The last four years have been prolific for the Swedes of 'The Flower Kings', as 2018 saw the release of 'Manifesto of an Alchemist' appeared as 'Roine Stolt's The Flower King', followed by 'Waiting For Miracles' in 2019 and 'Islands' in 2020 and it's just over a year later that we have the pleasure to put between our ears a new opus, baptized 'By Royal Decree'. For this opus, we find one of the founding members 'Michael Stolt'.
And, as they have done in the last 2 opuses, this last baby of the Swedes is composed of 2 CDs for a duration of an hour and a half of music which is becoming a constant now with the 'Flower Kings'. With 18 tracks, it's no surprise that we find this melting-pot of styles inherited from the 70s with this skillful mix that always produces this original result of melodic progressive. I won't review the 18 titles one by one, but I would simply like to highlight this very varied panel of atmospheres which makes it possible to never be bored in an album of 'The Flower Kings'. First, if we take the first three titles, the first 'The Great Pretender' offers us inventive symphonic progressive in a warm atmosphere and with beautiful vocal harmonies, then we navigate in different registers with a vintage side brought by the sounds of keyboards while having much more contemporary sections in 'World Gone Crazy' and with 'Blinded', we go through a kind of musical comedy with a mixture of jazzy keys and other more epic parts. Other compositions are typical of the progressive style of the 70s, but still very melodic and therefore catchy, such as, for example, 'A Million Stars' and its multi-drawer structure reminiscent of 'Yes' or 'Genesis' and we find this type of compositions with 'The Soldier' or 'Peacock on Parade'. We also won't miss the magnificent ballads 'The Darkness In You', 'Silent Ways' and 'Moth' which unfold beautiful melodies on which we completely abandon ourselves to the music. The progressive symphonic side is also well represented with the very beautiful 'Revolution' which offers a beautiful 'Floydian' section in the second part or the 'Time The Great Healer' and 'The Big Funk' of the second CD which have nothing to envy 'The Great Pretender'. And when the atmosphere wants to be lighter, the short 'We Can Make It Work', 'Letter' or even the very beautiful 'Open Your Heart' offer beautiful, more direct alternations. We end this beautiful journey with the short piano solo 'Shrine' and the album closes on the typical progressive of 'The Flower Kings' with the very beautiful 'Funeral Pyres'. By the way, finally, I quoted you all the titles except perhaps the instrumental 'Evolution' which shows all the guitarist talent of 'Roine Stolt'.
In summary, the Swedes of 'The Flower Kings' continue to release quality, inventive and varied albums that we must of course, given the density, take our time to draw all the substance from them. and which, consequently, should figure prominently in the discotheque of any of progressive... | |
