Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm not that of a fan of the Progressive area, mainly because (as I mentioned in a lengthy article on the Editor's Blog) bands who play any variation of Progressive tend to sound forced. So as you can imagine I was rather hesitant when Steinmetal sent me a copy of Swedish Prog Rock veterans THE FLOWER KINGS twelfth studio album to review, luckily I'm never one to walk away from a challenge, so here we go.

"Desolation Rose" is as I previously mentioned the twelfth release from the band, and I must admit, it takes me back, unlike many progressive bands, THE FLOWER KINGS seem to be influenced more by classic rock than the usual "masturbation" style of today's Prog bands, but that's to be expected from near 20 year veterans. The opening track "Tower One" is a rather long affair, clocking in at over 13 minutes and consisting of quite a bit if pace changes, dominating keyboards and excellent vocal harmonies.

However the album doesn't seem to be overly prolonged just for the sake of sounding Progressive. "Desolation Road" is a very melodic bass heavy track, as a matter of fact much of the album is bass heavy, reminding me of the early works of YES and RAINBOW. "White Tuxedos" has a Leonard Cohen feel to it, while the over 8 minute long "The Resurrection of Judas" carries with it the more atmospheric elements of classic Prog Rock. I'm not going to go on and on, I will say this though, "Desolation Rose" is a fine introduction into the Progressive genres for those who've never listened to those genres before, as well as being a fine album for any rock fan who doesn't wish to be too weighed down by progressive elements, and obviously fans of Prog Rock will certainly enjoy it.

It's a fine album, but not much beyond that.