KING OF SWEDEN is a Finnish Progressive rock trio, founded in 2019 in Tampere, Finland. Playing deeply rooted progressive rock with a fresh and modern nod, KING OF SWEDEN wants to honor the old Progressive Rock legends as well as adding their own flavor, fresh influences and some guitar lead hard rock vibes to the mix. "The Training" is their debut album, and contains six tracks; one being a three-part movement.

"Dreaming About the Emerald" leads off the album. Lightly distorted guitars provide the opening sequence, with a bouncy rhythm. The mood is positive and energized, and man do those bass notes come through. "Two Thieves" is a thirteen-minute opus. It begins with a firey energy, then the sound drops to some bass and leads working in unison. They jam away for many bars, exploring a bit but also keeping the melody line going. Vocals finally come in towards the end, and they almost seem like an afterthought or something that is not necessarily championed.

"In the House of a Witch" is a quite short, two-minute track of echoing leads and bass, along with some light percussion. It's an eclectic song that, like a lot of Prog, can be almost considered free jamming without a destination. "The Imprisonment" begins with breezy guitars and some odd vocals. They are a bit pitchy at times. Sad saxophone notes come into play and it slowly fades away. "Help Arrives" is a three-part movement, totally eight-and-a-half minutes in length. Beginning with fast moving guitars and animated bass, I can hear some RUSH influence here, especially as the bass holds down the mid-section. The song features a good deal of energy.

"And the Last Enemy to Be Destroyed is Mathematics" closes the album. There must be a story behind this song title that I am not privy to. It's close to 10 minutes long. For the entire length of the song, they are just jamming again, with quick time changes and some fanciful drum work. Do we really need ten minutes of this I must ask? The Finnish trio is talented at both songwriting and performance. The vocals, however, are both sparse and...well...weird. Given the fact that they are not even present in most songs, I have to wonder why the band just doesn't leave them behind altogether. No offense meant, but they are not the strongest vocals I have heard. The music also meanders quite a bit, even for Progressive music. Not the strongest start for the band,