Anekdoten
Waking The Dead, Live In Japan 2005

The Anekdoten are the only survivors, musically speaking, of the Swedish triad (completed by Anglagard and Landberk) that contributed to reviving the progressive movement in the early nineties.

Formed in 1990 by the mind of multi-instrumentalist Nicklas Berg, they have five self-produced works and several live performances to their credit. Additionally, in 2009, the anthology titled “Chapters” was released, which collects the best of the band’s production, along with some rare and unreleased tracks. The album I am about to review is the live “Waking the Dead” from 2005, a valuable document of Anekdoten's concert activity.
The reasons that led me to review this work, in addition to the undeniable artistic value of the pieces presented, are the incredible live performance of this group and the surprisingly clean production.
The recording focuses on the two previous works “From Within” and “Gravity,” probably the best of their discography or at least the turning point, where the group manages to mature a more original sound oriented towards the song, abandoning the strong influences of the masters King Crimson, especially present in the early works.

“Technical skill is something that helps you express the things you want to say through music and is worthless in itself.” It can be well said that Anekdoten have put this idea to good use.

The music offered is a progressive rock that successfully blends hard and aggressive moments with a certain suspended and visionary psychedelia. The peculiarity of their sound is based on a bold bass line and distorted, dissonant guitars, mitigated by the omnipresent mellotron inserts and other classical instruments like the cello and flute. However, along with the violence of these more electric assaults, Anekdoten knows how to mix more reflective and hypnotic atmospheres, that play between ancient and modern, and evoke the wild and boundless nature of the Nordic landscapes.
The album opens with the dynamic “Monolith,” a track introduced by a Sabbath-style guitar riff and continuing forcefully with an enveloping bass line. The following “From Within” is another piece that starts with a devastating sound wall, which will be repeated later in the song, but opens up to less aggressive and more melancholic passages. Next is “Kiss of Life” which repeats the formula of the previous tracks with the same quality. The fourth piece is “Hole,” one of the band’s masterpieces, a sad and alienating ballad enhanced by the poignant melodic lines of the mellotron. “SW4” is instead a song with a dark groove, led by a repetitive and hallucinated bass line. “Moons of Mars” is the first unreleased track, but more than a song it is a mellotron-only intro that opens to the splendid instrumental “The Sun Absolute,” pulsing and psychedelic. The next track “Ricochet” is the one that most resembles a certain post-rock, between electric guitar arpeggios and a refrain supported by melodies drawn by the mellotron.

The album continues with the rhythmic and engaging “Gravity” and its heart-wrenching melodic openings. One of the most inspired tracks in the entire discography of the group, where every instrument seems to fit perfectly into the melodies.
The pieces that close this work are the unreleased instrumental “This Time Will Pass” and the hidden gem “Sad Rain.” The latter, in particular, is a long and varied track of great emotional intensity, a bonus track of the Japanese edition of the debut album “Vemod.”

Anekdoten were probably the most derivative group of the Swedish triad and the ones that personally thrilled me the least, although we are still talking about high-level music. However, unlike their compatriots, they have managed to withstand time and develop an increasingly personal sound. In a few words, to grow. And this album, from my point of view, is the clearest proof of that. Recommended to everyone.