Release date: 23.11.2018
Label: Inside Out Music
Production: Roine Stolt
Length: 69:25
Genre: symphonic progressive metal
Rating: 9/10
Plenty of fans of the Swedish prog rock revivalists The Flower Kings have been wondering what’s going on with the band that, alongside Spock’s Beard and Porcupine Tree, played a key role in the ’90s “third wave of progressive rock.” Their boss, guitar wizard and vocalist Roine Stolt, waited a long time for keyboard virtuoso and founding member Tomas Bodin to decide “where to go from here.” Once Bodin chose to end his work with the “Flower Kings,” Stolt, out of respect for his longtime partner in crime, decided to put out an album called “Roine Stolt’s The Flower King,” which sits somewhere between a solo project and the unmistakable The Flower Kings approach to songwriting and arranging.
For the making of “Manifesto of an Alchemist,” plenty of old friends came to his aid, including The Flower Kings comrades-in-arms, guitarist/vocalist Hans “Hasse” Föberg and bassist Jonas Reingold, plus Roine’s brother Michael Stolt on bass. From Steve Hackett’s touring band, vocalist Nad Sylvan and sax/flute player Rob Townsend guested on the record. Drum wizardry and a “terrifying” rhythm backbone came courtesy of Marco Minnemann, who works with Roine in the international supergroup The Sea Within. Keys were handled by Zach Kamins, who became The Flower Kings’ new keyboardist soon after “Manifesto of an Alchemist” came out.
Despite his many American friends, the great peacenik Stolt often has a bone to pick with their country’s politics and social order. “Lost America,” which throws some hard rock elements into a sea of old-school symphonic prog, isn’t the first track in his songwriting catalog where he’s taken a rather tactical, refined jab at an American society that lost its moral compass long ago. “Ze Pawns,” a pretty melancholic and dark piece by Stolt’s usual standards, built around subtle guitar passages and symphonic Mellotron “waves,” also flirts with criticism of modern society. The centerpiece of the album has to be the twelve-minute-plus epic “High Road,” which has a lot in common with The Flower Kings and a little with Yes, especially in certain guitar harmonies and the cheerful, awakening chorus.
The instrumental “Rio Grande,” ruled by Roine’s subtle guitar soloing, is no less ambitious, with a short, jazzy intro that quickly gives way to complex rhythm sections and plenty of unexpected time changes. “Next to a Hurricane” is another track with the unmistakable The Flower Kings stamp when it comes to the “new age” lyrics, positive atmosphere, uplifting multi-part vocals, gorgeous harmonies and refined instrumental passages. “The Alchemist” is a smartly conceived jazz rock fusion instrumental with an oriental, ambient touch, and what surprises most are the energetic sax and guitar improvisations and thick, complex bass lines.
The weakest moment of the album is the acoustic-leaning “Baby Angels,” which at times sounds overly sugary. The dreamy instrumental “Sixty Thirty Wake-Up” does a lot better, with its lovely flute passages, ethereal guitar soloing and warm Hammond organ tones. “The Spell of Money,” another of Roine’s refined critiques of capitalism, opens with a pompous guitar solo that, together with massive drum fills and energetic keyboard passages, builds a dramatic atmosphere, while colorful vocal harmonies successfully carry this adventurous symphonic prog piece, with its touches of jazz, up to an ambient peak.
“Manifesto of an Alchemist” is in many ways a Stolt solo outing on “steroids,” one that at times leans hard into his The Flower Kings material. Nobody would have complained in the slightest if “Manifesto of an Alchemist” had come out as the new The Flower Kings album, especially since all three main members of the cult Swedish prog revivalists are on it. In that case it would even have been one of their most interesting achievements, but either way Mr. Stolt has made one of the best prog rock albums of 2018 with “Manifesto of an Alchemist.” As expected, it didn’t take long for Roine to make the right call, and just a few months after this album came out he decided to bring back the “Flower Kings” with Kamins in place of Bodin.
Review by: Peter Podbrežnik
Track list:
1. Rainsong (1:28)
2. Lost America (9:50)
3. Ze Pawns (8:27)
4. High Road (12:32)
5. Rio Grande (7:50)
6. Next To A Hurricane (4:25)
7. The Alchemist (6:58)
8. Baby Angels (3:49)
9. Six Thirty Wake-Up (4:17)
10. The Spell Of Money (9:49)
Roine Stolt’s The Flower King:
Roine Stolt – lead vocals, electric and acoustic guitar, keyboards, bass guitar, ukulele, drums
Guest musicians:
Hans “Hasse” Fröberg – backing vocals
Nad Sylvan – backing vocals
Max Lorentz – backing vocals, Hammond B3
Zach Kamins – organ, Moog, Mellotron
Rob Townsend – soprano sax, flute
Michael Stolt – bass guitar, backing vocals
Jonas Reingold – bass guitar
Marco Minnemann – drums
