Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Flower Kings, The
Label: Inside Out Records
Released: 2007
Length: 75:01
Rating: 4/5
Swedish prog rock revivalists The Flower Kings are never happy unless they put out at least one new album a year, crank out at least one epic of more than 20 minutes and deliver at least 70 minutes of music (I have to say I’m quite surprised this time it’s not a double album). Their obsession with typical classic prog rock clichés has long been well known among those who far prefer bands that made their music with soul and discovered new musical horizons in it. Those people certainly don’t take the Flower Kings too seriously and see them merely as one of the leading prog revivalists, carrying on playing the kind of music their idols made in their best years, before they changed their sound/retired/focused solely on live shows. Somebody has to take care of enlightening the younger generations too, and the Flower Kings often manage to lead them into the wonderful world of progressive rock and nudge them toward discovering the roots of the genre.
Some would add that everything in progressive rock has already been invented anyway and that the Flower Kings are the logical heirs of the classic symphonic prog bands, but I could never agree with that. It would also totally go against the genre’s fundamental mission. For anyone who knows them, The Flower Kings are a pretty poor progressive rock band in terms of innovation, but an excellent prog rock band in terms of extremely high creativity, top-notch musical skill and the blend of melody and complexity. I don’t think there’s a prog fan out there, even among those who despise modern symphonic revivalism, who could deny the merits of Roine Stolt and Tomas Bodin, who have been the main faces of the Swedish school of symphonic prog rock, built on the legacy of bands like Yes, for years now. These two workaholics are able to write so much music with their band in such a short time that they obviously have enough left over for the next album. They then iron it out a little, add a few new ideas, and a few months later a new The Flower Kings album is ready to go. Props for the incredible drive, but personally I think it’s sometimes better to take a few years off and make an album that listeners will remember for its uniqueness, its own sound and its innovation, rather than always following the same patterns.
With the previous “Paradox Hotel” (2006), which was a double album (it seems to me they do that with every next record), they did pleasantly surprise in terms of maturity and consistency, but many people were bothered above all by its sheer length, along with the constant problem of recycling set symphonic prog patterns that are plainly audible in the work of better-known and more established prog rock bands, especially Yes, who are obviously Stolt’s eternal obsession. So what novelties and possible surprises does “The Sum of No Evil” bring? To everyone’s great relief, the album has only six tracks this time (still 75 minutes of music, but luckily the album flows nicely and doesn’t contain any soul-crushing “noodling”), of which three are epics of more than 12 minutes, two are (by their standards) shorter pieces, and there’s one super-epic of more than 24 minutes (they can’t do without at least one, and you really have to be used to that by now). All the typical, established musical concepts the band runs on are here again: layered, melodic and in places deliberately retro-sounding “Wakeman-style” keyboards, excellent interplay between electric guitar and the rhythm section, plenty of vocals that are dramatized well beyond what’s necessary (in my opinion their main weak spot overall, although the vocals are still quite a bit better than, say, Kaipa’s), and a high degree of eclecticism in the individual compositions, which lean on classic symphonic patterns. As usual, we’re dealing with their dreadfully clichéd, positivity-minded lyrics (which at least aren’t pathetic, thankfully), transparent imitations of the poetic tradition of bands like Yes (which song title could be even more cliché than “Love Is The Only Answer”?). You’re much better off ignoring the lyrics, because the music itself is once again on an enviable compositional level. But without positive vibes, you simply can’t have the eternal merry fellows who plant flowers. The excellent drummer Zoltan Csörsz returned to the band for this album, and his work was sorely missed on “Paradox Hotel”. There’s no big experimentation or jazzy improvisation on the album this time, although you can find a bit here and there, and it’s usually the exclusive domain of the Reingold/Csörsz rhythm line. The main epic also features some world music elements (especially oriental music), which brings a needed freshness and makes it the most interesting part of the album.
“One More Time” in its opening section, especially in the sound of the keyboards, sounds like a tribute to ELP, since it has a lot of theatrical symphonic flavor. There’s also the indispensable pompous, grandiose chorus, even if we’ve heard it so many times on their past records (lucky for me I don’t listen to them very often). The track mostly rests on a 6/8 time signature, the melodic keyboard textures are tastefully laid out, and there’s a solid ending, too. The album’s central epic, the already mentioned “Love Is The Only Answer” at more than 24 minutes, is definitely the most interesting and eclectic piece on the record, thanks also to the many world music and jazz elements it contains. The intro is based on keyboards set in pentatonic, Asian scales, and the good use of fretless bass is inspiring too. Here and there Stolt also picks up an electric sitar, which gives the track a strong oriental touch. The song changes course several times and the band even surprises with some unexpected, fairly atypical sections. After the second transition, for instance, a metal-leaning section kicks in with heavily distorted guitar up front. A troubadour-style middle section leads us into a calm part dominated by synthesizer, followed by a good keyboard solo. That’s followed by an excellent jazz fusion section with a guest saxophone dropping in. This heavily Zappa-flavored section is also my favorite moment on the album. Kudos. I think they could treat themselves to similar jazzy excursions more often instead of the traditional abundance of pompous symphonic patterns, where the more-than-obvious Yes influences burst out.
“Trading My Soul” is a dark ballad (there usually has to be at least one on their albums, probably so they don’t come off as too cheerful). In this kind of experiment, which demands richer vocal expression, their handicap in that department shows, although they get out of it well enough in the choruses with solid harmonies. The lyrics are dreadfully clichéd and worn out to the extreme (sometimes I even get the feeling they’re making fools of the listeners), but as I keep repeating, this is a band you don’t listen to for the lyrics. The song does contain good symphonic arrangements and charming melodies. The interplay between keyboards and guitar is top-level, and this is where the real mastery of the band’s two leading musicians shines through. “The Sum Of No Reason” is another fairly solid epic with an interesting use of vibraphone in the calm sections, which again creates an oriental atmosphere. From time to time they venture into tougher sections that sound like a mix of prog metal and Zappa-style fusion experiments. There’s an abundance of this kind of varied instrumental section in there, although high melodicism is present throughout. Also one of the more interesting moments on the album. The only instrumental on the album, “Flight 999 (Brimstone Air)”, has a title that’s more than obviously a play on the symbolic opposite of the famous devil’s number (oh well…the Swedes sure do like to goof up sometimes when they try to come across as way too clever and spiritual, to a degree that’s already healthy beyond the limits of good taste). After a rooster’s crow comes an interesting fusion in which we find above all many elements of jazz and circus music. The track focuses mainly on synthesizers, drum fills and extensive use of the wah-wah effect on guitar. It’s marked by dynamics and spontaneity, so it’s yet another one of the album’s better moments. The closing epic “Life In Motion” is again typically Yes-ish and symphonic in color, with extensive use of pedal steel, numerous melodic passages on electric guitar and a wealth of spacey keyboards. There are of course plenty of triumphant sections too, without which they simply can’t do. A very solid closer, but pretty typical and almost somehow expected.
“The Sum of No Evil” is yet another musically extremely accomplished product from the fingers of nothing but excellent, highly talented musicians. It definitely ranks among their better albums. Although it sticks to the rules of their established patterns, the level of their own originality is at least somewhat higher this time than usual, and you don’t get any motif that sounds like it was copied directly from some prog classic, as often happened in the past. But what the album lacks –and what the Flower Kings will apparently always lack– is a sound of their own, a recognizable one, and with it a soul of their own. While their many idols could be recognized by their sound from a mile away and told apart, I can’t say anything like that about Flower Kings albums. That’s exactly what always leaves me torn about them: I can neither slam most of their albums too hard nor praise them too much, and it’s the central reason why I can’t declare any of them a masterpiece, despite the excellent execution and some seductive melodies. The same goes for “The Sum of No Evil”, because with it The Flower Kings by no means discovered new waters, but they didn’t leave their fans hanging either, and made the album the fans were expecting. The rest of us, whenever we crave rich, expressive and innovative symphonic progressive rock, would rather go back to the past.
Line-up
Roine Stolt – vocals, guitar
Hasse Fröberg – vocals, guitar
Jonas Reingold – bass guitar
Tomas Bodin – keyboards, backing vocals
Zoltan Csörsz – drums, percussion
Hasse Bruniusson – marimba, percussion
Production
Roine Stolt
Track list
1. One More Time (13:05)
2. Love Is The Only Answer (24:30)
3. Trading My Soul (6:25)
4. The Sum Of No Reason (13:25)
5. Flight 999 (Brimstone Air) (5:00)
6. Life In Motion (12:33)
