THE FLOWER KINGS - Press statement Feb 2012:
Legendary progressive, iconic, symphonic rockband "The Flower Kings", formed in 1995 by guitarist, singer, composer Roine Stolt ( Transatlantic ), announce their immediate return to service in 2012, after an almost 5 years well earned hiatus.
The band consisting of Roine Stolt, bassplayer extraordinaire Jonas Reingold, keyboarder grand deluxe Tomas Bodin, singer & guitarist Hasse Froberg and new 26 year old Berliner dextrous drummer prodigy Felix Lehrmann, started the recording of a new album at Varispeed studios in Sweden on January 23rd.
The music is recorded in classic 70's style, with all musicians performing live in a room thru 70's vintage tube recording equipment and famous NEVE consoles. If all Gods and muses are onboard the new TFK is scheduled for an album release on June 6th on the Inside Out Music label (Century Media/EMI). The yet unnamed album has a 23 min epic centerpiece and the material is all classic Flowerkings style with all the dreamy melodic & cinematic elements that the bands fans has come to love over the years, but also contain some heavier psychedelic music and some darker hi energy material.
The band is likely to embark on a headline european tour in september this year but will have it's official first re-union gig at the "Sweden Rock Festival" in June 7th - 2012.
from Foxtrot Music/IOM/Century Media
Not that this is a huge deal to me, as I have kind of given up on this band. I did many years ago in fact, pretty much since Unfold the Future, I found their music to be drawn-out, unfocused, and including far too much jazz-noodling and fat within some good parts. A bit like the last Transatlantic album in fact.
But, I do enjoy their early and especially mid period, finding their best work to be 2000's Space Revolver.
So, I'm up for checking this out, and I'm sure there are a lot of people looking forward to this. I suppose it'll be interesting to see how this and the new Ted Leonard-fronted Spock's Beard will be.