Unfold the Future (2002)Tomas Bodin - keyboards
Hasse Bruniusson - marimba, glockenspiel, dulcimer, other percussion
Zoltan Csörsz - drums
Hasse Fröberg - vocals, guitars
Daniel Gildenlöw - backup vocals, lead vocals on "Fast Lane", "Rollin' the Dice" and parts of "Devil's Playground"
Jonas Reingold - bass guitar
Roine Stolt - vocals, guitars, keyboards
Ulf Wallander - soprano saxophone
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Disc 1:
1. "The Truth Will Set You Free"
2. "Monkey Business"
3. "Black and White" (Bodin Stolt)
4. "Christianopel" (Bodin, Zoltan Csörsz, Jonas Reingold, Stolt)
5. "Silent Inferno"
6. "The Navigator" (Bodin, Stolt}
7. "Vox Humana"
Disc 2:
1. "Genie in a Bottle"
2. "Fast Lane" (Bodin)
3. "Grand Old World"
4. "Soul Vortex" (Bodin, Csörsz, Reingold, Stolt)
5. "Rollin' the Dice" (Bodin)
6. "The Devil's Danceschool" (Reingold)
7. "Man Overboard"
8. "Solitary Shell" (Bodin, Stolt)
9. "Devil's Playground" (Bodin, Stolt)
10. "Too Late for Tomatos" (Bodin, Csörsz, Reingold, Stolt)
(all songs written and composed by Roine Stolt, except where noted)
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We now move on to the band's 7th album, Unfold the Future; it's also their 3rd double album. It is arguably their most ambitious and daring double album, yet I find it to be the least rewarding of their four double albums. For starters, the opening track, the 31-minute epic The Truth Will Set You Free, is an absolute bitch to get through, and even if I can get through it, there is still two hours worth of music left!
Honestly, Silent Inferno is the only song from Disc 1 that I listen to with any regularity. The aforementioned opening epic (The Truth...) is a good song, but it's way too long, and shortening it by around 10-12 minutes could have resulted in a much better tune. I adore the beginning of Black and White, thanks to that lovely melody, but then the song goes off into instrumental wankery for the remainder, which really threw me at the time, as they never overplayed, but the combination of that hyperactive keyboard lead and the equally hyperactive bass line is just too much; it sounds too busy and messy. The other songs on Disc 1 are all pretty good, but nothing I would go out of my way to hear. The best of that bunch is The Navigator, but the same melody can be found in the vastly superior Solitary Shell on Disc 2. Vox Humana merely regurgitates one of the least interesting melodies of The Truth... epic.
Speaking of Disc 2, most of it is aces: Genie in a Bottle is fun and quirky; Fast Lane, featuring new member Daniel Gildenlow on lead vocals, is very much of a sleeper tune, the first half making it one of my favorite TFk songs to drive to, before slowing down and ending in glorious fashion; Grand Old World, which kicks off with the same melody that kicks off The Truth..., is a great laid back, relaxing tune; Soul Vortex and The Devil's Danceschool both show off the band's fusion tendencies, albeit in very different ways; Rollin' the Dice is an enjoyable rocker; Man Overboard is one of the best songs under four minutes they've ever done; Solitary Shell is gorgeous, featuring Roine singing over a lovely piano lead; Devil's Playground, the best epic on this record, is much darker and rocking than the long epic on Disc 1, and is much more consistent and epic, IMO. And finally, Too Late for Tomatos, which I don't really think of as a bonus track, is a helluva jam, as new drummer, Zoltan Csorsz, shows off his bad ass chops.
Speaking of Csorsz, I think most would agree that he is by far the best drummer the band has had, yet oddly none of the three albums he played on are among my favorites. When the overall playing is as good as it always is with this band, songwriting is what matters the most, and whether it is coincidence that the best songwriting has taken place on albums where he wasn't there or not, it is what it is, at least for me. Despite not being a big fan of Gildenlow's main band, Pain of Salvation, most of his contributions to TFK were aces, especially his vocals at the end of Devil's Playground, which are absolutely killer.
Also, old prog fans should recognize the Onward melody in Devil's Playground, shortly before the 14-minute mark. That was one of those instantly recognizable tributes or whatever that I caught on my very first listen back in 2002.
I know a lot of TFK fans love this album to death, and while I can see why, it just isn's favorite of mine. It is very good, yes, but great? No. One of their best? No way. But a very good TFK album is still a winner.