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P r o g r e s s i v e R o c k W o r l d
The sunny and positive Symphonic Prog of The Flower Kings
The Flower Kings are a Swedish band, founded in 1994 by guitarist, singer, and composer Roine Stolt. The band was born from Stolt's 1994 solo album, The Flower King. The same band that initially accompanied Stolt on tour to promote that album gave rise to a band called The Flower Kings, consisting of Stolt, Jaime Salazar on drums, Hasse Fröberg on vocals, Michael Stolt on bass, and Tomas Bodin on keyboards.
I have spoken a lot about Roine Stolt in other articles about his various progressive rock projects, including the supergroup Transatlantic (with Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy and Pete Trewavas) and collaborations with Jon Anderson of Yes and Steve Hackett of Genesis on the occasion of The Flower Kings' Italian tour together with Neal Morse and in the project The Sea Within.
Their music is characterized by symphonic progressive rock, blending the symphonic rock of the early 70s with jazz fusion and blues, and they have released numerous studio albums, characterized by long tracks, complex arrangements, frequent rhythm changes, and positive, sunny, and hopeful lyrics.
Various lineup changes have led to many prestigious collaborations for a lineup that also includes Jonas Reingold. The band has a vast discography, with many albums released as double LPs or CDs. Their most recent studio album, Love, was released in June 2025.
The message of optimism spread by the band through the concept of "Flower Power" is very important, as it is the backbone of their entire artistic philosophy.
For Roine Stolt, "Flower Power" is a deliberate response to the darkness of the modern world; in a musical landscape often dominated by dark themes, they choose to be "stubbornly positive." Music as an antidote to despair, seeking to lift the listener's spirit.
The term recalls a deep connection with the planet.
In Look At You Now, tracks like Mother Earth and Father Sky return to explore the concept of "flower power" as the vital force of nature that humanity must learn to respect again.
Although it draws from the psychedelic aesthetic and the "peace and love" values of 1967, the Flower Kings filter it through progressive rock. It is not a naive message, but an invitation to conscious reflection.
The "power" does not reside in brute force, but in imagination, creativity, and kindness.
The culmination is reached with the album "LOVE" of 2025, a work in which "Flower Power" evolves into an exploration of the power of universal love as the only force capable of repairing the fractures of contemporary society.
The Discography and the Reviews
Back in the World of Adventures - 1995
Retropolis - 1996
Stardust We Are - 1997
Flower Power - 1999
Space Revolver - 2000
The Rainmaker - 2001
Unfold the Future - 2002
Adam & Eve - 2004
Paradox Hotel - 2006
The Sum of No Evil - 2007
Banks of Eden - 2012
Desolation Rose - 2013
Waiting for Miracles - 2019
Islands - 2020
By Royal Decree - 2022
Look at You Now - 2023
Live In Europe 2023 - 2024
LOVE - 2025
Note: the links to the pages of the artists and bands mentioned here and their albums are available on the "Artists" page or using the TAG The Flower Kings