The Flower Kings started as a conduit for Swedish guitarist, singer and composer Roine Stolt in 1994. It was a time when a third generation of progressive rock artists appeared in the international scene.
The first album was a solo effort. On “The Flower King” (1994) Roine played all instruments except for drums and the project was a self-produced/self-financed endeavor quickly pushed the Swedish guitarist into international progressive rock stardom.
Stolt formed a touring band to present the album. He recruited two musicians who had participated in “The Flower King” album: Jaime Salazar on drums, and Hasse Fröberg on vocals. Two additional musicians joined the band, Stolt’s brother Michael on bass and Tomas Bodin on keyboards.
The Flower Kings released a series of successful albums as a band and quickly gained popularity in progressive rock circles and was one of a small set of bands helping to revive the progressive rock scene worldwide.
Two boxed sets compiled The Flower Kings’ extensive discography: A Kingdom of Colours: The Complete Collection From 1995 To 2002, released in 2017; and A Kingdom of Colours II: The Complete Collection From 2004 To 2013, that came out in 2018.
In 2018, Roine Stolt released Manifesto of an Alchemist as Roine Stolt’s The Flower Kings.
The Flower Kings got back together in 2019. The 2019 lineup included Roine Stolt on guitars and vocals; Hasse Froberg on vocals and guitar; Jonas Reingold on bass; Zach Kamins on keyboards; and Mirko Demaio on drums. The band released an album titled “Waiting For Miracles”.
In October 2020, The Flower Kings released their new double album “Islands” (InsideOutMusic), just a year after the group’s much celebrated “Waiting For Miracles”. “Islands” featured artwork by iconic artist Roger Dean.
In 2022, The Flower Kings released the double album “By Royal Decree” on Inside Out Music. Bassist and vocalist Michael Stolt returned to the band after many years.
Discography:
Back in the World of Adventures (Foxtrot Records, 1995)
Retropolis (Foxtrot Records, 1996)
Stardust We Are (Foxtrot Records, 1997)
Flower Power (Foxtrot Records, 1999)
Space Revolver (Inside Out Music, 2000)
Alive on Planet Earth, live (Inside Out Music,2000)
The Rainmaker (Inside Out Music, 2001)
Unfold the Future (Inside Out Music, 2002)
Meet the Flower Kings, live (Inside Out Music, 2003)
Adam & Eve (Inside Out Music, 2004)
Paradox Hotel (Inside Out Music, 2006)
Instant DeLIVEry, live (Inside Out Music, 2006)
The Sum of No Evil (Inside Out Music, 2007)
Tour Kaputt, live (Inside Out Music, 2011)
Banks of Eden (Inside Out Music, 2012)
Desolation Rose (Inside Out Music, 2013)
A Kingdom of Colours: The Complete Collection From 1995 To 2002, boxed set (2017)
A Kingdom of Colours II: The Complete Collection From 2004 To 2013, boxed set (2018)
Manifesto of an Alchemist (Inside Out Music, 2018)
Waiting for Miracles (Inside Out Music, 2019)
By Royal Decree (Inside Out Music, 2022)
Updated biography and discography