Release date: November 8, 2019
Label: InsideOut Records
Production: Roine Stolt
Length: 84:56
Genre: symphonic progressive rock
Rating: 9/10
Fans of the Swedish prog-rock revivalists The Flower Kings had to wait a full six years for a new studio album, “Waiting for Miracles,” because in the meantime the band’s two leading men, guitarist/vocalist Roine Stolt and keyboardist Tomas Bodin, had a falling out. Out of respect for Bodin, who decided that only his solo career mattered from here on, Stolt held off for a long time on continuing ‘The Flower Kings,’ and in 2018 he released the album “Manifesto Of An Alchemist” under the name Roine Stolt’s The Flower King.
At one point he even considered disbanding ‘The Flower Kings’ altogether and throwing himself fully into his solo career and a bunch of side projects, but luckily for the followers of this cult ‘third-wave prog rock’ band, he ultimately decided to keep it going. He brought in Zach Kamins (An Endless Sporadic) to fill Bodin’s spot, while Mirkko DeMaio (Mind Key) took over the drums from Felix Lehrmann. From the ‘old guard,’ longtime bassist Jonas Reingold and founding guitarist/vocalist Hasse Fröberg are still on board.
Fans can breathe a sigh of relief, because “Waiting for Miracles” is in many ways a typical The Flower Kings album, back in ‘double’ form after a long time, but with a few small songwriting and arrangement refreshers. Kamins takes a similar, ‘old-school’ approach to building symphonic arrangements, but he’s a touch less ‘in your face’ than the often pompous Bodin, so he never ‘drowns out’ Roine’s guitar work. At times he may even be a bit too restrained, holding back in moments where he could have stretched out into a longer solo, but he’d rather step aside ‘just in time’..
Everything The Flower Kings are famous for is here on “Waiting for Miracles”: mighty guitar-and-keyboard harmonies, plenty of melodic choruses with both vocalists trading off, richly atmospheric symphonic textures, complex time changes, short instrumental ‘bits,’ and of course Roine’s ‘hippie’ lyrics, which this time around do carry a bit more social criticism than usual. The stylistic eclecticism isn’t overly impressive this time, since the new ‘Flower Kings’ mostly stick to the ‘tried and tested’ symphonic prog recipe, with no major detours into hard rock, jazz or pop rock. Above all, there’s hardly any trace of blues left, which is what led some ‘prog purists’ to criticize certain past efforts by ‘The Flower Kings.’
It’s also commendable that, despite the considerable length of this double album, only two songs hit the ten-minute mark, and there are none of those short, needless ‘filler tracks’ that tended to creep onto some of their earlier releases.
The opener “Black Flag,” marked at the start by the cries of seagulls, needs some time before it grows into an impressive composition that convinces us the new ‘Flower Kings’ are every bit as good as the old ones and that we won’t miss Bodin all that much after all. Playful keyboard sounds provide a fun twist, while the rich vocal harmonies and the trade-off of singing duties between Roine and Hasse work just the way they should. The jubilant epic “Miracles of America,” where Roine once again takes a sly lyrical swipe at the missteps of the most decadent empire of modern times, is complex and atmospherically varied enough to satisfy even the most demanding fans.
The next ten-minute epic, “Vertigo,” has a few more jazz-fusion elements, while the ethereal, multi-voiced and distinctly uplifting chorus is already standard for this perennially positive-minded band. “The Bridge” is a mostly still, acoustic-leaning ballad up to its halfway point, until a spirited guitar solo and Hammond organ sounds carry it into more dramatic waters. The complex and stylistically diverse instrumental “Ascending to the Stars” has richly atmospheric orchestral arrangements and Mellotron curtains, while the sudden time changes and subtle guitar passages impress the most. On the strongly melodic “Wicked Old Symphony,” which also has a few jazzy and psychedelic touches, you can clearly hear a crossbreeding of influences from the (prog) rock giants of the sixties and seventies.
The instrumental “The Rebel Circus” has a distinctly nostalgic vibe and a few almost space-rock moments, while the no less ambitious “Sleep With The Enemy” simply bursts with epic melodies, regal guitar solos and grand symphonic arrangements. The highly complex “The Crowning Of Greed” is almost entirely instrumental, apart from the closing verse. The two shorter instrumentals titled “House of Cards” mainly serve as the intro and epilogue of the first disc, even though “Waiting for Miracles is not a concept album.
The instrumental “Spirals,” thanks to certain guitar effects, at times recalls King Crimson, and specifically the eighties-era King Crimson, while electronic patterns on the synths provide a dreamy, ethereal, almost space-rock stamp. Punk and ‘The Flower Kings’ are two completely mutually exclusive concepts, while “Steampunk,” which of course has no sonic connection to punk, is one of the best pieces on this album. The jubilant closer, “We Were Always Here,” is a typical The Flower Kings epic anthem with Roine’s ‘new age’ poetry and cheerful symphonic arrangements, and with its multi-voiced chorus it’s somewhat reminiscent of the classic “Stardust We Are.”
The first The Flower Kings studio album of the ‘post-Bodin era,’ and their thirteenth overall if you don’t count “Manifesto of an Alchemist,” turned out great, even if it lacks a bit more ambition and a few more small sonic details and improvements to reach masterpiece status and join their elite albums. On the other hand, Kamins has brought an arrangement refresh that matches Bodin’s level when it comes to atmosphere, and he’ll surely ‘find his courage’ for some bolder solo adventures in the future. The absence of longer symphonic prog epics from a band that ranks among the best in this ‘field’ will surprise a few people in a negative way, but on the flip side, “Waiting for Miracles” is one of their most ‘flowing’ and consistent efforts, with no weird or forced moments.
Review by: Peter Podbrežnik
Track list:
CD 1 (63:28)
1. House of Cards (1:58)
2. Black Flag (7:42)
3. Miracles for America (10:03)
4. Vertigo (9:59)
5. The Bridge (5:32)
6. Ascending to the Stars (5:45)
7. Wicked Old Symphony (5:47)
8. The Rebel Circus (5:50)
9. Sleep with the Enemy (6:02)
10. The Crowning of Greed (4:50)
CD 2 (21:28)
1. House of Cards Reprise (1:21)
2. Spirals (5:06)
3. Steampunk (6:34)
4. We Were Always Here (7:35)
5. Busking at Brobank (0:52)
The Flower Kings:
Roine Stolt – electric and acoustic guitar, keyboards, lead vocals
Jonas Reingold – bass guitar
Hasse Fröberg – lead vocals, backing vocals
Zach Kamins (An Endless Sporadic) – keyboards, guitar
Mirkko DeMaio (Mind Key) – drums, percussion
Guest musicians:
Michael Stolt – bass guitar, backing vocals
John “Zach” Dellinger – viola
Paul Cartwright – violin
