b o b

As most reviews point out, this band started out as a bit of a clone of mid-70s King Crimson. The Crim influence is particularly noticeable on this first album, but there's also enough originality to please even those who hate "copycat" bands. I've seen Anekdoten described as neoprog due to this copying of an older band's style, but in my book this music is about as far as you can get from neo. The album spends most of its time at one of two extremes, either raging and pounding or delicate and beautiful. The band plays both styles very well. I've seen several people complain about the vocals, but they sound fine to me. They're not outstanding, but they're nice enough, well suited to the music and don't feature the annoying accents that most non-English-speaking bands tend to have when they try to sing in English. The lyrics aren't the best (a little too melodramatic and cliche-ridden), but they don't detract from the music. For me, the vocals tend to sink into the background. All in all, I really enjoy this disc but I prefer its follow-up, Nucleus. That album continues in the same vein, but with a more original sound, more intense heavy parts and more beautiful quiet parts. Of course, that's just my opinion. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing this band at NEARFest 2000, and picking up their new album. review by Bob Eichler — undated —

b r a n d o n

This was the first CD I ever bought from a prog specialty vendor (Greg Walker in my case). As such, it has a special place in my album collection, though that's also because I think it's an absolutely stellar work. Yes, it is clearly very much influenced by King Crimson, from the deeply pounding bass to the odd, screaming guitar lines to the Mellotron-soaked symphonism. However, I feel that the music on this album is strong enough to overcome the fact that it is somewhat derivative. I would disagree with those that argue that Anekdoten have not developed their own style, instead simply aping King Crimson. The opening track remains possibly my favorite piece by the band: an instrumental where in the intro, brooding Mellotron is overrun by a driving bass which never fails to give me chills. Later, that same bass slowly grinds over brooding cello work, building to an intense climax. "The Old Man and the Sea", "The Flow", and "Wheel" are all great, hard-driving pieces that feature that same killer bass with some decent vocal work and great performances all around. An almost uniquely Scandinavian moodiness reigns throughout, giving the album a kind of somber majesty. It's especially evident in "Longing", a gorgeously mellow instrumental led by cello and acoustic guitar that's perfect to listen to while staring out the window on a cold, drizzly, overcast day. Those who bought the Japanese pressing of this album are treated to a bonus track that's actually on par with the rest of the material. The almost-epic "Sad Rain" is a truly Mellotron-drenched tour de force that evokes that same somber emotion just as well as the rest of the tracks on the album proper. I may be biased, given that this is the first foreign progressive album I ever bought, but I do think that despite its flaws - lack of originality, somewhat thin vocals - this album stands on its own merits very, very well. I highly recommend this to fans of King Crimson and hard progressive rock in general. Don't expect anything really innovative, just a heavy, moody, darkly beautiful piece of Crimsonish music. review by Brandon Wu — 4-25-00 —