strong.

[darkshade]

I don't think I'm going to be just automatically buying their albums from now on.  Last two or three albums have done very little for me.  This newest one is easily the most boring record in their catalog.  Where is all the grandiosity and epic soundscapes?   Where are the big bombastic epics?  This was the disappointment of 2020.  Between this and the new very mediocre record from Fates Warning I guess it's on brand for 2020 a year that resembles a shit show inside a dumpster fire on the titanic.

I'm sensing a lot of negativity coming from you these last few days, are you okay dude?

TFK have lost that positivity in their music since the first hiatus, but I think they recaptured some of it on Islands, however, I would never mistake Islands for any of the 90s or early 00s albums.

[kirksnosehair]

I don't think I'm going to be just automatically buying their albums from now on.  Last two or three albums have done very little for me.  This newest one is easily the most boring record in their catalog.  Where is all the grandiosity and epic soundscapes?   Where are the big bombastic epics?  This was the disappointment of 2020.  Between this and the new very mediocre record from Fates Warning I guess it's on brand for 2020 a year that resembles a shit show inside a dumpster fire on the titanic.

I'm sensing a lot of negativity coming from you these last few days, are you okay dude?

yeah, thanks for asking. 

[The Letter M]

Islands is growing on me. I like the first disc more than the second, but it's a lot of music to digest. Off the top of my head, Morning News, Tangerine, and Islands are highlights, but I recall the first handful of tracks on the first disc were all very strong.

It's growing on me as well as I continue to listen to it every other day or so. The run of the first six songs is pretty great, nearly flawless IMO. Lots of great material in those pieces, as well as Tangerine and Solaris, and that's most of the first disc already! The second one has "A New Species", "Serpentine", "Looking For Answers", and the last 3, which are all pretty solid too. The more I listen to it, the more familiar I become with the individual tracks, but it also becomes more of a unified piece for me as I hear the songs in order as presented on the album. I'd say they did a fairly good job with the track order and flow of the album, spreading out the lyrical songs and strategically placing instrumentals between them, while taking into account each piece's mood and feel.

Over-all, I think I am liking it more than Waiting For Miracles as a whole, though I think WFM has a couple of better stand-alone songs.

-Marc.

[darkshade]

Going through all the albums, I feel I have a better grasp on the TFK discography.
From The Flower King to Space Revolver, including Hydrophonia, is consistently great prog rock, great melodies, epic compositions.
Space Revolver to TSoNE is a mix of the classic TFK sound with some experimentation and added jazziness.
The last 4-5 albums if you include MoaA are a mix of strong ideas, but not a whole lot sticks to my ears. There doesn't seem be any real direction, and some of the stuff is darker (for TFK) and I don't think that is their strong suit. Islands is a step in the right direction, so we'll see what happens next.

[RoeDent]

Interesting that you're including the Roine Stolt solo albums in the mix here. Maybe there's not much difference between a RS solo album and a Flower Kings album, cos otherwise it'd be like treating Steven Wilson's solo albums as if they were Porcupine Tree albums.

[HOF]

Interesting that you're including the Roine Stolt solo albums in the mix here. Maybe there's not much difference between a RS solo album and a Flower Kings album, cos otherwise it'd be like treating Steven Wilson's solo albums as if they were Porcupine Tree albums.

Well, they both include “The Flower King” in the title as well. The first one is pretty clearly the prototype /blueprint for TFK. I haven’t heard the more recent one, but it seems like maybe it was a placeholder while he kind of rebooted the band?

[darkshade]

Interesting that you're including the Roine Stolt solo albums in the mix here. Maybe there's not much difference between a RS solo album and a Flower Kings album, cos otherwise it'd be like treating Steven Wilson's solo albums as if they were Porcupine Tree albums.

Well, they both include “The Flower King” in the title as well. The first one is pretty clearly the prototype /blueprint for TFK. I haven’t heard the more recent one, but it seems like maybe it was a placeholder while he kind of rebooted the band?

I include TFK, Hydrophonia, and MoaA since they are Flower Kings albums in everything but the name, including the lineups. An album like Wall Street Voodoo, though, or his 80s albums (which I've never been able to find) are not included for obvious reasons.

I'm no expert on Wilson's work, but to me the difference in PT and SW solo is the lineups, but they all sound like they're coming from the same mastermind, at least when you compare the last 4 albums of PT to SW solo. Earlier PT is a bit more trippy and Floydian. Didn't Wilson write all the music?

[Fritzinger]

Interesting that you're including the Roine Stolt solo albums in the mix here. Maybe there's not much difference between a RS solo album and a Flower Kings album, cos otherwise it'd be like treating Steven Wilson's solo albums as if they were Porcupine Tree albums.

Well, they both include “The Flower King” in the title as well. The first one is pretty clearly the prototype /blueprint for TFK. I haven’t heard the more recent one, but it seems like maybe it was a placeholder while he kind of rebooted the band?

I include TFK, Hydrophonia, and MoaA since they are Flower Kings albums in everything but the name, including the lineups. An album like Wall Street Voodoo, though, or his 80s albums (which I've never been able to find) are not included for obvious reasons.

I'm no expert on Wilson's work, but to me the difference in PT and SW solo is the lineups, but they all sound like they're coming from the same mastermind, at least when you compare the last 4 albums of PT to SW solo. Earlier PT is a bit more trippy and Floydian. Didn't Wilson write all the music?

Most of it, yes. Some of the songs are written by other band members, either alone, like Black Dahlia (Barbieri) or together with Wilson, like Wedding Nails and My Ashes (Barbieri & Wilson). Some songs are credited to all band members or simply "Porcupine Tree".
While the bulk of PT's music was composed by Wilson, I think the band had a very big impact on the finished product though. I remember reading an interview somewhere, where Gavin Harrison said something like he didn't want to play on Wilson's solo albums because before he was playing WITH Wilson and now he'd be playing FOR Wilson. So I guess among the 4 guys, there definitely was the feeling of a BAND with everyone being an integral part, instead of just being Wilson's backing musicians.

[darkshade]

Interesting that you're including the Roine Stolt solo albums in the mix here. Maybe there's not much difference between a RS solo album and a Flower Kings album, cos otherwise it'd be like treating Steven Wilson's solo albums as if they were Porcupine Tree albums.

Well, they both include “The Flower King” in the title as well. The first one is pretty clearly the prototype /blueprint for TFK. I haven’t heard the more recent one, but it seems like maybe it was a placeholder while he kind of rebooted the band?

I include TFK, Hydrophonia, and MoaA since they are Flower Kings albums in everything but the name, including the lineups. An album like Wall Street Voodoo, though, or his 80s albums (which I've never been able to find) are not included for obvious reasons.

I'm no expert on Wilson's work, but to me the difference in PT and SW solo is the lineups, but they all sound like they're coming from the same mastermind, at least when you compare the last 4 albums of PT to SW solo. Earlier PT is a bit more trippy and Floydian. Didn't Wilson write all the music?

Most of it, yes. Some of the songs are written by other band members, either alone, like Black Dahlia (Barbieri) or together with Wilson, like Wedding Nails and My Ashes (Barbieri & Wilson). Some songs are credited to all band members or simply "Porcupine Tree".
While the bulk of PT's music was composed by Wilson, I think the band had a very big impact on the finished product though. I remember reading an interview somewhere, where Gavin Harrison said something like he didn't want to play on Wilson's solo albums because before he was playing WITH Wilson and now he'd be playing FOR Wilson. So I guess among the 4 guys, there definitely was the feeling of a BAND with everyone being an integral part, instead of just being Wilson's backing musicians.

Well, aside from contributions from others like Bodin or Jonas, Roine has primarily been the main song writer/composer throughout all the Roine solo/TFK albums. The exception is Wall Steet Voodoo and his pre-TFK albums since those are different concepts and have starkly different lineups.

[The Letter M]

Interesting that you're including the Roine Stolt solo albums in the mix here. Maybe there's not much difference between a RS solo album and a Flower Kings album, cos otherwise it'd be like treating Steven Wilson's solo albums as if they were Porcupine Tree albums.

Well, they both include “The Flower King” in the title as well. The first one is pretty clearly the prototype /blueprint for TFK. I haven’t heard the more recent one, but it seems like maybe it was a placeholder while he kind of rebooted the band?

I include TFK, Hydrophonia, and MoaA since they are Flower Kings albums in everything but the name, including the lineups. An album like Wall Street Voodoo, though, or his 80s albums (which I've never been able to find) are not included for obvious reasons.

I'm no expert on Wilson's work, but to me the difference in PT and SW solo is the lineups, but they all sound like they're coming from the same mastermind, at least when you compare the last 4 albums of PT to SW solo. Earlier PT is a bit more trippy and Floydian. Didn't Wilson write all the music?

Most of it, yes. Some of the songs are written by other band members, either alone, like Black Dahlia (Barbieri) or together with Wilson, like Wedding Nails and My Ashes (Barbieri & Wilson). Some songs are credited to all band members or simply "Porcupine Tree".
While the bulk of PT's music was composed by Wilson, I think the band had a very big impact on the finished product though. I remember reading an interview somewhere, where Gavin Harrison said something like he didn't want to play on Wilson's solo albums because before he was playing WITH Wilson and now he'd be playing FOR Wilson. So I guess among the 4 guys, there definitely was the feeling of a BAND with everyone being an integral part, instead of just being Wilson's backing musicians.

Well, aside from contributions from others like Bodin or Jonas, Roine has primarily been the main song writer/composer throughout all the Roine solo/TFK albums. The exception is Wall Steet Voodoo and his pre-TFK albums since those are different concepts and have starkly different lineups.

I agree - albums like The Flower King, Hydrophonia, and Manifesto Of An Alchemist, all feel like TFK-adjacent albums, more so the first two than MOAA. Also gotta mention Circus Brimstone, an instrumental-only version of The Flower Kings, who released a single live album Brimstoned In Europe.

As for Wall Street Voodoo, it *does* feature some TFK members, like Jonas Reingold (under a pseudonym), and Marcus Lillequist (as well as Neal Morse!), but because it's more of a blues album, it's probably the least-TFK-like album.

Then again, a lot of TFK-members' solo and side-projects feature tons of TFK members past and present, so sometimes it feels like the TFK family tree is a lot tighter than most other bands' trees. Tomas Bodin's solo albums feature tons of TFK members, for example.

-Marc.

[darkshade]

Interesting that you're including the Roine Stolt solo albums in the mix here. Maybe there's not much difference between a RS solo album and a Flower Kings album, cos otherwise it'd be like treating Steven Wilson's solo albums as if they were Porcupine Tree albums.

Well, they both include “The Flower King” in the title as well. The first one is pretty clearly the prototype /blueprint for TFK. I haven’t heard the more recent one, but it seems like maybe it was a placeholder while he kind of rebooted the band?

I include TFK, Hydrophonia, and MoaA since they are Flower Kings albums in everything but the name, including the lineups. An album like Wall Street Voodoo, though, or his 80s albums (which I've never been able to find) are not included for obvious reasons.

I'm no expert on Wilson's work, but to me the difference in PT and SW solo is the lineups, but they all sound like they're coming from the same mastermind, at least when you compare the last 4 albums of PT to SW solo. Earlier PT is a bit more trippy and Floydian. Didn't Wilson write all the music?

Most of it, yes. Some of the songs are written by other band members, either alone, like Black Dahlia (Barbieri) or together with Wilson, like Wedding Nails and My Ashes (Barbieri & Wilson). Some songs are credited to all band members or simply "Porcupine Tree".
While the bulk of PT's music was composed by Wilson, I think the band had a very big impact on the finished product though. I remember reading an interview somewhere, where Gavin Harrison said something like he didn't want to play on Wilson's solo albums because before he was playing WITH Wilson and now he'd be playing FOR Wilson. So I guess among the 4 guys, there definitely was the feeling of a BAND with everyone being an integral part, instead of just being Wilson's backing musicians.

Well, aside from contributions from others like Bodin or Jonas, Roine has primarily been the main song writer/composer throughout all the Roine solo/TFK albums. The exception is Wall Steet Voodoo and his pre-TFK albums since those are different concepts and have starkly different lineups.

I agree - albums like The Flower King, Hydrophonia, and Manifesto Of An Alchemist, all feel like TFK-adjacent albums, more so the first two than MOAA. Also gotta mention Circus Brimstone, an instrumental-only version of The Flower Kings, who released a single live album Brimstoned In Europe.

As for Wall Street Voodoo, it *does* feature some TFK members, like Jonas Reingold (under a pseudonym), and Marcus Lillequist (as well as Neal Morse!), but because it's more of a blues album, it's probably the least-TFK-like album.

Then again, a lot of TFK-members' solo and side-projects feature tons of TFK members past and present, so sometimes it feels like the TFK family tree is a lot tighter than most other bands' trees. Tomas Bodin's solo albums feature tons of TFK members, for example.

-Marc.

Correct, Karmakanic's Who's The Boss In The Factory is the best Flower Kings album that isn't a TFK album. Same with their first 2 albums, and The Tangent's first two albums (and of course Jonas is on most of their albums, and Roine is on half of the albums mentioned in this post)

[KevShmev]

Islands is growing on me. I like the first disc more than the second, but it's a lot of music to digest. Off the top of my head, Morning News, Tangerine, and Islands are highlights, but I recall the first handful of tracks on the first disc were all very strong.

This is my take as well so far.  First disc is really good, and I still trying to wrap my head around much of the second one. Very good album overall so far.  Love the sound of it.

Over-all, I think I am liking it more than Waiting For Miracles as a whole, though I think WFM has a couple of better stand-alone songs.

As is normal when one of my favorites releases something new, it gets me to go back and listen to the old stuff, and having revisited Waiting for Miracles a few times recently, I definitely underestimated the heck out of that album.  Vertigo, The Bridge, The Crowning of the Greed, Spirals, Steampunk and We Were Always Here are all major keepers.  I can do without one or two of the songs from disc one (not shockingly, the ones where Froberg sings ), but it's a much better record than I originally thought.

[Zydar]

I've listened to Islands quite a lot this past week. I almost can't stop listening to Black Swan and Goodbye Outrage. Especially Black Swan.

And I agree that the first disc is the strongest one.

[HOF]

The first 6 tracks or so on the first disc are great. There are some really good moments on the second one too. I listened to this a ton the week I got it but have left it on the back burner this past week. Will try to revisit it in a little while to see how it’s settled in for me.

[KevShmev]

I've listened to Islands quite a lot this past week. I almost can't stop listening to Black Swan and Goodbye Outrage. Especially Black Swan.

And I agree that the first disc is the strongest one.

Black Swan threw me for a loop the first time I heard it.  Not sure I had heard Roine channel the Brian May guitar tone and style before, or at least not to that extent.  He freaking nails it.

The first 6 tracks or so on the first disc are great. There are some really good moments on the second one too. I listened to this a ton the week I got it but have left it on the back burner this past week. Will try to revisit it in a little while to see how it’s settled in for me.

Northern Lights is the one from the second disc that I am really liking so far.  Love the vibe and that melody is glorious.

[HOF]

So listening to Islands again now. There’s no question this is an odd sounding album from a recording/mix standpoint. I’ve tried in two cars, on two different stereos in my house, and on headphones. Basically the only way you can hear the drums is on headphones. On my stereo it just sounds muffled. I’m chalking it up to limitations of COVID mostly. I saw an interview before it came out (that I can’t find now), where Roine mentioned everyone recorded their parts at home and Roine had to give directions over the phone for things like microphone placement.

I can sort of accept the funny sound as an artifact of recording during a pandemic, but time will tell if that ends up feeling more like an annoyance or charm.

Edit: here is the review (not an interview) that mentioned the logistical issues around the recording. It generally tried to pass off the final product as intentional but I’m not totally convinced about that.

https://progreport.com/the-flower-kings-islands-album-review/

[KevShmev]

Hmmm, I hadn't noticed that per se, although I did notice that the bass and drums weren't as in your face thumpy as they sometimes are (think the albums with Zoltan). I do like how airy and clear the album as a whole sounds. 

I think some props needs to be given to Zach Kamins as well.  He had a tough spot, replacing Tomas Bodin, since a lot of fans were bummed that he was no longer a part of the band when they officially reformed last year, but he has done a really good job so far.  His choice of notes and sounds is very good. Very much in the spirit of the band's past, while bringing his own flavor at times as well.

[HOF]

Hmmm, I hadn't noticed that per se, although I did notice that the bass and drums weren't as in your face thumpy as they sometimes are (think the albums with Zoltan). I do like how airy and clear the album as a whole sounds. 

I think some props needs to be given to Zach Kamins as well.  He had a tough spot, replacing Tomas Bodin, since a lot of fans were bummed that he was no longer a part of the band when they officially reformed last year, but he has done a really good job so far.  His choice of notes and sounds is very good. Very much in the spirit of the band's past, while bringing his own flavor at times as well.

I really like the keyboard work too. The performances themselves by and large are great.

[Dedalus]

I've been immersed in the work of Roine Stolt for weeks. I listened several times to all Flower Kings' albums and related works. I've never heard Wall Street Voodoo before. What a wonderful album! I loved it. Great drumming by Marcus Liliequist on this record!

Speaking of drummers, what is your preference in relation to the drummers who were part of TFK?

[Fritzinger]

I agreed (agreeD) on the "strange" sound of ISLANDS. But now that my box set finally has arrived, I gotta say that the mix sounds much more balanced on the vinyls than on the digital files I had before. Also, the sound is warmer and more transparent.

Also, the LP looks absolutely beautiful! Usually, Insideout "clear" vinyls are not really transparent, but murky (not sure if that's the right word). But this one: 



I am now at peace with what I thought was kind of a weird sound  And I am VERY pleased with the purchase of this (overpriced) box set, since it's gorgeous and sounds great.

[DTA]

I've been immersed in the work of Roine Stolt for weeks. I listened several times to all Flower Kings' albums and related works. I've never heard Wall Street Voodoo before. What a wonderful album! I loved it. Great drumming by Marcus Liliequist on this record!

Speaking of drummers, what is your preference in relation to the drummers who were part of TFK?

I love Zoltan (super nice guy too), but Jaime is my favorite. I feel like Zoltan joining was the catalyst that sent them on a jazz trajectory because he was so skilled at that style, but I just enjoyed the big dumb rock/metal drumming of Jaime and the music that the band was releasing when he was the drummer.

If anyone is looking for TFK-related projects that are very reminiscent of the 90's albums, check out Roine's Hydrophonia and Tomas Bodin's An Ordinary Night... They are the lost FK-instrumental albums and the music is fantastic.

[darkshade]

I've been immersed in the work of Roine Stolt for weeks. I listened several times to all Flower Kings' albums and related works. I've never heard Wall Street Voodoo before. What a wonderful album! I loved it. Great drumming by Marcus Liliequist on this record!

Speaking of drummers, what is your preference in relation to the drummers who were part of TFK?

I have as well, along with Neal Morse/Portnoy/Dream Theater projects.
I still need to get around to Wall Street Voodoo, I haven't listened to that one in a long time.

I've got my sights on Karmakanic, Tomas Bodin, modern Kaipa (and Kaipa da Capo), The Tangent, The Sea Within, and Agents of Mercy albums, for more TFK fix, once I get to know Islands more, and Waiting For Miracles, as I only got that album recently. Plus there's live TFK albums which I'm not as familiar with, other than Meet The Flower Kings, that album is... epic.

[darkshade]

Oh no. Upon a quick search on the internet, TFK live albums are extremely expensive, are they out of print? I never really got around to their live stuff other than the aforementioned MTFK, and I know I listened to Alive On Planet Earth once or twice on Spotify, which appears to not be there anymore. Tour Kaputt is there, and is the only one that seems to be a reasonable price anywhere. That is disappointing. Roine should get his own streaming service going like Neal Morse has with Waterfall if these albums are not going to be available anywhere at a reasonable price.