Retropolis, released in 1996, is the second studio album by the Swedish progressive rock band The Flower Kings (not counting Roine Stolt's 1994 solo album). The album's art is inspired by the film Metropolis. The latest release from Roine Stolt and Co., Retropolis, is a natural follow-up to last year's Back in the World of Adventures. The variety dominating that album is present here also, but the overall mood on Retropolis is more laid back in a Pink Floyd kind of way than the last album. Don't get me wrong, though. Other than the occasional vocal similarity, the music doesn't sound overly Floydian — with the exception a part in the middle of "Retropolis by Night," which has a very "Welcome to the Machine" feel, and "The Road Back Home" with its alternating vocal lines. Other influences are more abundant. "Silent Sorrow" has a very Beatles sound for example. Most of the tunes here flow in a relaxed mid-tempo groove. The songs don't drag along, but they aren't fast paced rockers either. Not attempting to fix the unbroken, The Flower Kings continue to entertain with long instrumental sections separating the vocal parts nicely. These instrumental excursions are perhaps The Flower Kings' greatest asset. Most of the tracks have at least some vocals, but out of the 70 minutes of the album, at least half is vocal free. The vocals sound somewhere between Pink Floyd, Steve Hackett, and John Wetton — especially the first part of "The Judas Kiss," which sounds remarkably like somethin