Blade II (2002)

Veteran Swedish progressive rockers The Flower Kings released the first part of a career spanning boxset titled ‘A Kingdom of Colours (1995-2002)’ late last year, covering the period starting with ‘Back in the World of Adventures’ to ‘Unfold the Future’ over the course of 10 discs. Now they are pleased to announce the release of ‘A Kingdom of Colours 2 (2004 – 2013) which covers the albums from ‘Adam & Eve’ to ‘Desolation Rose’ and also includes 3 discs of bonus material dating back from 1995. As with the first part of the boxset, there is a brand new interview with band leader Roine Stolt conducted by journalist Dom Lawson (The Guardian, Prog Magazine), giving a history of this period of the band’s existence.

A big collection of the best dance hits of the 90th, the most soulful and pleasant to the ear. DJ Bobo, Backstreet Boys, Cher, Robbie Williams, Tarkan, Janet Jackson, Falco, Modern Talking, Ace Of Base and more…

Annihilator's brand of technical, thinking man's thrash metal garnered many fans with this fine debut, arguably the best release of the band's career. A brief acoustic guitar piece called "Crystal Ann" introduces the excellent title track: a psychological murder thriller supposedly based on a disturbed young girl's true story. Leader Jeff Waters takes himself a little too seriously at times (see the Edgar Allan Poe-influenced "Ligeia" and his ridiculously erudite commentary on each song's lyrics), but he is equally prone to refreshing flashes of humor on "Word Salad" and "Schizos Are Never Alone." The spectacularly named Randy Rampage proves himself to be a versatile vocalist on "Wicked Mystic" and "Burns Like a Buzzsaw Blade" (seriously). The careening closer "Human Insecticide" is magnificent for its sheer speed.