Short Reviews [HFMC - 2024 - "Eternal Snapshots"]

Hasse Froberg first came to prominence in Swedish hard rock band Spellbound during the Eighties, but it will be for the last two decades he has spent with The Flower Kings which must progheads will know him for. He came up with the idea of forming a band in 2008, with Hasse Froberg & Musical Companion starting to play the following year, and this is the sixth album since then. There has been a minor line-up change since 2021's 'We Are The Truth', with the band now being Hasse Froberg (vocals, electric & acoustic guitars), Sampo Axelsson (bass guitar), Kjell Haraldsson (keyboards, piano, organs), Anton Lindsjo (guitars) and Ola Strandberg (drums, backing vocals). I have only heard the last two albums, and I do find it strange that they are the only reviews for those on PA so they must have slipped under the radar, and while I enjoyed them, I must admit I felt they could have done with some judicious editing as they were both over an hour in length and just too long. I have no idea if others felt the same, but this album is 47 minutes and is definitely much better for it. While there are obvious Flower Kings influences, which one would expect given he has been such a key member of that band for so long, there are also plenty taken from the melodic rock scene and the result is something which is vibrant and exciting. The keyboard sounds are wonderfully dated at times, with Mellotrons and more, yet the music can be very upbeat indeed with some great driving bass, superb vocals and plenty of hooks. The result is a prog album which can be played and enjoyed the first time of hearing yet there is more to discover each time as while it stays rooted in prog there is at times very much a concentration on the word "rock". This is easily the best HFMC album I have come across to date and I am intrigued to hear what he comes up with next.