It is not a secret that I am a fan and admirer (check out reviews of their previous albums) of the brilliant "flower power" prog rock band The Flower Kings, as their music never seems to stop to amaze me, even after sixteen albums... Love, is The Flower Kings' seventeenth studio album and its title could not be more appropriate for the music of these Swedish proggers indeed. Love features twelve new songs and ten of them are solo compositions of the one and only Flower King, Roine Stolt, while World Spinning is a composition of Lasse Larsson and Considerations is a Michael Stolt and Jannica Lund composition. The Flower Kings, of the year 2025, consist of the original members Roine Stolt (guitar, vocals), Hasse Froberg (vocals) and Michael Stolt (bass guitar, vocals), completed by "newcomers" Lalle Larsson (piano, keys) and Mirko DeMaio (drums). Love contains two, short, instrumental tracks, namely: World Spinning (2:04) and Kaiser Razor (2:26) and both are 100% melodic Flower Kings songs, showcasing the musical talents of especially Stolt and Larsson. The new album kicks off with the up tempo We Claim The Moon, followed by the first mini epic called The Elder. The latter, being the longest song of the album, is also one of the highlights here, as this complex track is so immaculate and uplifting that you want to listen to it repeatedly. Especially Roine's emotive and expressive guitar playing, it is second to none and the beautiful vocal harmonies and melodies - hello Yes - do the rest. The second "epic" on Love is called Considerations, a ten-minute composition by Michael Stolt and Jannica Lund and it opens bombastically with keys and guitar melodies/solos galore, reminding me of Transatlantic and Spock's Beard for sure. Considerations evolves into a beautiful prog song with emotional vocals by Lund, Stolt and Froberg, while in the middle the listener is treated to a soaring top notch guitar solo, followed by a killer keyboard solo. The song ends with an utterly stunning guitar solo, ending this wonderful track in style indeed. The Flower Kings' new album is again an amazing prog rock experience and really a must have album indeed! These guys have never released a bad or mediocre album and so never a dull moment with the Flower Kings and I am really looking forward to their gig in Tilburg June 6!! In the true flower power spirit Roine comments on the lyrics of the Love album: "Remember: war is just fear and failure. FEAR manifested in small people with shady political or religious agendas - LOVE is always the winner!!" ****+ Martien Koolen (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
