I find Flower Kings are another band with the curse of being so dense with creativity that they require multiple listens. I'm very impressed with this one and find it sad that it isn't getting the reception it deserves, though I certainly respect other opinions. There are plenty of musical thrills on this one.
I agree, although I took to this one immediately myself. I also think that TFK has been so good for so long that some are in "what else you got" mode, the standard of 'very good' is no longer cutting it for them
Thank you, Pete for your great review. All the damn time. I love the , Flower Kings and going to order, ‘Look At you Now’, on CD. * Like their new music and the artwork. 🎤🎸🎵🎹🥁 Life is better with music
Fantastic album. The melodies are emotionally delivered and the mellotron ebbs and flows in just the right places. Roine’s solos are tastefully done and, as always, makes me want to practice my guitar that much more. For me, this album is the best of the last four. You’re right, all of their releases are of high quality. However, this one, I will be listening to multiple times.
On the contrary, I always come back to this band, it’s so rich and full of great music. I would be happy on a desert island with only Flower Kings music.
HI Peter! Thank you for the very detailed review! We keep making the music we like it, free from any form, and sometime there are people that want the band making a complete change of sound and ideas and identity, someone love the fact that "yes, they still sound like The Flower Kings, because they actual are The Flower Kings", someone send death threats (true story) because we don't make "epics", someone love shorter songs, world is good because is made by different kind of people with their own opinions. Reality is that we follow our hearts, we make music not trying to be the best prog rock band out there, but just to translate better what we have in our minds and souls. In general I want to make sure that everybody know that I and we really appreciate all of you listeners, no matter this o whatever album would stay in your hearts or not. Peace 😈(in a more darker mood) Mirko
One the bands that came to my attention since finding the SoT channel in early 2020. Bought a few of the albums and enjoyed them. Giving this one a listen, too, like most Wednesday new product shows. About 2/3 through the first listen but finding comments here appropriate. Sounds good but what, if anything, will grab me. It's sort of like my reaction to restaurants. They need to have something on the menu that makes me want to come back and have at least that item. But still listening. Thanks for your thoughts on the album, Pete, and for the continued effort put into weekly new product episodes.
Great album from the masters. Nothing new but just great to get yet another product of Roines musical genius. Undoubtely one of the most competent musicians on the scene, a very special talent.
@@wolf1977 Yea right, bit of a shame :/ Seeing such wonderful music fly over so many ignorant heads...spotted a very good top comment around here just now though, glimmer of hope
Hey, at least two others gave your post a thumbs up besides me so there IS hope. The positive recent post you read must be the one that calls this album a 'grower'. All recent TFK albums pretty much clicked with me right away but others may need to approach more slowly😎... I won't go as far as calling those who disagree with me 'ignorant', music's just too subjective & personal for that. I can also understand how someone could like the early stuff & over time get 'tired' of their sound, it is similar album-to-album but that's true of many (great) bands. To me the songs are always really high-caliber & the musicianship's obviously top notch (don't think anyone's arguing against that) - that's a pretty good recipe for great music in my book!
@@wolf1977 very much in agreement, great perspective. Took a long time and a lot of effort for me to understand and form a strong connection to their music, not that everyone's bound to eventually get there, but can't help but feel they don't get enough of a chance amongst a good portion of listeners, understandable but nontheless a pity
@@rockonthestone4907 Yeah I feel somewhat the same way (but a bit less - I think TFK is a better band) about Spock's Beard as well. They did lose something when Morse left...
Love Transatlantic too, a real shame they're now done! Let's see what Roine does next (keeping in mind that I'm a 'fan boy'😎), we know that working with TFK is not gonna keep him busy. And given that Agents Of Mercy, Anderson/Stolt, Kaipa, Circus Brimstone, Karmakanic, The Sea Within & The Tangent aren't really active projects. Maybe something else along the lines of 3rd World Electric/Kilimanjaro Secret Brew (fusion), or at least more solo albums. Another Jon Anderson collab would be great! He's also done brief stints in the past with The Samurai Of Prog & The Prog Collective - he keeps popping up here & there as a guest performer. A really interesting album I just recently came across is The Bollenberg Experience/If Only Stones Could Speak with Stolt guesting on it (2 tracks - also with Jordan Rudess & Rick Wakeman) from 2002, pretty cool. Laid back though...
Thank you, Pete for your great review. I have the album for a week now, and I like it a lot, and I agree that when you are huge fan of the band, you will play it a lot. . On October 4'th I'm going to see them live in Copenhagen.
Hey, Pete. Check out the album "Tillison Reingold Tiranti - Allium: Una Storia" (2021) The album ‘Allium: Una Storia’ is a concept album which takes as its subject a real band, Allium, that Tillison saw play (and jammed with) in Italy when he was a teenager in the mid 1970s. The new band -TRT-‘s album is an imagining of the record Allium might have made. Written in the style of the music that they played, the band were joined by Italian lyricist Antonio De Sarno (Moongarden, Barock Project, Mangala Vallis) who, in keeping with Tillison’s original music, wrote the kind of lyrics that might have been penned by Allium at that time. All members of the band have contributed to the songwriting since inception. The album, whilst paying homage to this and many other forgotten Rock Progressivo Italiano bands, is all original material written in 2021.
The only real reason I didn't like that TRT record is the non-English lyrics, the instrumentation is good. It's my issue, I don't really go for foreign-language vocals
@@wolf1977 I understand your point. But for me and a lot of people, RPI is far better in Italian, part of beauty. Roberto Tiranti native language. Perfect for the project. Cheers!
I’m going to meet and see them in their hometown this weekend. Really looking forward to it. This is the only concert they will play in Sweden. It’s a pity. I’m a little afraid that they are in a position as they were in 2007, whatever they did there were complaints, it was too little prog or there was to much prog. Roine felt that they were not measured with the same scales as other bands. So they disbanded and did other things before they gave it a new try. But it was too early so they disbanded again. Now after they released four very good albums in recent years, I hope this will not happen again. There are in my opinion very few bands with such a great catalogue as the Flower Kings.
"not measured with the same scales as other bands" - yeah that's what I pretty much feel as well. The problem I think of putting out too much really good music for too long, being too consistently good...
I've loved these guys from day one but have to admit Desolation Rose was my last purchase; I just haven't been able to keep up with this recent outburst of albums. If finances improve I will get caught up.
I agree with you Pete, I like this as much as the last 2-3 but not a WOW album for me. I have all their releases and like them all, but the last one I really enjoyed was Garden of Eden. I wish they would go back to long epic songs. To me the shorter style of songs they are doing just feel like something they just threw together to put out an album. I hope it will grow on me. Waiting for Miracles is probably my favorite out of their last 4 releases.
Feels like most reviewers are in the same boat as you - A perfectly fine album from a band that continues to put out perfectly fine albums, but that's about it
It happens Pete . Sometimes we need something a little different, a suprise etc but then the fans then say oh thats not what they normally sound like why have they gone in that direction? Catch 22 . Great review btw Cheers
Sounds like you might be talking to die-hard early Rush & Yes fans...I absolutely LOVE it when established bands take chances, as those two bands did in the 80's, but (to me) the Flower Kings 'formula' is magical - namely one Roine Stolt. I think he has been & continues to be one of the best singers/songwriters/guitarists around (with others like Belew & Kotzen). No issues at all with the band cranking out happy/positive-sounding music & epic length songs/albums (as a prog fan you better be used to that). Keep it up!
I love the Flower Kings, but I struggle to keep up with their output. Agree about the slots in the digipacks, very flimsy. Nice to see Marjana Semkina from Iamthemorning, I love her and Iamthemorning, and saw them support the Flower Kings not long ago, one of the truly great gigs. Agree about the epics, they did get tough to digest, I'll be interested to hear this.
Hey Pete, it’s not just you, as I totally agree and feel the same way about this album and the last couple as well. Great band, quite good album with some great moments, excellent musicianship and instrumental sections, but the songs and melodies are just not very memorable. Its pleasant, but I just can’t excited or at all enthusiastic about it, like you said it just doesn’t grab you or draw you in. It just flows by, ok that’s fine, enjoyable, but not something I really want to come back to. And I too love alot of their earlier stuff but this is just missing that spark that makes it really special. Good but not great.
Just got this yesterday & have played it once through (plus select tracks 2 or 3 times each)...I gotta say this is as good as last year's By Royal Decree & maybe even better (that's saying a lot since that album was easily in my top 5 for best prog album of 2022). And that's after one time through, this album will only grow on me...There's one single track I skipped ("The Queen"). My 'killer' tracks: "Beginner's Eyes", "Dr. Ribedeaux" (Stolt rips up the wah! He's one of the best), "The Light In Your Eyes", "Scars", "Father Sky" & the title track. Easily a top contender for best prog album of 2023! Stolt is in really fine form guitar-wise & the band is super tight, plus great song writing as usual with top-flight vocals. Honestly I don't know how much more I could ask of any prog band...
Loving this one so far, definitely needs a few more listens though (as with most of their albums). Interesting that your CD had the same damage as mine, maybe they dropped the crate!
Funny. For me Banks of Eden is their best record, I ABSOLUTELY love every moment. Maybe its because it is from the a little darker period (that only lasted 2 albums;)) Also I like Felix Lehrmann drums magic a lot. Every TFK drummer is great, but Felix has - at least for me - just more weirdiness. Also it is quite short, 5 tracks in a kind-of-transatlantic format:) So I agree:))))
I've been feeling the way you feel about them for quite some time now, I'd say since the beginning of the 00's. Unfold the future was their last great album IMHO, and I've found nothing that hooked me in their following albums. I often go back to Back in the world of adventures and Stardust we are, my 2 faves by them.
I’m with you, Pete, I think my obsession with being a completist compels me to buy these albums, but after a few listens they fade into obscurity. I’m finding this to be true with a number of prog artists , Neal Morse, Marillion, Spock’s Beard, to name a few. Maybe it’s just me as the albums are good but they don’t really stand out. I file them away and forget them.
I suspect Pete won't agree with you about lumping the solo Neal Morse stuff in with this, based on the fairly recent review shows he's done with Rick LaBonte & where those albums are almost 'walk on water' good (see what I did there?). I actually kinda agree with you re: Morse's solo stuff, it's good/very good but not always consistent - plus I can do without the overt religious themes on some of those records. And his vocals can be suspect at times (especially live). I'm also kinda done with Marillion, I do own quite a bit of their older output but besides some really good live stuff in the 2000's they ran their course (for me) in the 90's
@@marklanier8657 Could be same here (I'm 63) but honestly looking back at music that I've liked for a long time, I find that my musical tastes haven't changed THAT much over the years. What HAS happened is that I've been able to find (and afford) SO much more music recently since the interweb & going all-MP3 downloads a few years back. I thought I owned a lot of music before that but my library has literally exploded since then (now at 20k+ albums). Maybe that puts some artists like Marillion (and Steven Wilson) in a different context for me if you know what I mean. I listen to a lot of new releases in 'audition' mode & I try to evaluate every one on its own merits, but I'm sure my brain's doing constant comparisons/evaluations vs other artists/albums & at some point it's just 'enough already'
Great review! I hear ya. I like most of the cuts but the upbeat/bombast sometimes is overmuch. Any plans to review the good new album by band, Six By six? ( Saxon and Arena members are part of the band)
A really good album in my ears. When people start talking about the length of the songs and who´s missing in the line up before they have actually listened I lose interest... It´s in the word progressive to be open minded, not to judge because things you guess you won´t like be in there. I rank it one of the best in many years!
Their playing is great, they do all the right things, but their music/songs don’t resonate with me. Once I’ve listened a few times and they go to the shelf and sit there. I Feel the same Pete
How shall we count Manifesto of an Alchemist that was credited to "Roine Stolt's The Flower King"? And I get it. Your opinions are similar to mine. I have all their studio releases because of my completist nature. I recognize the quality in all of it. But there's too much in recent years (perhaps Desolation Rose and later) that's simply good, simply pleasant, and not necessarily with much distinction to my ears.
I for one LOVED the last one...by Royal Decree. that as a double but it was an album of the year in 2022 for me. but this one i agree Pete. there was nothing that grabbed me.
Well at least one for two for me - I also thought that By Royal Decree was a top 5 prog album of 2022 but I suspect (once I get it) that I'll also really like this one. We'll see...
Being a bass player myself no offence to Michael but I miss Reingold’s bass playing. It’s taking a bit to get into the last few. But had a break thru listening to Islands today. So I am back in the FK a groove.
I agree. Pete (kinda) does too I think but to a lesser extent. I think when a band records SO much wonderful music over a long period its fans can start getting 'antsy' (for lack of a better term) for something new, and where 'really good' is no longer good enough. I think maybe there were some past SoT episodes on a similar topic...?🤷♂ Personally Stolt hasn't given me any reason to dislike (or even be luke-warm about) anything he does including this album so until he does...
Rest assured Pete, it's a double album on vinyl. I really liked it, but I can see where you are coming from, there is a certain similarity across the albums. They seem to have found their "sound" and are sticking to it.
As Pete said in the review (paraphrasing): if you like their last few albums then you'll probably like this one too...Personally I thought last year's By Royal Decree (whch I've played A LOT) was in the top 5 prog albums of 2022, and 2020's Islands was about as good. Similar thoughts (maybe a bit less) for their Waiting For Miracles & A Kingdom Of Colours. As I said in my earlier post I haven't heard this new one all the way through yet but accepting at face value Pete's review that this sounds a lot like their past few (and listening to the few tracks posted to YT) I basically HAVE to love this one since I really liked those
I used to love TFK but have now burnt out them and a little listen to this online confirms that I need no more. At some point it felt like cramming for an exam, like trying to get my head around yet another Flower Kings double album with more filler than killer and I realised this is no longer fun anymore.
Don't have this one yet (but I will shortly) - one of those personal fave prog bands (even better than Spock's Beard) that can basically do no wrong in my mind! I'm a HUGE Roine Stolt fan (my RS playlist is over 450 tracks deep), and since Transatlantic just wrapped it's great to see something new from TFK. The couple of tracks posted on YT are tremendous - man do I love the Stolt tunes where he sings (besides these credits: Composer, Lyricist, Mastering Engineer, Mixing Engineer, Producer, Recording Engineer, Guitarist, Keyboards, Percussion)! One thing I find a little weird is Pete's 'weariness' with this band's recent longer albums/tracks given the basically rave reviews of most/all of Neal Morse's stuff, and given that he's not exactly on the brief side either - plus no overt religious spins to SB's material (which is also a plus for me). Not to pit one against the other here, and I DO like a lot of Morse's solo stuff outside of Spock's Beard/Transatlantic...I think if you're all in on prog then you basically gotta expect the lengthy/extended/even epic tracks & double albums, that's prog's bread & butter. And Roine is HEADS above any of Morse's guitar players (at least when it's not Stolt - Eric Gillette et al - at least for me), as well as a MUCH better singer (again arguably - for me anyway) and a better song writer. Also Pete's multiple prior laments about listeners today not playing albums in their entirety (like they used to) & general lack of 'attention span' when it comes to music - then being "burnt/worn out" when it comes to this band due to the epic length of some tracks & albums. Transatlantic must be in that same category too then (their percentage of long tracks may be even higher - the live Whirlwind from More Never Is Enough clocks in at 80 minutes!). He does qualify his 'disinterest' (at some length) as not just based on track/album length & more as: "missing something, not sure what it is...that's nice...will I ever go back? Not really..." Their music's 'too happy/positive'? OK, we all hear & process things differently. Actually kinda makes sense that Pete's looking for darker musical textures given that he likes a lot of doom/sludge & heavier flavors of metal. TFK was never intended as that type of band, their particular blend of rock/blues/jazz/prog/pop is on the 'lighter' side (as a lot of other neo-prog is). When you listen to early (1970's) Stolt recordings with Kaipa (based on Swedish folk music reimagined as symphonic prog, although it features more Hammond organ that Pete mentioned was missing here) you get the future direction he would take... These are easily some of my all time fave prog bands ever, again to me Stolt can do no wrong just like all time greats such as Trower & Santana. Like with that recent new live album by Sherinian/Philips (which turned out to be a 5/5 for me), even without hearing anything else I feel confident in saying that I'd be shocked if this wasn't a 5 out of 5 album for me (and will make my short list of best albums of 2023). If they haven't put up any statues of Stolt yet in Sweden then what are you waiting for...?🤷♂Also great for us RS fans he's still on the younger side relative to other current musical greats, he just turned 67 about a week ago, so there should still be a lot of great music to come from him!
What I get from Neal Morse Band albums that I don't get from TFK albums of late are those catchy hooks, lots of riffs and muscular arrangements, and longer tracks that seem to go somewhere and grab me along for the ride. I find Flower Kings albums 'pleasant', but again, not a ton of memorable hooks & melodies to my ears, guitar solos are always great, but little to no riffs, and I'm even finding that keyboard solos and memorable keyboard lines just aren't as present as they used to me. Never had an issue with Roine's or Hasse's vocals, which I think are a highlight of any TFK album, but, with say Transatlantic (and I have an issue with their use of way too many long songs) you get a little bit of Roine, little bit of Neal, little bit of Pete, little bit of Mike...there's nice variety in the voices heard. All that being said, and I'm totally happy with folks who love this band and every release they put out, I mean, I've long been one of them too, but I'm just finding that album after album is just sounding exactly the same as the one before and the one that comes after it. All those qualities that make me go back to Stardust We Are, Flower Power, Space Revolver, and Retropolis, just to name a few, I just don't hear them any more. Maybe, as I stated, it's a 'me' thing more than anything else, but I see lots of folks in the comments are having the same thoughts as I am. I still like the band, clearly, but my fascination with them has dried up significantly.
@@seaoftranquilityprog I get it, I also love those earlier records. Also since I haven't heard this whole album yet (only a few tracks posted to YT) I'm coming at this from accepting the basic premise that this album sounds a lot like their past few. Given that starting point & since I thought last year's By Royal Decree was a prog album-of-the-year finalist & I also loved their prior five albums (Islands, Waiting For Miracles, A Kingdom Of Colours, Desolation Rose, Banks Of Eden - for me The Sum of No Evil was probably their weakest 2000's studio album & it's still pretty good) as well - that pretty much leads me to conclude that I'll love this one as well... I've also read the other posts here & they almost all agree with you - sometimes I wonder if that keeps others who disagree from also posting - when there's a predominance of dissent (the anti-Martin Popoff contrarian mindset). Doesn't phase me though as you've probably seen, I'm pretty confident in what I like/dislike. Which is of course not a right/wrong thing, after all these are all just our opinions. I (unlike some others) am totally cool with others who disagree with me, that's what makes the world go 'round. Thx for reviewing the album!
Hey Pete, So ironic, I knew you had this review coming up, I was filing in new CDs and got to the Flower Kings The last album that really grabbed me was Paradox Hotel. The others have been enjoyable, just don’t grab me like they used to. This might me one I wait a while, see if I can find a deal on it. Thank you for all you and the team does!!!!!!!
It's not a you thing Pete. That's EXACTLY how I feel about TFK. Great musicians, nice compositions but ultimately there's just something missing to make it exciting or essential. I'll happily listen to them but will never need to own anything by them.
I frankly think that Johnas left the band because Roine "never stops". The Flower Kings need to take more time between albums, if they don't the discography start to feel the same, constantly the same. I love them, but they have to stop a bit and learn.
Memo to : Roine Stolt From: SoT Dear Roine, Firstly, big props to you, massive fan. Love your work. You're a genius, your band mates are awesome and your songs are great. However, I feel like you need some guidance on what to do for your next album to maybe freshen things up a little bit. I mean, you've been doing the same stuff for thirty years and so I feel that you just need some advice. Firstly, all songs in drop-D tuning or lower. Secondly, forget happy or intelligent lyrics. You need to sing more about Satan and the end of the world. Preferably in a low, growly voice. Thirdly, no song over 3:05- if you wanna have a hit, you gotta make it fit. Finally, your CD packaging sucks. Tell your record company to stop being cheap. Fix these small things and I reckon I'll manage 4 out of 5 next time. Love, hugs and kisses, Sot
At first I thought this was Pete being 'tongue-in-cheek' but now I get it! Everything in Drop-D - hah hah good one. I'll paraphrase Spinal Tap: It sounds metal (instead of "raga"). Drop-D can do that for one's music, especially if you also learn to chug-chug those two-string chords using the lowest two strings. I feel that Stolt could be taught how to do that (with help - maybe if/when Metallica's off the road & they've got a minute...) I also think there's a little too much focus on the more "evil" side of rock at times but I think that comes with being a fan of metal/doom (which I'm not). It might be an acquired taste...Cookie Monster should never sing - I hear that & I'm out no matter how good the playing might be. It's one of my (few) absolute rules in music - I did break my 'no yodeling' rule for Focus...Yeah long songs rule prog (obviously), with epic-length ditties preferred. After all, how can you possibly fully develop your musical ideas within anything less than 6-8 minutes? Come on!... Don't care abut the packaging, I download all of my music in mp3 format & load them into my music server. They could wrap the vinyl or cd in newspaper for all I care. Come to think of it that might interest the Curse Of The Collector crew, I'll bet they don't have anything yet that's packaged that way so it would be a first (and a proud acquisition). Only kidding...kinda🤷♂
Let's make a summary: the music is too good, the album is very excellent, the cover is gorgeous, but the problem is that there is too much of this music, it is all great, all beautiful. That's why we won't listen to it in 3 months. And we won't be listening to it in 6 months. ))))) So, where is our favorite death, black, power metal))) we need more rattle, more horror and minor in our ears and our brains)) oh give us more shit! ))) life can't be too good! Music shouldn't be too beautiful! and there shouldn’t be too much beautiful music! )
I remember feeling that Desolation Rose was darker and heavier than usual (by Flower Kings standards) It was refreshing and I was hoping they would continue in the vein, but it seems that is not the case.
A very good album but to me not any better than their 2020 Islands or last year's album By Royal Decree - actually I'd rank both of those higher than DR
I got bored with this band a number of albums ago and haven't bought any in awhile and won't be. They put out way too many doubles and they meander and just get monotonous and boring. You nailed my exact feelings on them.
Well considering you didn't have high expectations going into it, it shouldn't have been a disappointment at all (....that's the way I always approach these 'later' albums anyway......that way, there's hardly any let down for me 😋)
@@frank.s.castro Ya think? It's not intentional. It's hardly controversial to say that these guys basically put out the same album over and over, as evidenced by all the comments here except for the one fanboy. Some people want 14 versions of the same thing. We all value things differently.
@@georgelamie7001Right... Nothing wrong with being honest even if it makes somebody's stomach churn. But that last thing has to do with how well some people take criticism and might even overreact.
As a massive fan of The Flower Kings, these new albums have done nothing for me. I feel as if they're in the same camp that Dream Theater has put themselves in which is they're playing it safe. It's fine when I'm listening to it, but once it's off, there's no stay power. I'd much rather return to "Return to the Future" "Adam and Eve" and "Sum of No Evil" over re-listening to anything post Banks of Edin.
I think you're being too kind. The Flower Kings have become complacent. Sometimes mediocre is mediocre for so long that it simply becomes bad. Prog shouldn't be wallpaper music.
Same as you: an OK album but it lacks the bite, the complexity and the instrumental flamboyance of Stardust We Are, Unfold the Future and The Sum of No Evil.
Nobody blinks an eye with the artwork. No Kevin Sloane, no Roger Dean. Just an AI-rendering from a nobody. 'I love that!'. Just like that human cover artists were rendered obsolete and nobody noticed. I promise you will notice when writers and musicians are also obsolete and your deskjob is on the line as well.
I think this is what I feel with every band, you get tired. after a while. But after not listening to the band for a coupe of years, when you start listening to the band again, you rediscover the music and starts to appreciate it once more. This is what happened to me with this band. After not listening to the band the last five years, i’ve come back to the band and I really enjoy it. This is a good album!
I find Flower Kings are another band with the curse of being so dense with creativity that they require multiple listens. I'm very impressed with this one and find it sad that it isn't getting the reception it deserves, though I certainly respect other opinions. There are plenty of musical thrills on this one.
I agree, although I took to this one immediately myself. I also think that TFK has been so good for so long that some are in "what else you got" mode, the standard of 'very good' is no longer cutting it for them
Thank you, Pete for your great review.
All the damn time.
I love the , Flower Kings and going to order, ‘Look At you Now’, on CD.
* Like their new music and the artwork.
🎤🎸🎵🎹🥁
Life is better with music
Fantastic album. The melodies are emotionally delivered and the mellotron ebbs and flows in just the right places. Roine’s solos are tastefully done and, as always, makes me want to practice my guitar that much more. For me, this album is the best of the last four. You’re right, all of their releases are of high quality. However, this one, I will be listening to multiple times.
On the contrary, I always come back to this band, it’s so rich and full of great music. I would be happy on a desert island with only Flower Kings music.
HI Peter!
Thank you for the very detailed review!
We keep making the music we like it, free from any form, and sometime there are people that want the band making a complete change of sound and ideas and identity, someone love the fact that "yes, they still sound like The Flower Kings, because they actual are The Flower Kings", someone send death threats (true story) because we don't make "epics", someone love shorter songs, world is good because is made by different kind of people with their own opinions.
Reality is that we follow our hearts, we make music not trying to be the best prog rock band out there, but just to translate better what we have in our minds and souls.
In general I want to make sure that everybody know that I and we really appreciate all of you listeners, no matter this o whatever album would stay in your hearts or not.
Peace 😈(in a more darker mood)
Mirko
This may be the most honest review of a Flower kings album ever.
It’s all about his personal taste. What he does not seem to like is what I like about the music. Lots of good melodies and a positive vibe.
One the bands that came to my attention since finding the SoT channel in early 2020. Bought a few of the albums and enjoyed them. Giving this one a listen, too, like most Wednesday new product shows. About 2/3 through the first listen but finding comments here appropriate. Sounds good but what, if anything, will grab me. It's sort of like my reaction to restaurants. They need to have something on the menu that makes me want to come back and have at least that item. But still listening. Thanks for your thoughts on the album, Pete, and for the continued effort put into weekly new product episodes.
Michael is capable on bass, the way he was on the early albums, but Jonas Reingold was a huge improvement with the variety of sounds he brought.
Great album from the masters. Nothing new but just great to get yet another product of Roines musical genius. Undoubtely one of the most competent musicians on the scene, a very special talent.
Totally agree - I think we're the only two RS "fan boys" posting about this episode!
@@wolf1977 Yea right, bit of a shame :/ Seeing such wonderful music fly over so many ignorant heads...spotted a very good top comment around here just now though, glimmer of hope
Hey, at least two others gave your post a thumbs up besides me so there IS hope. The positive recent post you read must be the one that calls this album a 'grower'. All recent TFK albums pretty much clicked with me right away but others may need to approach more slowly😎...
I won't go as far as calling those who disagree with me 'ignorant', music's just too subjective & personal for that. I can also understand how someone could like the early stuff & over time get 'tired' of their sound, it is similar album-to-album but that's true of many (great) bands. To me the songs are always really high-caliber & the musicianship's obviously top notch (don't think anyone's arguing against that) - that's a pretty good recipe for great music in my book!
@@wolf1977 very much in agreement, great perspective. Took a long time and a lot of effort for me to understand and form a strong connection to their music, not that everyone's bound to eventually get there, but can't help but feel they don't get enough of a chance amongst a good portion of listeners, understandable but nontheless a pity
@@rockonthestone4907 Yeah I feel somewhat the same way (but a bit less - I think TFK is a better band) about Spock's Beard as well. They did lose something when Morse left...
I like your reviews. Very balanced approach.
Loved this album. One of my favorite bands of the past 30 years or so.
Thankyou very much for this Pete. As a Transatlantic fan, I will definitely be checking this out!
Love Transatlantic too, a real shame they're now done! Let's see what Roine does next (keeping in mind that I'm a 'fan boy'😎), we know that working with TFK is not gonna keep him busy. And given that Agents Of Mercy, Anderson/Stolt, Kaipa, Circus Brimstone, Karmakanic, The Sea Within & The Tangent aren't really active projects. Maybe something else along the lines of 3rd World Electric/Kilimanjaro Secret Brew (fusion), or at least more solo albums. Another Jon Anderson collab would be great!
He's also done brief stints in the past with The Samurai Of Prog & The Prog Collective - he keeps popping up here & there as a guest performer. A really interesting album I just recently came across is The Bollenberg Experience/If Only Stones Could Speak with Stolt guesting on it (2 tracks - also with Jordan Rudess & Rick Wakeman) from 2002, pretty cool. Laid back though...
Thank you, Pete for your great review. I have the album for a week now, and I like it a lot, and I agree that when you are huge fan of the band, you will play it a lot.
. On October 4'th I'm going to see them live in Copenhagen.
Nice positive spin on the review - I like it (as well as the album)!
Hey, Pete. Check out the album "Tillison Reingold Tiranti - Allium: Una Storia" (2021)
The album ‘Allium: Una Storia’ is a concept album which takes as its subject a real band, Allium, that Tillison saw play (and jammed with) in Italy when he was a teenager in the mid 1970s.
The new band -TRT-‘s album is an imagining of the record Allium might have made. Written in the style of the music that they played, the band were joined by Italian lyricist Antonio De Sarno (Moongarden, Barock Project, Mangala Vallis) who, in keeping with Tillison’s original music, wrote the kind of lyrics that might have been penned by Allium at that time.
All members of the band have contributed to the songwriting since inception. The album, whilst paying homage to this and many other forgotten Rock Progressivo Italiano bands, is all original material written in 2021.
The only real reason I didn't like that TRT record is the non-English lyrics, the instrumentation is good. It's my issue, I don't really go for foreign-language vocals
@@wolf1977 I understand your point. But for me and a lot of people, RPI is far better in Italian, part of beauty. Roberto Tiranti native language. Perfect for the project.
Cheers!
It's very good and that is based on my first listen.
Yes absolutely. All great points!!🔥🔥
Very fair review Pete
Amongst your best reviews, very direct and honest with your opinion. Now with this release, would love an album ranking.
I’m going to meet and see them in their hometown this weekend. Really looking forward to it. This is the only concert they will play in Sweden. It’s a pity.
I’m a little afraid that they are in a position as they were in 2007, whatever they did there were complaints, it was too little prog or there was to much prog. Roine felt that they were not measured with the same scales as other bands. So they disbanded and did other things before they gave it a new try. But it was too early so they disbanded again. Now after they released four very good albums in recent years, I hope this will not happen again.
There are in my opinion very few bands with such a great catalogue as the Flower Kings.
"not measured with the same scales as other bands" - yeah that's what I pretty much feel as well. The problem I think of putting out too much really good music for too long, being too consistently good...
I've loved these guys from day one but have to admit Desolation Rose was my last purchase; I just haven't been able to keep up with this recent outburst of albums. If finances improve I will get caught up.
I agree with you Pete, I like this as much as the last 2-3 but not a WOW album for me. I have all their releases and like them all, but the last one I really enjoyed was Garden of Eden. I wish they would go back to long epic songs. To me the shorter style of songs they are doing just feel like something they just threw together to put out an album. I hope it will grow on me. Waiting for Miracles is probably my favorite out of their last 4 releases.
Feels like most reviewers are in the same boat as you - A perfectly fine album from a band that continues to put out perfectly fine albums, but that's about it
And most reviewers are wrong it’s masterpiece
Exactly my thoughts...
It happens Pete .
Sometimes we need something a little different, a suprise etc but then the fans then say oh thats not what they normally sound like why have they gone in that direction?
Catch 22 .
Great review btw
Cheers
Sounds like you might be talking to die-hard early Rush & Yes fans...I absolutely LOVE it when established bands take chances, as those two bands did in the 80's, but (to me) the Flower Kings 'formula' is magical - namely one Roine Stolt. I think he has been & continues to be one of the best singers/songwriters/guitarists around (with others like Belew & Kotzen). No issues at all with the band cranking out happy/positive-sounding music & epic length songs/albums (as a prog fan you better be used to that). Keep it up!
Totally agree with you Pete, I listen to it but didn’t grab me either, I have their box sets too and also feel I am burnt out by them !!
I love the Flower Kings, but I struggle to keep up with their output. Agree about the slots in the digipacks, very flimsy.
Nice to see Marjana Semkina from Iamthemorning, I love her and Iamthemorning, and saw them support the Flower Kings not long ago, one of the truly great gigs.
Agree about the epics, they did get tough to digest, I'll be interested to hear this.
Hey Pete, it’s not just you, as I totally agree and feel the same way about this album and the last couple as well. Great band, quite good album with some great moments, excellent musicianship and instrumental sections, but the songs and melodies are just not very memorable. Its pleasant, but I just can’t excited or at all enthusiastic about it, like you said it just doesn’t grab you or draw you in. It just flows by, ok that’s fine, enjoyable, but not something I really want to come back to. And I too love alot of their earlier stuff but this is just missing that spark that makes it really special. Good but not great.
You know I love The Flower Kings!!!!
Just got this yesterday & have played it once through (plus select tracks 2 or 3 times each)...I gotta say this is as good as last year's By Royal Decree & maybe even better (that's saying a lot since that album was easily in my top 5 for best prog album of 2022). And that's after one time through, this album will only grow on me...There's one single track I skipped ("The Queen"). My 'killer' tracks: "Beginner's Eyes", "Dr. Ribedeaux" (Stolt rips up the wah! He's one of the best), "The Light In Your Eyes", "Scars", "Father Sky" & the title track. Easily a top contender for best prog album of 2023! Stolt is in really fine form guitar-wise & the band is super tight, plus great song writing as usual with top-flight vocals. Honestly I don't know how much more I could ask of any prog band...
Ditto on all accounts Pete !!!!!!
Loving this one so far, definitely needs a few more listens though (as with most of their albums). Interesting that your CD had the same damage as mine, maybe they dropped the crate!
Well, i feel the same about them Pete.
Feel the same about Dream Theater!
Funny. For me Banks of Eden is their best record, I ABSOLUTELY love every moment. Maybe its because it is from the a little darker period (that only lasted 2 albums;)) Also I like Felix Lehrmann drums magic a lot. Every TFK drummer is great, but Felix has - at least for me - just more weirdiness. Also it is quite short, 5 tracks in a kind-of-transatlantic format:) So I agree:))))
I've been feeling the way you feel about them for quite some time now, I'd say since the beginning of the 00's. Unfold the future was their last great album IMHO, and I've found nothing that hooked me in their following albums. I often go back to Back in the world of adventures and Stardust we are, my 2 faves by them.
I’m with you, Pete, I think my obsession with being a completist compels me to buy these albums, but after a few listens they fade into obscurity. I’m finding this to be true with a number of prog artists , Neal Morse, Marillion, Spock’s Beard, to name a few. Maybe it’s just me as the albums are good but they don’t really stand out. I file them away and forget them.
OH NOOOOO! You're finding this with Marillion too?! Say it isn't so 😁🙃😆
@@corkydukeII5898 Sad but true…
I suspect Pete won't agree with you about lumping the solo Neal Morse stuff in with this, based on the fairly recent review shows he's done with Rick LaBonte & where those albums are almost 'walk on water' good (see what I did there?). I actually kinda agree with you re: Morse's solo stuff, it's good/very good but not always consistent - plus I can do without the overt religious themes on some of those records. And his vocals can be suspect at times (especially live). I'm also kinda done with Marillion, I do own quite a bit of their older output but besides some really good live stuff in the 2000's they ran their course (for me) in the 90's
@@wolf1977 could be that I’m getting old and just burnt out on a lot of things. A grumpy old man.
@@marklanier8657 Could be same here (I'm 63) but honestly looking back at music that I've liked for a long time, I find that my musical tastes haven't changed THAT much over the years. What HAS happened is that I've been able to find (and afford) SO much more music recently since the interweb & going all-MP3 downloads a few years back. I thought I owned a lot of music before that but my library has literally exploded since then (now at 20k+ albums).
Maybe that puts some artists like Marillion (and Steven Wilson) in a different context for me if you know what I mean. I listen to a lot of new releases in 'audition' mode & I try to evaluate every one on its own merits, but I'm sure my brain's doing constant comparisons/evaluations vs other artists/albums & at some point it's just 'enough already'
Agree with you review of this album as well. It is good but not fully hitting me.
Great review! I hear ya. I like most of the cuts but the upbeat/bombast sometimes is overmuch. Any plans to review the good new album by band, Six By six? ( Saxon and Arena members are part of the band)
Marjana Semkina. She’s 50% of Iamthemorning and has an amazing voice.
I'm with you Pete. I've lost interest in the FK too for all the reasons you describe.
A really good album in my ears. When people start talking about the length of the songs and who´s missing in the line up before they have actually listened I lose interest... It´s in the word progressive to be open minded, not to judge because things you guess you won´t like be in there. I rank it one of the best in many years!
Their playing is great, they do all the right things, but their music/songs don’t resonate with me. Once I’ve listened a few times and they go to the shelf and sit there.
I Feel the same Pete
How shall we count Manifesto of an Alchemist that was credited to "Roine Stolt's The Flower King"?
And I get it. Your opinions are similar to mine. I have all their studio releases because of my completist nature. I recognize the quality in all of it. But there's too much in recent years (perhaps Desolation Rose and later) that's simply good, simply pleasant, and not necessarily with much distinction to my ears.
Totally agree with your overview Pete. They need to break the mould soon. It's all too samey.
I for one LOVED the last one...by Royal Decree. that as a double but it was an album of the year in 2022 for me. but this one i agree Pete. there was nothing that grabbed me.
Well at least one for two for me - I also thought that By Royal Decree was a top 5 prog album of 2022 but I suspect (once I get it) that I'll also really like this one. We'll see...
I think this one will grow on you if you keep listening to it.
Being a bass player myself no offence to Michael but I miss Reingold’s bass playing. It’s taking a bit to get into the last few. But had a break thru listening to Islands today. So I am back in the FK a groove.
Its classic FK even with two members missing. Give it a chance.
It's really no different, better, or worse than their last batch of album...good, nothing spectacular.
I agree. Pete (kinda) does too I think but to a lesser extent. I think when a band records SO much wonderful music over a long period its fans can start getting 'antsy' (for lack of a better term) for something new, and where 'really good' is no longer good enough. I think maybe there were some past SoT episodes on a similar topic...?🤷♂ Personally Stolt hasn't given me any reason to dislike (or even be luke-warm about) anything he does including this album so until he does...
I like this one a lot but it did take several listens to get into it.
Rest assured Pete, it's a double album on vinyl. I really liked it, but I can see where you are coming from, there is a certain similarity across the albums. They seem to have found their "sound" and are sticking to it.
As Pete said in the review (paraphrasing): if you like their last few albums then you'll probably like this one too...Personally I thought last year's By Royal Decree (whch I've played A LOT) was in the top 5 prog albums of 2022, and 2020's Islands was about as good. Similar thoughts (maybe a bit less) for their Waiting For Miracles & A Kingdom Of Colours. As I said in my earlier post I haven't heard this new one all the way through yet but accepting at face value Pete's review that this sounds a lot like their past few (and listening to the few tracks posted to YT) I basically HAVE to love this one since I really liked those
I used to love TFK but have now burnt out them and a little listen to this online confirms that I need no more. At some point it felt like cramming for an exam, like trying to get my head around yet another Flower Kings double album with more filler than killer and I realised this is no longer fun anymore.
Don't have this one yet (but I will shortly) - one of those personal fave prog bands (even better than Spock's Beard) that can basically do no wrong in my mind! I'm a HUGE Roine Stolt fan (my RS playlist is over 450 tracks deep), and since Transatlantic just wrapped it's great to see something new from TFK. The couple of tracks posted on YT are tremendous - man do I love the Stolt tunes where he sings (besides these credits: Composer, Lyricist, Mastering Engineer, Mixing Engineer, Producer, Recording Engineer, Guitarist, Keyboards, Percussion)!
One thing I find a little weird is Pete's 'weariness' with this band's recent longer albums/tracks given the basically rave reviews of most/all of Neal Morse's stuff, and given that he's not exactly on the brief side either - plus no overt religious spins to SB's material (which is also a plus for me). Not to pit one against the other here, and I DO like a lot of Morse's solo stuff outside of Spock's Beard/Transatlantic...I think if you're all in on prog then you basically gotta expect the lengthy/extended/even epic tracks & double albums, that's prog's bread & butter. And Roine is HEADS above any of Morse's guitar players (at least when it's not Stolt - Eric Gillette et al - at least for me), as well as a MUCH better singer (again arguably - for me anyway) and a better song writer. Also Pete's multiple prior laments about listeners today not playing albums in their entirety (like they used to) & general lack of 'attention span' when it comes to music - then being "burnt/worn out" when it comes to this band due to the epic length of some tracks & albums. Transatlantic must be in that same category too then (their percentage of long tracks may be even higher - the live Whirlwind from More Never Is Enough clocks in at 80 minutes!).
He does qualify his 'disinterest' (at some length) as not just based on track/album length & more as: "missing something, not sure what it is...that's nice...will I ever go back? Not really..." Their music's 'too happy/positive'? OK, we all hear & process things differently. Actually kinda makes sense that Pete's looking for darker musical textures given that he likes a lot of doom/sludge & heavier flavors of metal. TFK was never intended as that type of band, their particular blend of rock/blues/jazz/prog/pop is on the 'lighter' side (as a lot of other neo-prog is). When you listen to early (1970's) Stolt recordings with Kaipa (based on Swedish folk music reimagined as symphonic prog, although it features more Hammond organ that Pete mentioned was missing here) you get the future direction he would take...
These are easily some of my all time fave prog bands ever, again to me Stolt can do no wrong just like all time greats such as Trower & Santana. Like with that recent new live album by Sherinian/Philips (which turned out to be a 5/5 for me), even without hearing anything else I feel confident in saying that I'd be shocked if this wasn't a 5 out of 5 album for me (and will make my short list of best albums of 2023). If they haven't put up any statues of Stolt yet in Sweden then what are you waiting for...?🤷♂Also great for us RS fans he's still on the younger side relative to other current musical greats, he just turned 67 about a week ago, so there should still be a lot of great music to come from him!
What I get from Neal Morse Band albums that I don't get from TFK albums of late are those catchy hooks, lots of riffs and muscular arrangements, and longer tracks that seem to go somewhere and grab me along for the ride. I find Flower Kings albums 'pleasant', but again, not a ton of memorable hooks & melodies to my ears, guitar solos are always great, but little to no riffs, and I'm even finding that keyboard solos and memorable keyboard lines just aren't as present as they used to me. Never had an issue with Roine's or Hasse's vocals, which I think are a highlight of any TFK album, but, with say Transatlantic (and I have an issue with their use of way too many long songs) you get a little bit of Roine, little bit of Neal, little bit of Pete, little bit of Mike...there's nice variety in the voices heard. All that being said, and I'm totally happy with folks who love this band and every release they put out, I mean, I've long been one of them too, but I'm just finding that album after album is just sounding exactly the same as the one before and the one that comes after it. All those qualities that make me go back to Stardust We Are, Flower Power, Space Revolver, and Retropolis, just to name a few, I just don't hear them any more. Maybe, as I stated, it's a 'me' thing more than anything else, but I see lots of folks in the comments are having the same thoughts as I am. I still like the band, clearly, but my fascination with them has dried up significantly.
@@seaoftranquilityprog I get it, I also love those earlier records. Also since I haven't heard this whole album yet (only a few tracks posted to YT) I'm coming at this from accepting the basic premise that this album sounds a lot like their past few. Given that starting point & since I thought last year's By Royal Decree was a prog album-of-the-year finalist & I also loved their prior five albums (Islands, Waiting For Miracles, A Kingdom Of Colours, Desolation Rose, Banks Of Eden - for me The Sum of No Evil was probably their weakest 2000's studio album & it's still pretty good) as well - that pretty much leads me to conclude that I'll love this one as well...
I've also read the other posts here & they almost all agree with you - sometimes I wonder if that keeps others who disagree from also posting - when there's a predominance of dissent (the anti-Martin Popoff contrarian mindset). Doesn't phase me though as you've probably seen, I'm pretty confident in what I like/dislike. Which is of course not a right/wrong thing, after all these are all just our opinions. I (unlike some others) am totally cool with others who disagree with me, that's what makes the world go 'round. Thx for reviewing the album!
I pretended to like The Flower Kings for a few years but then realized I was only pretending.
Yea it is kinda samey... I enjoyed By Royal Decree alot thou...
Hey Pete,
So ironic, I knew you had this review coming up, I was filing in new CDs and got to the Flower Kings
The last album that really grabbed me was Paradox Hotel.
The others have been enjoyable, just don’t grab me like they used to.
This might me one I wait a while, see if I can find a deal on it.
Thank you for all you and the team does!!!!!!!
It's not a you thing Pete. That's EXACTLY how I feel about TFK. Great musicians, nice compositions but ultimately there's just something missing to make it exciting or essential. I'll happily listen to them but will never need to own anything by them.
I frankly think that Johnas left the band because Roine "never stops". The Flower Kings need to take more time between albums, if they don't the discography start to feel the same, constantly the same.
I love them, but they have to stop a bit and learn.
As you say Pete, there's nothing that really make me want to come back to this albums.
My thoughts to a T! Great music but just not memorable to replay in years to come.
Memo to : Roine Stolt
From: SoT
Dear Roine,
Firstly, big props to you, massive fan. Love your work. You're a genius, your band mates are awesome and your songs are great. However, I feel like you need some guidance on what to do for your next album to maybe freshen things up a little bit. I mean, you've been doing the same stuff for thirty years and so I feel that you just need some advice.
Firstly, all songs in drop-D tuning or lower.
Secondly, forget happy or intelligent lyrics. You need to sing more about Satan and the end of the world. Preferably in a low, growly voice.
Thirdly, no song over 3:05- if you wanna have a hit, you gotta make it fit.
Finally, your CD packaging sucks. Tell your record company to stop being cheap.
Fix these small things and I reckon I'll manage 4 out of 5 next time.
Love, hugs and kisses,
Sot
At first I thought this was Pete being 'tongue-in-cheek' but now I get it! Everything in Drop-D - hah hah good one. I'll paraphrase Spinal Tap: It sounds metal (instead of "raga"). Drop-D can do that for one's music, especially if you also learn to chug-chug those two-string chords using the lowest two strings. I feel that Stolt could be taught how to do that (with help - maybe if/when Metallica's off the road & they've got a minute...)
I also think there's a little too much focus on the more "evil" side of rock at times but I think that comes with being a fan of metal/doom (which I'm not). It might be an acquired taste...Cookie Monster should never sing - I hear that & I'm out no matter how good the playing might be. It's one of my (few) absolute rules in music - I did break my 'no yodeling' rule for Focus...Yeah long songs rule prog (obviously), with epic-length ditties preferred. After all, how can you possibly fully develop your musical ideas within anything less than 6-8 minutes? Come on!...
Don't care abut the packaging, I download all of my music in mp3 format & load them into my music server. They could wrap the vinyl or cd in newspaper for all I care. Come to think of it that might interest the Curse Of The Collector crew, I'll bet they don't have anything yet that's packaged that way so it would be a first (and a proud acquisition). Only kidding...kinda🤷♂
Let's make a summary: the music is too good, the album is very excellent, the cover is gorgeous, but the problem is that there is too much of this music, it is all great, all beautiful. That's why we won't listen to it in 3 months. And we won't be listening to it in 6 months. ))))) So, where is our favorite death, black, power metal))) we need more rattle, more horror and minor in our ears and our brains)) oh give us more shit! ))) life can't be too good! Music shouldn't be too beautiful! and there shouldn’t be too much beautiful music! )
Wot a SINGLE album!!!! Surely some mistake. Send it back and demand more.
I remember feeling that Desolation Rose was darker and heavier than usual (by Flower Kings standards) It was refreshing and I was hoping they would continue in the vein, but it seems that is not the case.
A very good album but to me not any better than their 2020 Islands or last year's album By Royal Decree - actually I'd rank both of those higher than DR
I’m new to them and it sounded unexciting and bland. Will give it another go, when the moods right.
Bland dad prog….the band has nothing left to say
I got bored with this band a number of albums ago and haven't bought any in awhile and won't be. They put out way too many doubles and they meander and just get monotonous and boring. You nailed my exact feelings on them.
Love FK music. But this album doesn't work for me. Don't know why.
Well considering you didn't have high expectations going into it, it shouldn't have been a disappointment at all (....that's the way I always approach these 'later' albums anyway......that way, there's hardly any let down for me 😋)
Prog rock Farina. Edible, but bland as can be.
lol George. Isn't your middle name 'Provocateur', perchance?
@@frank.s.castro Ya think? It's not intentional. It's hardly controversial to say that these guys basically put out the same album over and over, as evidenced by all the comments here except for the one fanboy. Some people want 14 versions of the same thing. We all value things differently.
@@georgelamie7001Right... Nothing wrong with being honest even if it makes somebody's stomach churn. But that last thing has to do with how well some people take criticism and might even overreact.
As a massive fan of The Flower Kings, these new albums have done nothing for me. I feel as if they're in the same camp that Dream Theater has put themselves in which is they're playing it safe. It's fine when I'm listening to it, but once it's off, there's no stay power. I'd much rather return to "Return to the Future" "Adam and Eve" and "Sum of No Evil" over re-listening to anything post Banks of Edin.
U don't like this because you listen to too much of that evil doom shit!😂😂
I listen to lots of prog and other non doom stuff…
I think you're being too kind. The Flower Kings have become complacent. Sometimes mediocre is mediocre for so long that it simply becomes bad. Prog shouldn't be wallpaper music.
Same as you: an OK album but it lacks the bite, the complexity and the instrumental flamboyance of Stardust We Are, Unfold the Future and The Sum of No Evil.
not fond of the vocals!
I listened and the best I can say is, it’s bland.
Nobody blinks an eye with the artwork. No Kevin Sloane, no Roger Dean. Just an AI-rendering from a nobody. 'I love that!'. Just like that human cover artists were rendered obsolete and nobody noticed. I promise you will notice when writers and musicians are also obsolete and your deskjob is on the line as well.
Wow, based on these reviews I will not be buying. Not available on TH-cam yet. Pass…..
This is masterpiece I mean masterpiece it best album since sum of no evil. It leaves you wanting more
Most prog is dark that why I listen this band
There’s little that’s dark about this band.
I think this is what I feel with every band, you get tired. after a while. But after not listening to the band for a coupe of years, when you start listening to the band again, you rediscover the music and starts to appreciate it once more. This is what happened to me with this band. After not listening to the band the last five years, i’ve come back to the band and I really enjoy it. This is a good album!
@@sotdude7 i meant that why i listen to them becuase there not dark
We don’t bash the gods of prog on TH-cam period 😊