The Flower Kings
The Sum Of No Evil

Here we see Roine Stolt return to the music market, one of the most prolific guitarists in progressive rock, who, along with the Flower Kings, has composed 11 albums in 15 years, not to mention his numerous side-projects, including Kaipa.

The album in question, which was originally supposed to be called "Love", presents itself very well: a very flower power artwork, a fairly curated booklet, and a vintage production.

Now, what's wrong?

Personally, I don't understand progressive rock. Why do they make suites so long? Take "Love Is The Only Answer", for example. It would have been an exceptional song if it was cut down to 10 minutes: specifically, from the ninth to the nineteenth minute. The problem is that the song lasts 24 minutes and 28 seconds: too long.

But it's wrong to dismiss a song because of its length: in fact, the best on the album are "One More Time" and "Life In Motion", which, despite being thirteen and twelve minutes long respectively, reflect the concept of Sum Of No Evil: "warm" songs, peaceful and darn vintage.

Also commendable is the instrumental "Flight 999 Brimstone Air", composed by keyboardist Tomas Bodin. Unfortunately, the remaining tracks didn't appeal to me in the same way, particularly "Trading My Soul", which doesn't quite fit such a flower power album.

Obviously, the musicians' performance was masterful, as progressive rock commands.

In conclusion, the album is not recommended for those who get bored after 3 minutes: the shortest song is 5 minutes, and the rest hover around 12-13 minutes.

I recommend newcomers to aim for the originals to get closer to the genre.

Finally, fans of progressive rock will have something to rejoice about, even though it's a photocopy of any album by the Yes.

Best songs: One More Time, Life In Motion

Skip song: Trading My Soul