On October 30th, 2020 progressive rockers THE FLOWER KINGS will release their new double album “Islands” on InsideOutMusic, just a year after the group’s much celebrated “Waiting For Miracles”.
Due to the Covid-19-pandemic, the album comes out quite a bit sooner than originally planned as the band’s creative mastermind Roine Stolt explains: “All shows and festivals were cancelled and the future didn’t really ‘unfold’ itself like we had hoped. To sit out the pandemic with no activities was not an option for us! We can’t be stopped by an evil virus! So, with members living in the USA, Italy, Austria and Sweden, the only way to realize this album, was to use the magic of the ‘net’, sending files around the globe and start building what now has become a mammoth-sized double album of 21 songs.”
The 92 minutes long “Islands” features artwork by legend Roger Dean (Yes, Asia, Gentle Giant, Greenslade, Uriah Heep) and all trademark sounds and melodies, the band is renowned for. From vintage keys to epic guitar solos, from odd drum patterns to symphonic elements, THE FLOWER KINGS present a dynamic and complex record that is bold, bombastic and beautiful.
Stolt reveals the following about the concept of the record: “The theme of the album is isolation – so the title ‘Islands’ felt like a most relevant title – as much of it circulates around isolation, loss, and the fear of being disconnected. Having to face this unexpected pandemic will leave marks on each one of us for a very long time and to lose loved ones forces us to soldier on, learning and growing a stronger version of ourselves in this fragile cycle of life.
Musically; the aim has been to create a bigger grand epic piece out of 21 songs – so they are all connected with themes that weave in and out – like the way ‘Sgt Peppers’ or ‘The Lamb’ were built on shorter songs, but yet linked. So view it as one mega song or as 21 separate pieces, it is all tailored to be listened to as one piece – like a cinematic 90min long ride.”
Disc One (49:40) 1 – Racing With Blinders On 4:24 2 – From The Ground 4.02 3 – Black Swan 5:53 4 – Morning News 4:01 5 – Broken 6:38 6 – Goodbye Outrage 2:19 7 – Journeyman 1:43 8 – Tangerine 3:51 9 – Solaris 9:10 10 – Heart Of The Valley 4:18 11- Man In A Two Peace Suit 3:21
Disc Two (43:01) 1 – All I Need Is Love 5:48 2 – A New Species 5:45 3 – Northern Lights 5:43 4 – Hidden Angles 0:50 5 – Serpentine 3:52 6 – Looking For Answers 4:30 7 –Telescope 4:41 8 – Fool’s Gold 3:11 9 – Between Hope & Fear 4:29 10 – Islands 4:12
“Islands” will be available as massive Limited 3LP & 2CD box set with slipcase and 180 gram vinyl housed in two gatefolds, one single sleeve; as Limited Edition 2CD Digipak and Digital Album. Presales will start September 11th, 2020.
As many of you already know it is with great sadness that we say goodbye to Frosty after these many years in the drum chair at Lifesigns.
In Frosty’s words:
After 9 years of close involvement and collaboration with the band Lifesigns, I feel that I can no longer give the band the level of dedication and commitment that it deserves for it to be able to move forward successfully.
I have therefore decided to leave and allow someone else the opportunity to shine in this band of great musicians.
I wish all of the band every success for the future and would like to thank all the fans for liking all the music produced so far and thank them for their continued support in the years to come. Thank you to everyone.
Best Frosty. X
From my own point of view yes it is a very sad day saying goodbye to Frosty. He was indeed the engine room of the band and is a truly wonderful talent and a lovely man. I thank him for his hard work, patience, understanding, and humor through all our travels in both the JYB and Lifesigns and I wish him the very best for his endeavors in the years to come. He will be much missed…Thank You, Frosty. best JY
Now we have had a little time to prepare and are very happy to welcome drummer Zoltan Csörsz to the Lifesigns family.
Zoltan has played with numerous legends including The Flower Kings and Karmakanic from the prog world through to Quincy Jones, Stu Hamm & Randy Brecker in the jazz world.
We feel Zoltan’s fluid style will suit the band as there has always been an element of jazz in Lifesigns. We’re very excited to hear what he will bring to Altitude.
Subscriber Zone
Just a reminder to those who haven’t yet checked out the Subscriber Zone. For just £1 per month (or more, if you like), you gain access to behind the scenes footage of band members at work on Altitude, and can purchase some exclusive limited edition goodies. This month we have promotional copies of the CD single Impossible and the chance to bid on a fully signed set list.
To join, log in to the website here (you will need to request a password if you haven’t logged in since we transferred over to the new website in December), then go to one of the Subscriber Zone pages and select your price. Remember, everyone gets access to all content, it’s up to you how much you choose to pay.
Progressive rockers THE FLOWER KINGS released their highly successful studio double-album ‘Waiting For Miracles’ on InsideOutMusic in November 2019, played a European tour in December, and will embark on the Cruise to the Edge in late March. Widely met with critical acclaim, ‘Waiting For Miracles’ offers complex and intricate compositions, which also profit from drummer Mirkko DeMaio’s impressive performance and style.
He now invites you to check out his playthrough of the epic ‘Miracles For America’ and states: “I’ve recorded this the week right before leaving for Japan for two concerts with The Flower Kings, which have been a huge success! ‘Miracles For America’ is probably the most tricky song of the album ‘Waiting For Miracles’, but it has been for me the most easy to record because, in a total honest way, I’ve practiced this more hehehe…
It’s an edited version (basically I’ve took off a short ‘atmosphere’ part where there’s no drums, just to save a little time) and my drumming is slightly different from the album version, indeed it has more my live approach to it. Enjoy!”
THE FLOWER KINGS live 2020
27th March – 1st April – Cruise To The Edge, Miami – Carribean
3rd April, Polyvalente de Charlesbourg, Quebec City, Canada
4th April, Theatre Plaza, Montreal, Canada
Press on “Waiting For Miracles”: “Lavish, kinetic, dynamic, majestic, catchy, complex, desolate, happy and yes, revitalised, ‘Waiting For Miracles’ is all you would expect from a genuine return to form by one of Prog’s most influential and monumental names.” – Progreport.com
“If you’re a fan of his old-school heroes – Genesis, Yes, Floyd, even Procol Harum – this is high-grade methadone.” – Prog Magazine
Progressive rock legends THE FLOWER KINGS are pleased to present ‘Wicked Old Symphony’, the second track from the group’s much anticipated new studio double-album ‘Waiting For Miracles’, which will be released on InsideOutMusic on November 8th, 2019. The album is comprised of 15 new tracks, recorded over the summer at RMV studio in Stockholm, Sweden – a vintage studio space owned by ABBA star Benny Andersson. ‘Wicked Old Symphony’ is one of the shorter tracks on the album, with its basic fundament being worked on by Roine Stolt already a decade ago.
Disc 1: 1.House Of Cards 2.Black Flag 3.Miracles For America 4.Vertigo 5.The Bridge 6.Ascending To The Stars 7.Wicked Old Symphony 8.The Rebel Circus 9.Sleep With The Enemy 10.The Crowning Of Greed
Disc 2: 1.House Of Cards Reprise 2.Spirals 3.Steampunk 4.We Were Always Here 5.Busking At Brobank
Furthermore, the band, currently comprised of Roine Stolt, Jonas Reingold, Hasse Fröberg, Zach Kamins & Mirko DeMaio will be heading out on tour this December with Iamthemorning & Rikard Sjöblom!
1st December – Bahnhof St. Pauli, Hamburg, Germany 2nd December – Musikzentrum, Hannover, Germany 3rd December – OK Andaluzia, Piekary Slaskie, Poland 4th December – Klub U Bazyla, Poznan, Poland 6th December – Burgerweeshuis, Deventer, Netherlands 7th December – De Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Netherlands 8th December – Scala, London, UK 9th December – Piano, Dortmund, Germany 10th December – Columbia Theater, Berlin, Germany 11th December – Amager Bio, Copenhagen, Denmark 12th December – Brewhouse, Gothenburg, Sweden 14th December – Kraken, Stockholm, Sweden
In 2020, THE FLOWER KINGS are confirmed to pay visits to Japan and Canada in January and April as well as joining the annual Cruise To The Edge in late March! 25th January – Club Citta, Tokyo, Japan 26th January – Club Citta, Tokyo, Japan 27th March – 1st April – Cruise To The Edge, Miami – Carribean 3rd April, Polyvalente de Charlesbourg, Quebec City, Canada 4th April, Theatre Plaza, Montreal, Canada
Press on “Waiting For Miracles”: “Lavish, kinetic, dynamic, majestic, catchy, complex, desolate, happy and yes, revitalised, ‘Waiting For Miracles’ is all you would expect from a genuine return to form by one of Prog’s most influential and monumental names.” – Progreport.com
“If you’re a fan of his old-school heroes – Genesis, Yes, Floyd, even Procol Harum – this is high-grade methadone.” – Prog Magazine
The Flower Kings – announce; Iamthemorning & Rikard Sjöblom to replace Kayak on EU tour
Progressive rock legends THE FLOWER KINGS are due to hit the road in December in support of their latest album ‘Waiting For Miracles’ (out 8th November 2019), and unfortunately touring partners Kayak have been forced to drop out of the tour due to unexpected health issues. Joining the tour as replacements will be Russian chamber prog band Iamthemorning who recently released their new studio album, as well as Rikard Sjöblom – known for his work in Beardfish, Gungfly & Big Big Train.
Roine Stolt of The Flower Kings comments: “We bring news regarding the upcoming Flower Kings tour of December – the Dutch classic band Kayak, who was initially to be our touring partner has had to pull out, due to serious and unexpected medical conditions of main guy Ton Scherpenzeel. We are all sad about this but wish for a speedy recovery and perhaps another chance to share the stage later on. The brighter news is that we’ve managed to get the brilliant band Iamthemorning, singer Marjana Semkina and pianist Gleb Kolyadin & band, to join us in a package show that will also include a set from genius Rikard Sjöblom (Big Big Train, Beardfish). We will all play our separate sets – but there will likely be guesting and as usual the grand finale is not to be missed! We’re really looking forward to a great evening of expanding, young, vibrant ‘prog’ music. New songs from The Flower Kings brand new double album ‘Waiting For Miracles’ and bundles of classic Flower Kings and beautiful and groovy music from our new guests.” The three acts will perform 12 dates across 6 countries, and you can find the full list of shows below, tickets on sale now:
1st December – Bahnhof Pauli, Hamburg, Germany 2nd December – Musik Zentrum, Hannover, Germany 3rd December – OK Andaluzia, Piekary Slaskie, Poland 4th December – Klub U Bazyla, Poznan, Poland 6th December – Burgerweeshuis, Deventer, Netherlands 7th December – De Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Netherlands 8th December – Scala, London, UK 9th December – Piano, Dortmund, Germany 10th December – Columbia Theater, Berlin, Germany 11th December – Amager Bio, Copenhagen, Denmark 12th December – Brewhouse, Gothenburg, Sweden 14th December – Kraken, Stockholm, Sweden
As mentioned previously, ‘Waiting For Miracles’ is due out on the 8th of November 2019.
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