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April 2024

• Vanden Plas: The Empyrean Equation Of The Long Lost Things
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March 2024

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February 2024

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January 2024

• Corvus: Immortals
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The Flower Kings: Waiting For Miracles

Melodic Progressive Rock

5.0/5.0

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InsideOut Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 01.11.2019 | Released: 08.11.2019

After a six year hiatus, Roine Stolt has regathered the flock, The Flower Kings, for a brand new album, Waiting For Miracles. (If you recall, last year he dropped a solo album under the moniker, Roine Stolt's Flower King.) The new album features long serving members including founding vocalist Hasse Froberg and bass player Jonas Reingold. We're also introduced to two new players in the band: Zach Kamins on keyboards and Mirko DeMaio on drums. Waiting For Miracles comes as a two CD set with 15 songs over 85 minutes of melodic prog wonkery. The album art work from Denver-based painter Kevin Sloan is quite creative and impressive as well.

The Flower Kings

Honestly, it will hard to be objective in the review. I truly dig The Flower Kings, their music and, basically, anything where Roine Stolt is involved. I enjoy his guitar style, from tone to timbre to soaring solos, which are abundant and thrilling throughout this album. Listen for some of Stolt's masterful fret work within The Bridge, We Were Always Here, Black Flag, or the instrumental The Rebel Circus.

As for The Flower Kings music as whole, I find their melodic progressive rock to be delightfully old school neo-classical at the foundation, but also creative and intriguing in it's invention and interpretation in this modern era. One hint of the former is simply the use of vintage keyboards (such as Hammond organ) quite notable in The Rebel Circus, Miracles In America, or Spirals. To the latter, their arrangements are deft and complex enough to thrill any stubborn prog punter, while still remaining marvelously accessible through their use of harmony and melody as sonic connective tissue. A fine example of this comes with Wicked Old Symphony which has an upbeat rock groove attached to catchy refrain, then surrounded by swirling keyboards. Needless to say, Waiting For Miracles finds The Flower Kings in fine form and up to their best creative and enjoyable melodic progressive rock tricks. Easily recommended.

Millennium: A New World

Traditional Heavy Metal

3.0/5.0

Formed in 1982, the roots of England's Millennium can be traced straight back to the golden era of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (NWoBHM). Unfortunately ... [ Read More ]

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

Waiting For Miracles finds The Flower Kings in fine form and up to their best creative and enjoyable melodic progressive rock tricks. Easily recommended.

Alphabetical Index

Three years have passed since Sweden's Cruzh dropped their second long-player, Tropical Thunder, also introducing their new singer, Alex Waghorn. Now the band returns with The Jungle Revolution ... [ Read More ]