THE FLOWER KINGS – “BANKS OF EDEN”
INSIDE OUT (2012)
The expression “put on ice” is one that is much dreaded by any music fan. However, these were the words used by Roine Stolt when the Swedish melodic Progsters The Flower Kings decided to take a sabbatical, following the release of the highly acclaimed “The Sum Of No Evil” in September 2007. Fans of Roine’s music were, of course, happy to see him involved in many interesting projects, such as Transatlantic and Agents Of Mercy, but the general consensus was in support of a new The Flower Kings release. Well, after a five-year hiatus, this truly skilled quintet is back with another impressive release, entitled “Banks Of Eden”.
The release of any new The Flower Kings album is an important event in itself but when that album comes after a long period of inactivity the expectations and pressure on the artists must be very high. Well, Roine & Co. can certainly breathe with relief as “Banks Of Eden” is another top quality release that, while sounding as familiar as any fan of the band would expect, still manages to hold a few nice surprises for those who appreciate music that involves constant manipulation of rhythm, intertwining melodic themes and tunes that are influenced as much by heavy Blues as they are by light Jazz. It is impossible to be a fan of either Yes or Peter Gabriel-era Genesis and not appreciate this album’s numerous moments of technical improvisation; similarly, you cannot worship at the altar of David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) and not appreciate the amazing job that Roine has done on his lead guitar themes throughout the album.
In a typical The Flower Kings manner, the album kicks off with a twenty five minute progressive titan, entitled “Numbers”. Some may find the process of understanding and warming to such a long compositions quite daunting, but the Swedes have made such a great job in connecting various different ideas into one musical unit that, after a few good spins, you will feel very comfortable with it. The first part of the song is based on a catchy guitar/vocal melody and finds the band indulging in technical themes of Yes/Transatlantic nature. Half way through, light Jazz themes and Floydian lead solos add mood and atmosphere to the proceedings, whereas the closing part of the song finds the band discovering once again their well known technical self. Though again based on a simple and quite catchy melody, the cleverly named “For The Love Of Gold” is the band’s tribute to Yes and in the six minute “Pandemonium” we find the band surrendering to the ‘dark side’ by using a variety of computerised vocals and spooky keyboard passages. Theatrical style vocals have always been a feature of the band’s music so one ought not to be surprised to find them in the Floyd-influenced “For Those About To Drown” while the closing composition “Rising The Imperial” is one of the album’s true highlights, thanks to its beautiful bass lines and Rod Stewart-inspired deep/passionate vocals.
Roine Stolt is a man who needs constant artistic challenge, so it would not be surprising to hear that he continues to be involved in various different projects in the months/years to come. Having said that, one should not mistakenly assume that Roine Stolt equals The Flower Kings and that this band is another one of his projects, as I don’t believe that an album as impressive as “Banks Of Eden” could have been recorded without the involvement of Tomas Bodin (keys), Jonas Reingold (bass), Hasse Froberg (guitars/vocals) and the newcomer Felix Lehrmann (on the drums). I expect that this album will cause quite a stir in the Prog community and I hope that this reaction ensures that it doesn’t take another five years before we are introduced to another The Flower Kings album!
John Stefanis
Rating: ****1/2 (4.5/5.0)
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