The Flower Kings: A Kingdom of Colours

A Kingdom of Colours (2017)

Here we are: at the end. The Flower Kings played their last shows in 2015 and, while it's never impossible, a return seems unlikely. Roine Stolt certainly hasn't shown any interest in reviving the band – although he hasn't shut the idea down. A career-spanning solo tour might be in the works as soon as The Sea Within's tour ends, which should be interesting. Jonas Reingold has moved from Sweden to Austria, but he and Roine still collaborate frequently. Hasse Fröberg is happily fronting his own band. Tomas Bodin, meanwhile, has developed a rather severe case of tinnitus that left him unable to perform. As long as he doesn't recover (and it goes without saying that I really hope he does, regarldless of whether TFK will re-unite) it seems unlikely that we'll be hearing more from The Flower Kings any time soon.

The Flower Kings, Chapter 12: Desolation Rose

12) Desolation Rose (2013)

That's how the story ends...

So here it is, the last album by The Flower Kings. We've come a long way, haven't we? Don't bring out your handkerchiefs just yet, I'll do another one after this to wrap it all up. Today, we will focus on one of the strangest birds in the entire back catalog of The Flower Kings, an album that is so unlike all other TFK-albums that I have trouble believing it's even the same band.

The Flower Kings, Chapter 11: Banks of Eden

11) Banks of Eden (2012)

Do you think it is really over?

When Tour Kaputt hit the stores in 2011, I assumed it was going to be the last little hurrah for The Flower Kings. They had been on hiatus for years and were showing no sign of regrouping. They just needed to get that DVD out of the way. However, less than a year later, out of nowhere, the band announced their comeback; they were to release their eleventh album in early 2012 – another Year of the Dragon – in yet another new line-up.

The Flower Kings: Tour Kaputt!

Tour Kaputt! Official Bootleg Live @ De Boerderij, The Netherlands, November 2007 (2011)

Over the years, The Flower Kings have released a number of “official bootlegs” though Roine's (or Jonas's) own record label. There's 2002's Live in New York, 2008's Carpe Diem and 2004's amazingly-titled BetchaWannaDanceStoopid!, a collection of studio improvisations. Most of these had a pretty limited release and are hard to come by. Why haven't I talked about them? Because I don't have them, mainly.