A little while ago I had the opportunity to have one of my illustration featured on a CD cover of a solo album of Flower Kings mastermind Roine Stolt. The Flower Kings are one of the major players in today's revived progressive rock scene and many of their numerous albums impressed me with their creativity and strikingly engaging music.

Even though nowadays my listening habits have moved to about 90% classical music, I still would like to introduce some music from the general "progressive rock" genre here from time to time. Simply because among them are many hidden gems of pure genius that really deserve much more attention than they often actually get.

Agents of Mercy is now a solo album of singer/guitarist extraordinaire Roine Stolt. Besides mentioning my contribution existing of cover artwork and backgrounds textures on the inside of the foldout sleeve (with exception of layout and typography), I would like to take this opportunity to introduce the music.

Throughout the album we will hear a well crafted, not over the top sophisticated but rather accessible progressive rock. The overall theme is about invisible beings that offer guidance and insights for our lives - when we listen...
Specifically the first track got my attention immediately as it captures the spirit of the 70s era Genesis in a fresh and wonderful way, something that many bands have tried to capture but not often succeeded - noticeably in the arc of emotional tension in the composition that works particularly well.
Singer Nad Sylvan on the first half of the album does indeed sound quite close to Peter Gabriel. On the second half of the album Roine is providing the lead vocals which I find pleasant as well.
The keyboard work deserves also attention. At first I thought it was Flower Kings keyboard player Tomas Bodin but only later I discovered that it was Biggo Zelfries with whom I was not familiar with but who evidently does an outstanding job displaying a great sense for sound colors and when to use them.
Of course, like all releases from the Flower Kings family this would not be complete with an equally talented rhythm section. Zoltan Csörsz, Pete Masteletto and Jimmy Keegan are passing around the drum sticks while Jonas Reingold lays the excellent bass foundation as we know it from the Flower Kings or his own solo albums. Do I need to mention Roine Stolt again? One of the most versatile and talented guitarists in the genre that I know... This may sound like a recipe for a flashy talent show, but none of the musician are falling into that trap but instead deliver a very well balanced performance, rather focusing on more subtle details than on energetic outbursts.

In summary: It's really good music. Period. A beautiful blend of intelligent yet soulful (prog-) rock. There are free sound samples on their myspace site. Go check 'em out. 'Nuff said.