With the success of The Flower King, Roine Stolt heard the call: there was still an audience for the kind of lengthy, complex and twist-taking progressive rock many of his 70s heroes had left behind. And so The Flower King transformed, evolving into The Flower Kings. Gathering his like-minded friends, may of whom had contributed to the solo album he dipped in to a new adventure, the title of which clearly called to his new mission statement. Here he was, and here we are, Back in the World of Adventures first “proper” album from the band continues the trend of uplifting, fun extended opuses and shorter tracks to complete a thematic if not conceptual album taking as its inspiration the heydays of bands like Yes and Genesis. With InsideOut’s recent re-releases of the band’s catalog on vinyl with remastered and remixed tracks and – in this case – updated artwork, I started my slowly growing obsession with the band.

Like many of the modern prog bands I came to The Flower Kings late in their discography with 2019’s Waiting for Miracles, but it didn’t take long for me to jump over to their official debut. And similar to Stolt’s title track on his last album, there might be no better introduction to the proper band than with the 13-minute “World of Adventures”. Voice raise up, nature is emulated and then Stolt comes in with a great guitar riff bringing the heavy immediately. He’s accompanied by his brother Michael on bass, Jaime Salazar on drums, and Tomas Bodin on keyboards who also contributes flute, piano, and other assorted effects. The verse comes in with the sweetest of mellotron, and despite no Hasse Fröberg (he contributes backing vocals on one track) Stolt absolutely nails the melodies and vocal delivery, blending perfectly with Bodin’s keyboard work. The solo sections get downright poppy without sounding saccharine, and the heavier, more moody moments never sink into maudlin drudgery. Coming off of the high of The Flower King the immediate upgrade here is Bodin – his playing is outstanding, and the wider range of effects (anyone else here a sucker for mellotron?) broaden the scope and ambition of Stolt’s compositions. After the majestic wonder of “World of Adventures” we come to the instrumental “Atomic Prince/Kaleidoscope” Stolt employs a range of styles in his soloing, from full-on rock god mode to cleaner, jazz licks, accompanied and surrounded by Bodin’s keyboard and woodwind work. There’s a dark pastoral sense in the track, and the shift from the “Atomic Prince” portion to the delicate and lovely classical guitar that is the (I think?) “Kaleidoscope” end piece makes for a strong way to end the first side.

“Go West Judas” is one of the newly remixed tracks, and though I can’t comment on the difference between it and the original, it’s a cool, gnarly and distorted rocker, with some really nice interplay between Stolt and his brother. Yes, Joas Reingold would come in down the line but I think it’s important to note Michael Stolt is certainly no slouch in the instrument, and sounds great (so great he’s now back in the band full-time). I love how full the song and Back in the World of Adventures as a whole sounds – this is a terrific headphones band, but playing nice and loud on a decent stereo will just as easily take you on a trip. I’ve lately been preferring getting blasted by my speakers in my den rather than using all manner of DACs and headphones to “surround” myself with the music, but both are sweet options for this band. “Train to Nowhere” is the ballad of the album – it’s thick and syrupy with luscious lead work and a nice catchy chorus. Not my favorite track by a country mile, but it does segue into the instrumental “Oblivion Road” which sees the return of Ulf Wallander on soprano sax, and I love it. The Flower Kings does tend to have a “default” setting which is robust and chipper, so when they go in a different direction like they do here it’s a great palate cleanser, offerings more chances for experimentation.

The second disc kicks off with another lengthy instrumental, “Theme For A Hero” and it’s a sharp, muscular attack that doesn’t reach for heavy aggression, instead opting for a lush, full soundscape that regally sounds like a full song missing some lyrics rather than any kind of extended jamming session. I don’t know if this sense of composition rather than improvisation turns people off; for me it sounds like a natural by-product of the kind of prog rock Stolt and team are aiming for. Live may be a different story, but here it makes sense and even if it doesn’t have the bite of the first half it’s still good. “Temple of the Snake” is a very brief segue, ambient pads and synths that make way for “My Cosmic Lover” which brings us back Hasse Fröberg and Ulf Wallander and, uh…does anyone else get a distinct Prince vibe from the opening? I swear I’m not crazy, and I wouldn’t be surprised that Stolt took some inspiration from another multi-hyphenate master like the Purple One. It’s a funky number, and immediately a highlight on the album for me. That keyboard lick and the guitar leads scream post Purple Rain to me, like some of what Prince was pushing on Around the World in a Day.

Man, I really need to cover some Prince on this site.

The final side of Back to the World of Adventures starts with another instrumental, “The Wonder Wheel”. I can understand it sequenced as it must have been originally on CD, coming before the big (sorry not sorry) finale of “Big Puzzle” but as the kickoff to Side D it’s more unnecessary prelude than anything else, and probably the slightest track on the album. “Big Puzzle” on the other hand is the stately grand pooh-bah of the record, 13 minutes where the Zappa influences finally rear their head. It’s something I didn’t realize I was missing throughout the album, and it’s also where we get another change: Hasse Bruniusson arrives on the drum kit – no clue if Salazar sat this track out but I assume so. Lots of high hat and cymbal work accentuate the high end of the spectrum, and the divided up section really turn this into a fun epic and a great way to close the debut from one of the biggest names in modern, progressive rock.

Similar to The Tangent, we have a long way to go, double and triple albums to absorb, so check out the tracks embedded here; hopefully you’ll start to fall like I dig and we’ll be back in a few days with the next one.