VEMOD

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Anekdoten's Vemod is probably the most impressive (and heaviest) debut album from the last two decades along with Anglagard's Hybris, and they have little chance at being dethroned, Paatos' Timeloss included. This quartet seems to have come out of Sweden's Boreal Forest or even more north the Polar Tundra, with their incredibly somber but beautiful melancholy that one our Scandinavian brothers can express so forcefully. Not least helped by the ironic pagan artwork (notice the ironing encircling the high priestess Anna-Sofi, the voodoo doll and its throne), the group manages to find its own sound right from the first mellotron and cello lines, even if it is obvious that their main influence is Crimson.

Right from the haunting intro of Kartelia (this is the province stuck between Russia and Sweden spread partly over Finland, and has been the theatre of constant conquest for much of the second millennium) to the superb Old Man (based on a Scandinavian myth) where Liljestöm's voice is ghastly and breathtaking, the album takes us from surprises to unusual spell-binding moments. After another great Liljeström-sung track, where Niklas Berg pulls a great guitar solo, the album takes a bit of a rest with the quiet Thoughts In Absences (Berg is singing this), and it takes quite a mastery of ambiances to get the album started again after such a slowing down. Fortunately The Flow is one of the album's strongest number starting purposely erratically and managing a stunning cello solo and immediately succeeded by a tremendous and jaw-dropping guitar solo, the two joining forces for the last minute. The second instrumental of the album, Longing doesn't have the power of Karelia, but it certainly has a soothing, healing and thirst-quenching quality that fits the album's melancholy. Dahlberg's cello is simply stunning. Could they have finished the album without nodding to Crimson with Wheel's opening lines? This track is maybe the most difficult of the album, but one that gains repeated listens to unravel its beauties such as Erkström's flugelhorn solo is reminding us a bit of Rodriguo's Aranjuez's solemnity.

A truly spellbinding debut album, it remained for over two years on a heavy rotation with Anglagard's debut and Landberk's debut, and it still manages to draw chills down my spine some almost 15 years after its release. Highly recommended, this is one of the seminal album that started prog's second coming of age, and few 90's album have its aura.

"Vermod" was one of albums that re-ignited the Swedish progressive rock revival. Without a question ANEKDOTEN have been heavily influenced by early 70's KING CRIMSON with their tailored and yet controlled FRIPP-like guitar playing (Nicklas Berg) & loads of mellotron (actually is 2 different mellotron going at some places!) ANEKDOTEN understands the Crimsonic use of contrast, and Vemod is centered on contrasting tempos and dynamics. Guitarist Nicklas Berg turns in a gritty performance on both guitar and mellotron reminding the listener at many points of why one likes this type of music in the first place. The combination of pump organ, Mellotron, and a deeply bowed cello creates a rich dark sound of brooding intensity. Emotionally charged melodic lines and powerful rhythms abound. The percussion on this album is killer with some great deep chops and complex percussion. Filling in the mix is cellist/keyboardist Anna Sofi Dahlberg who works with the mellotrons to really bring forth some warm tones.

Sweden has a lot to do with the resurgence of progressive music all over the globe...many great bands have appear over the past decade and Anekdoten is no exception. This is heavy progressive on the vein of KC (say mid-period), with loads of mellotron (actually they used two!!!) and frippian guitar with a good dose of bass-drums interplay; being said that still the album has a dark/melancholic touch (not as much as Landberk) on the shorter tracks. Now, this is my cup of tea when it comes to heavy...no nonsense!! guitar riffs in an attempt to make a feel of heaviness. Very much progressive and an excellent debut album.

Sorry but I can't understand what's all the fuss about it once again!! Another clone of King Crimson, still coming from Scandinavia, with hints (actually a few ones) of such an acoustic chamber orchestra (in the manner of Hungarian After Crying), played by means of an interesting cello and nothing else innovative (Anglagard for example, a diverse Swedish ensemble, is in another world or also the remarkable band "Isildurs Bane", because all these latter are much better than Anekdoten)... apart from my tastes, honestly I can find too many dark music passages emulating those ones (the most harsh) by King Crimson,regarding of the album "Starless and Bible Black" or "Lark's Tongue in Aspic": so at the end I'm a bit tired already after my second listening!! However I don't like to compare them to any original European band (actually a few ones), because groups like that one of After Crying are much more versatile and innovative than Anekdoten, even though I think of an improving background in their music as long as they learn the lesson...at the moment I'm not stimulated and I don't want to buy the other titles of this Scandinavian band: nowadays I'm more concentrated into the inventive stuff by Isildurs Bane and of course After Crying as well, despite of recognizing some interesting music features inside this "Vemod"!!

If you are not disturbed by the derivative bands in the vein of experimental King Crimson choose this issue, otherwise you can also check other experimental stuff out (also regarding of the American music scene: listen for example to the last stunning album by A Triggering Myth)

To me the present debut album by Anekdoten is good but not essential!!

I have little mixed-up feelings about the debut album of this band which is very dear to me. The songs are good as compositions, but many of them work much better on their forthcoming live recordings. For example "Karelia" is far more better on their "Live-EP", and versions of "The Old Man & The Sea" and "Wheel" are also dramatically much better on their 90's live double discs from Japan. "Thoughts in Absence" is a very neat recording on this though, having VANGELIS like long ending sequence.

Somehow the overall sound of this album feels a little sterile to me. Few sound patterns are also perhaps too similar to their original innovators from the 70's. But the band and it's players were young when "Vemod" was produced, and one cannot underestimate ANEKDOTEN's influence upon the Swedish and global scene of progressive art rock. "Vemod" after all, was their first album which diffused their musical vision to the listeners and other musicians. Beautiful album covers resembling the sleeve of first BLACK SABBATH's record also make the vinyl version of "Vemod" as a nice collectors artifact.

In the early Nineties many Skandinavian progrock bands flooded the scene, Anekdoten was one of the first. I got their debut-CD as a promo when I had just joined the Dutch progrock paper SI Magazine. The music blew me away, what a compelling and captivating compositions en what a mindblowing Mellotron sound! The first track "Karellia" starts with one of the most beautiful Mellotron-drenched intro's, goose bumps!! The strong point in the music from Anekdoten is the hugh tension between the mellow, often melancholical climates and the dynamic parts delivering Fripp-inspired howing electric guitar, an agressive bass and splendid drumwork, this man is the driving force behind Anekdoten. Last year I witnessed them near my hometown The Hague and bought the re-issue that contains the extra track "Sad Rain", it sound in the vein of the early King Crimson featuring wonderful Mellotron. A CLASSIC ALBUM!!!!

AN EXCELLENT DARK MUSIC (with great composition!)

How dark? Observe this lyric .

"My mind's falling down endless tunnels. Until I find myself in the void. Somewhere down there I could hear them calling me. Through walls of silence I heard them weep."

This album has been the missing piece for me as I have already enjoyed the other two excellent albums "Nucleus" and "From Within" until last week when my prog mate Anto Sulistianto loaned me this CD. I had no difficulty in digesting this album as I've been familiar with the band's music. What surprised me when I spun the CD the first time was the excellent music quality despite it's a debut album. Historically, Anekdoten was previously King Edward - a band that was formed in the vein of King Crimson. The arrival of keyboardist / cellist Anna Sofi Dahlberg remarked the change of band's name to Anekdoten. Guitarist Nicklas Berg and drummer Peter Nordins were previously members of the Manson Family Band - a band with roots in psychedelic vein; influenced by Cream and Jimi Hendrix. Not much we knew the music of King Edward. It seemed only one song "Sad Rain" that appeared on the Japanese version of Vemod., the band's debut album (1993). Vemod is a Sweden word that means "melancholy" and basically represented the band's music.

The album opener "Karelia" (7:20) is an instrumental outfit started out with a long sustain and ambient mellotron sound that sets a very dark nuance that characterizes the entire album. The full-blown music enters beautifully a combination of guitar work in the vein of King Crimson, mellotron, inventive bass lines and drumming style that reminds me to Bill Bruford's, especially on the unique snare sounds. The music flows mellow in a floating style and giving mellotron, cello and guitar a fair chance to deliver their simple solo. Yes, most of Anekdoten's solos are performed in simple and less to medium complexities. At the end of this track I can sense an influence of King Crimson, i.e. when the riffs are similar with "Easy Money" intro of the "Lark's Tongue in Aspic". I don't think it's a rip-off as the similarity only in nuance.

"The Old Man & The Sea" (&:50) is a song-oriented composition featuring relatively flat vocal line. The song revolves around chords progression driven by guitar work and mellotron in relatively medium tempo. As the song builds up into crescendo the music turns into a more complex one and this segment represents the song interlude. At the end part of the interlude, the guitar style is reminiscent of Robert Fripp. Really nice.

The third track "Where Solitude Remains" (7:20) moves the album to a faster tempo music (during opening part) combining heavy bass lines, drum work and mellotron. It's a powerful opening until it turns into quieter passage when vocal lines enter the scene. During lyrical verse, mellotron with its long sustain note accompanies the singing augmented with Bruford like drumming. Wow! It's really wonderful man! What later surprises me is the guitar solo where this time is performed in jazzy style accentuated with mellotron sound and dynamic drumming. It's an excellent composition!

"Thoughts in Absence" (4:10) starts off with guitar fills followed with slow beat drum work and bass guitar that accompanies vocal line. This track is different than the other first three where it's performed mellow and nice with vocal quality that reminds me to Peter Hammil. The song also has a killing melody. Guitar fills (played soft) and mellotron characterize this song. It's a cool and nice composition that serves as a break after hearing more complex first three tracks.

Fifth track "The Flow" (6:58) moves the music back into more complex composition combining Crimsonisque guitar work, mellotron and solid bass lines. Right after the middle of the track, the arrangement turns into a very complex one combining multi instruments: cello, mellotron, guitar, bass and drum. I really like this ending part. Yes, it's dark in nuance but the music is so uplifting. There is a kind of avant-garde music here. It's a masterpiece track!

"Longing" (4:50) is a beautiful instrumental track that combines acoustic guitar solo and cello in a nice melody. Mellotron sometime provides its sound at the back to accentuate the song. The combination of acoustic and cello works is awesome. Performed unplugged, this is a different style of Anekdoten music even though it's still maintaining the dark nuance.

The concluding track "Wheel" (7:50) brings the album back to a faster tempo music with mellotron-based composition. The music turns slow when it gives a chnace to choirs enter the music. Guitar work brings the music into more complex arrangements. The interlude part explores flugelhorn work by Par Ekstrom. An excellent composition.

Overall, how can I sum up my views about this album? It's not a tough job at all for me because I love this album from start to end. If you can tolerate dark music, you may find this album rewarding. It's an excellent addition to any prog music collection. The best listening time is during late night, play it loud, with no disturbance from your surroundings. Keep on proggin' ..!

Progressively yours,

GW

Hey all you prog specialists ! I don't have anything much interesting to say about all those overwhelming reviews but it's been a longtime i have a question for you : everyone knows that the end of "Karelia" is shamelessly similar to KC's "Easy Money" but does anyone has ever noticed that Anekdoten's "The Flow" (on 1:46) has exactly the same melodic line, the same bassplay and the same chord progression that enlightened the fantastic "Röster fran minus still plus" (on 1:04) from Trettioariga Kriget's first album ? It's not a gimmick line as it is very often repeated through the track. It is so obvious that the only word for this is plagiarism. But Anekdoten having a cult status among the progheads it's almost taboo to talk about it. I hope someday you'll figure it out...

One of my favouritest albums ever ,"VEMOD", starts with mystic "Karelia"(the ending part just blos me away!),thoughtlessly pushes you into heavy rumble of "The Old Man and The Sea"/"Where Solitude Remains" and gives some time to rest in "Thoughts in Absence" calm.Then "Flow" begins; "Longing" gives a short lyrical break,but "The Wheel" throws you to the very core of it all - if you don't like it,you'll miss the whole Scandinavian Prog,believe me!!!Now get it and listen to it at least twwice a month,untill you become a real ANEKDOTEN freak!Happy madnessing!!! $*&$%&7-)

On their website the question is asked "Are Swede's unusually gloomy people?" They reply "Yes,but Finns are even gloomier".Haha! The title of ANEKDOTEN's debut album is "Vemod" which is Swedish for melancholy or sadness,so let the mellotron begin.I am so impressed with the way these guys play,i can't really just single one of them out,they all shine brightly on this record.It's interesting that Jan-Erik does all the vocals on "Vemod".Nicklas will take over that role,more and more on future albums. Jan-Erik also wrote all the lyrics except for "Thoughts In Absence" and the bonus track "Sad Rain".The band thanks Mattias Olsson and Par Lindh,as well as ANGLAGARD and LANDBERK among others. "Karelia" was a bold song to start their first record with(an instrumental),but it has become a fan favourite,and it turned out to be a perfect way to begin.It starts solemnly followed by a mellotron down-pour before a minute.It kicks into gear after 1 1/2 minutes with a chunky bass,pounding drums and angular guitar onslaught.A calm with cello after 4 minutes as tons of bottom end comes in as it builds.It's utterly fantastic as mellotron joins in.The mellotron turns into a storm after 6 minutes.Very heavy sound to end it. "The Old Man and Sea" sounds like a machine to open.Killer bass! It settles 1 1/2 minutes in as vocals come in.Love these guys! Cello plays under the vocals as piano and fat bass lines join in.This is so good. It kicks back in and i just want to shout.Angular guitar cuts through the heaviness.The mellotron 4 1/2 minutes in is beyond words as it's quite haunting and not subtle at all.Crushing soundscape 6 minutes in.It then settles as the guitar grinds away.Vocals and piano before 7 minutes.Cello ends it."Where Solitude Remains" begins with deep bass lines and mellotron,then vocals and light drums come in.Nice contrast between the heavy and light sections throughout this song.Fantastic drumming in this song.Great guitar solo 6 1/2 minutes in to end it. "Thought in Absence" is a beautiful laid back tune with fragile vocals.Very reflective and i like the vocals. "The Flow" is an incredible song.It takes a while to get going,then look out! Nicklas is just killer on his guitar.Mellotron,vocals and a calm follow the chaos before 2 minutes.More great drumming and chunky bass as the majestic mellotron flows.Amazing guitar 6 minutes in and a ton of bottom end to finish it. "Longing" is an instrumental with cello and accoustic guitar.Sad song. "Wheel" is one of my favourites.It opens powerfully before settling down before a minute with dual vocals from Jan-Erik and Anna which sound awesome! It kicks back in after 2 minutes with huge bass,angular guitar and powerful drums.The contrast continues.Very intense sound 6 minutes in. "Sad Rain" is a bonus track which was recorded during the "Nucleus" sessions.This is a mellotron drenched epic,with wonderful vocals.This is the kind of song that can never be too long.My favourite! Everytime i hear the majestic mellotron in the intro i'm moved.Beautiful vocals and a calm follow.An absolute storm before 2 minutes.This contrast continues.Check out the chunky bass after 3 minutes as mellotron comes in.I can't put into words how meaningful this song is to me. This is one of the greatest debut records i have ever heard! This is where i fell for these gloomy Swedes.It's perfect.

After being somewhat disillusioned from my introduction to Anekdoten (their next album, Nucleus), I took my time in finding Vemod. That's unfortunate, because this is a fascinating collection of noisy, anxious, and melancholy tunes. I have to admit, I only really get into this album at certain times, such as during a rainstorm or late at night. But during those times, when I'm in a apathetic or irritated state, this kind of music is the best prescription (along with Crimson's Red, of course!). Though a bit inconsistent and with little variation, there is plenty of good prog on here to make it worthwhile.

Karelia, The Old Man and the Sea, Where Solitude Remains. What a way to introduce yourself to the prog world! This excellent trifecta begins with Karelia, which features a haunting mellotron intro, only to be interrupted by an anxious, noisy, thundering bass (a signature sound of this album), and Anekdoten are on their way. Bonus points for the raw and majestic (in Anekdoten's unique way) finale. The Old Man and the Sea is probably my favorite track, with a good melody and absolutely raucus and bombastic groove in the middle. Where Solitude Remains is perhaps a bit repetitive and exposes the vocals a bit much, but it redeems itself completely at the end with a raw guitar solo over mellotron and thundering bass. Awesome trio of songs!

Thoughts in Absence, Longing. Anekdoten do experiment a bit with these two, to mixed effect. The former is an average melody with subpar vocals--completely skippable. The latter, however, is a lovely dirge featuring strings and acoustic guitar--great change-up.

The Flow, Wheel. These two bring back the noisiness. The Flow really offers little above the first three songs, but the freakout at the end is definitely something to listen for. Wheel is a fine conclusion, with nice mellotron swells and a memorable trumpet/bass "duet" in the middle.

I like this album, and it's obvious that Anekdoten had potential. My personal opinion is that they put their best material first, and that the lack of variability tends to give the sound a "samey" feel if you listen straight through. Definitely worth owning for a change-up to what you normally have in the changer.

Unlike any of those other guys on this site who are quick to find comparisons to their precious King Crimson, I am not. I understand that after listening to the album, King Crimson makes for a good comparison if you're trying to desribe the music to someone, but I've always been frustrated with the countless listeners who pigeonhole bands that take direct influence from the major 70s bands. They can't seem to accept the fact that progressive music is better than it's ever been. I'll save more of my thoughts on the subject for other albums...

So, when I listened to this album for the first time, I did not immediately say "King Crimson!!!" in my head or out loud, because this is not King Crimson and they deserve to be treated like a band that is not King Crimson, in other words, their own entity. What I hear is a very interesting combination of heavy, heavy rock music (not metal, but it is dark and heavy) with mellotron and cello. The vocals are melodic but they somtimes seem a bit distant and/or empty on this particular album. They ebb and flow between that heavy style which also incorporates disonant riffs in the vein of Robert Fripp. Oh man, even I can't escape the comparison here! Truthfully, you can hear the Fripp in those riffs almost right away, but that's the only time during the album I pointed a comparison out, I swear. But now that I'm at it, it does sound a bit like Wetton-era King Crimson.

The compositions are pretty solid, but they can be a bit redundant. The production is pretty poor as well. This is certainly the band's most derivative album, and it is pretty derivative (musically speaking), but I trust that your demand for quality supercedes your demand for originality so you can enjoy highlights like "Karelia" and "Where Solitude Remains."

Of course I would rather have a band that plays great music that is original, but if the influences are present but not obstructive, it's A-OK with me. Unfortunately the album is a bit shaky: it is too inconsistent and probably one song too long.

Good news from the future! The band started correcting these issues as soon as their next album.

It is amazing how many interesting bands a country as Sweden has generated (considering their small population).

"Anekdoten" debut album is 200% Crimson inspired and I can understand that a reviewer compared them to a Crimson tribute band. I wouldn't go to this extend, but it is true that this filiation is rather invading.

They actually mix the melodic and heavy sides of the masters. The opening track "Karelia" combines these two elements : beautiful mellotron intro followed by heavy and repetitive guitar riffs like .

And that's a bit the problem. This album sounds a bit too much like.I guess that if IQ sounds derivative to Genesis, the same applies with "Anekdoten" vs "Crimson". Both "The Old Man and the Sea" and "Where Solitude Remains" sounding too much of the same to be really breathtaking.

One of my fave (probably because it's the most symphonic) is the short "Thoughts in Absence". It has all the subtlety of a song like "I Talk To The Wind" (flute excepted). A very sweet song which totally contrasts with the strengths of "The Flow". The annoying side of VDGG is very much present here as well.

The melancholic and sad mood of "Longing" is limit depressive, but I happen to like it very much. The combination cello / acoustic guitar is so poignant. This is another tranquil song from this album, and my second fave.

"Wheel" is also brilliant. Both facets of the band are again highlighted. Strong but melodic lines are such great ingredients! This song is also magnificently powerful, yet the déjà vu feeling is impossible to avoid.

Their debut album is a good one. I wouldn't say that it is a masterpiece. If I could, I would rate this album with seven out of ten, just shy of the fourth star rating. But you might like it better if Crimson is one of your absolute fave (which is not my case) and if obvious derivative work doesn't bother you too much.

Anekdotens Vemod, the only album by this band that I like. At first I was really turned off to the serious King Crimson take offs, but after a little while, it began to grow on me, and now, I really have very little to complain about this band. Semi simple guitar playing, super chunky bass lines, and some excellent strings are what propel this group, along with an excellent drummer, who manages to find the median between, artistically talented, and pompous show off. Once again the vocals were also a turn off, choir like, and very ulverish, they don't seem to have a lot of feeling behind them, it's almost as if the singer is singing off of some sheet music given to him for the song, but once again over some time, it began to grow on me, and the strange vocals now seem to blend in almost perfectly with the very direct music.

The album starts with Koreilia, the best track on the album, showing that the mellotron is indeed still alive and breathing outside of classic prog. After this small passage were introduced to the entire band, and what immediately gets me is how frontal the bass is, it's practically the rhythm guitar, with a very trebley tone, and a bit of distortion when the lead is doing it's chromatic arpeggios, and I absolutely love it! So the song goes, as it flows from one climax to the next, leaving you exhausted. When the next song comes and introduces the vocals, you may be a bit taken back with how formal the guy is trying to sound. I don't know whether it's because he's classically trained, or he's just trying to mask some Swedish accent to sound a little more normal, wither way, along with the lyrics, it is a bit cheesy, and it's just something you have to get used to over time. The music pretty much stays the same over the rest of the album, occasionally crumbling down to some simple electric guitar, and mellotron, but the music hits a very emotional level when you get to the song longing, an all acoustic song, and I mean completely acoustic. With only Cello's and an acoustic/classical guitar, it's so soothing you could almost compare it to some post rock. Afterwards you hit the ten minueter sad rain, while it is an excellent song, a little too long, and loses interest around the fifth minute.

Like I said before, this is the only Anekdoten album I can get into. The next couple of albums are devoid of the chunky bass lines, and just seem to lose the energy that is in Vemod. I highly recommend this to people who like King Crimson, but if you're into hard core prog, this probably isn't for you. In reality the music really doesnt strike me as terribly progressive, just extremely experimental with KC influences. Good album, good band, good songs. 4 stars

Anekdoten´s debut album Vemod certainly helped ignite the swedish prog rock scene in the early nineties together with releases from bands like Landberk, The Flower Kings, Kaipa, Anglagard and Ritual. Many of the previous reviews praise this album for being a masterpiece and even though I might not agree with this all the way Vemod is certainly an excellent album.

The music has a very dark mood, and the use of cello and lots of mellotron layers makes Vemod a sombre experience. Vemod means sadness in swedish and that´s not an understatement when speaking of the emotions Anekdoten stir up on Vemod. The music is very inspired by the bass heavy King Crimson period ( Lark´s Tounges in Aspic, Starless and Bible Black and Red). There are some pretty dissonant guitar riffs too which reminds me of King Crimson in that period, but also a more modern band like Primus, but maybe that´s a bad comparison as Primus themselves are very inspired by King Crimson when it comes to the guitar style. The singer is surely an aquired taste as he has a very special voice. I´m not too happy about it, but maybe it´s something I´ll get used to over time. I´m a bit ambivalent towards the music here because on one hand Anekdoten play some great dark symphonic parts which I find beautiful, but suddenly the beauty is destroyed by the Crimsonic dissonant guitar parts which is not something I favour. The overall feeling is that of excellence though.

The musicians are very competent and I really enjoy the dark moods they create.

The production is a typical swedish production from the early nineties. This is exstemely well produced and the music profit very much from this fact.

All in all I think Vemod is a brilliant album and well deserving the 4 stars I will give it. Anekdoten don´t play my favorite style, but on the other hand you can´t deny quality. Vemod is very recommendable especially for fans of the aforementioned King Crimson albums.

What is noticeable about this record is not that it was influenced by King Crimson's 'Red', but the impact it had on other artists, many of which would be part of the prog rebirth during the cusp of the millennium. In fact on the whole, Anekdoten's 'Vemod' sounds little like Fripp and company, reminding more of a very gifted club band ready to conquer the world but still just out of reach. And that's often a group's best period. Closer in spirit to NeBeLNeST or even early Pink Floyd, frostbitten but ready to warm things up with their fresh and spirited approach to hard prog, these four Swedes delivered an impressive first outing and except for some amateurish singing, it is a hugely satisfying collection that seems to grow a little bit deeper with each spin. The dual 'trons of Nicklas Berg and Anna Dahlberg lure us with some strangeness before the band pounds in for 'Karelia', Jan Erik Liljestrom's dominant bass taking Berg's guitar through a give and take of power and melody, Peter Nordin's astounding drums the lead instrument here. More loudness for 'The Old Man & the Sea', the quartet's use of mellotron a revelation of diversity and playful artistry, atonalities up against solid rock rhythms, guitars and drums dancing through a storm of Nordic proportions. Dramatic 'Where Solitude Remains' weaves balladry with angry punk, crushingly heavy 'The Flow' features Dahlberg's gutter cello, moving lament 'Longing' grieves for friends lost in the night, and symphonics of 'Wheel' finish a thoroughly great little album.

1993 was the year prog rock clawed its way out of its grave and set about haunting old proggers, largely thanks to Scandinavia, with ANEKDOTEN's debut 'Vemod' one of the vanguards of the new/old sound. The fact that this effort, and that of ANGLAGARD and a few others, was able eventually to revive an entire genre, ought to tell you enough about the quality of the music to encourage you to give it a listen.

The debate around exactly how much this band resembles KING CRIMSON is irrelevant. (I actually think there's plenty of YES in there myself, but so what?) The primary piece of information you need to know is that this band is bass-driven. That means it's brimming with wonderful rhythms.

Now there are plenty of reviewers out there ready to give ANEKDOTEN a good spanking for sounding derivative. To them Progressive Rock either died in the late 1970s or is still alive, but quite different to what we enjoyed in the so-called 'golden age'. I don't buy it, myself. What other category would you place this music in? And why does it matter who it sounds like? Who says 'I'm not using this photocopier because it works just like a Xerox?' To my mind there ought to be NO points for originality in the world. All the points should be awarded for excellence. Consider this on its merits.

And there are plenty of merits. JAN LILJESTROM's bass is spectacular, capturing the CHRIS SQUIRE sound almost perfectly. Less jazzy, but it still sounds like he pinched SQUIRE's old Rickenbacker and gives it a good thrashing. Allied with the FRIPP-like guitar and enormous lashings of mellotron, the band surely evokes the 1970s. None of which would be relevant if their material was sub-par. Happily, it isn't. They write very good material indeed. The addition of the cello does add a unique dimension to their sound - and, luckily, they know not to overuse it.

'Vemod' is ANEKDOTEN's first album and it shows, but it's still a great debut. The greatest hindrance here is the vocals, a little fragile and over-precise for such muscular music. The mix has been carefully engineered so LILJESTROM's voice isn't lost entirely. It would have helped if he'd been given some memorable melodies, but the rest of the band stole those. Added to this are the cliched lyrics, which spoil the dark mood generated by the music. He'll get better on subsequent releases.

ANEKDOTEN are a band all proggers ought to check out. While not their best, this is an excellent place to start. Laden with dark atmospherics, strong melodies, wonderful mellotron climaxes and emotional reveries, 'Vemod' is an excellent album.

They're Swedish, and they've obviously listened to a lot of King Crimson!

What more could you ask for, really? Scandinavia has always brought us some of the best prog and best heavy performances and having been over there I can't exactly say why - because they're all such nice people! They didn't really seem all that dark at the time. But clearly the brooding evil factor to some of their citizens lurks somewhere because this is one of the heaviest albums I've heard in quite some time. One thing that can be noticed right off the bat about this album is the ever-dominant bass which constantly bombards the listener and cracks their floor if they have a big enough sub woofer. Where do all the Krimson references come from - some may ask - well, while they're not knockoffs of the Crimson King, they certainly have a Red feel to them in their sharp guitar riffs, contrasted greatly and harshly by that evil and pressing bass. Though the vocals take a bit of time to get used to at first (the accent is thick as molasses) they're quite good and suit the music well with his low-tone-no-growl style. How would I describe the music in a couple of words? Take the bass riff from Roundabout, tune it down and get Les Claypool to play it and then make Red era Fripp come up with a guitar riff to it. That sounds about right.

All the songs on the album are nicely mid lengthed, and while an album full of seven minute songs can become tiresome quite easily with some bands these guys manage to do it quite well by throwing in the occasional curve ball. All of the songs are structured to work well on their own, and they do, as well as being well placed on the album to make it flow very well. It opens with the instrumental Karelia which is the first time the heavy ass bass is introduced. Spectacular riffing fireworks in the background make for quite a ride until we're handed off to the first track with vocals. The Old Man And The Sea is another heavy affair that will leave you shook to the core after being pounded by Anekdoten power.

The rest of the album doesn't slow down (in terms of quality) either. Whether it be the frantic pace and bass of Where Solitude Remains, the slow and brooding Thoughts In Absence or the melancholic instrumental Longing the entire album is quite a treat. Wheel starts off with a very 21st Century Schizoid riff and moves onto a slower section with some very dark and creepy voice effects before turning into an instrumental section of madness complete with mellotron and that sweet, sweet bass.

Coming into the end though we get a very nice treat. Sad Rain is an excellent 10-minute mini-epic which, as some others have mentioned, is completely soaked in mellotron goodness and all the excellent darkness of the other tracks. If there's one thing Anekdoten can do very well is create an almost black hole of music that sucks you into absolute darkness, and this track really epitomizes that. Just listen to the opening section of this song and you'll see what I mean. Sad Rain is a perfectly fitting title as well as it really has that melancholic feel to it.

This album is perfect for people who want some heavy. A lot of bass and a lot of piercing guitars make for a fantastic listen. Hesitant to give this one a perfect 5, it certainly deserves a 4.5 at least just because of not only how good the music is performed, but how well they manage to create an atmosphere for the audience to be drawn into. 4.5 sad rain drops out of 5, an excellent album that will hold a fine place in any prog rock collection!

Swedish quartet Anekdoten was one of those Scandinavian ensembles that reinvigorated the prog scene in the 90s, with "Vemod" being the debt statement. Not unlike Anglagård and Landberk, the Crimsonnian element was a strong component in the forge of the band's sound, but in the particular case of Anekdoten, the Prog King's heritage is recreated in a more visceral fashion, with a more liberal use of heavy sonorities and a major predominance of teh psychedelic factor. You can also notice hints to early Univers Zero, teh standard of Goth rock and contemporary psyche-rock, which results in the achievement of a pretty dark marriage of aggressiveness and oppressiveness. The amounts of skill and energy that each individual member states in the overall amalgam are undeniably impressive, and that's the reason why the sonic aggression work so well - it's a perfectly joint effort, a joint challenge to the Crimson-loyal prog fan who isn't afraid to explore and look at their own demons while listening to prog rock. Berg's guitar can deliver ultra-hard riffs and subtle chord progressions with equal sensibility; the beautiful cellist Anna Sofi Dahlberg can adapt the instrument's inherent solemnity to the tracks' respective moods and developments. Both members share mellotron duties: the presence of this iconic instrument, of course, helps to reinforce the band's connection to the prog genre's roots. The rhythm duo supports the overall sonic journeys, being particularly featured in the mix (especially regading Liljesröm's obsession for the fuzzed bass).After an ethereal intro of mellotron an cello, 'Karelia' erupts with pompous flames that burn everything along the way using its rough sonorities as weapons. Things remains as strong in 'The Old Man & the Sea' and 'Where Solitude Remains', although both tracks include additional nuances through the themes' developments, which in turn creates a somewhat bigger diversity within the well-defined framework. Melancholy expressed with an anger that aims to make the frustration clearly explicit - this seems to be the resolute leitmotif. 'Thoughts in Absence' changes things quite a bit when that melancholy is delivered in a more languid manner, developing a dense semi-ballad where at times things seem to be actually whispering... A nice mood wrapped in an autumnal reflectiveness. The sense of urgent anger returns with a vengeance in 'The Flow', which really flows in an electrifying fashion: all in all, it doesn't bear the same sense of sophistication that had made the best of the first 3 pieces, but it is indeed a very good track. 'Longing' is an oasis of lyrical meditation among the overall emotional tension: it is a beautiful instrumental based on the interaction between classical guitar arpeggios and cello lines, a chamber-friendly serenade nurtured with added pastoral moods. After this moment of spiritual solace comes the amazing closing song, arguably the best Anekdoten composition ever - I'm referring to 'Wheel'. Its management of contrasts and the liberal use of mellotron (strings, woodwind, brass), sustained on the robust rhythm section bring out the band's essence at its most epic. Perhaps one could feel that the energy prevalent in tracks 1-3 and the dynamics of track 5 were anticipations of the final splendor delivered in the last track. A great closure for a great album, "Vemod" is a reminder of the sort of progressive greatness that Anekdoten were capable of creating even from their "cradle days".

As Anekdoten started life as a band playing King Crimson covers it's hardly surprising that when they got round to writing their own songs they came across as sounding very much in the vein of Crimson. They belong to a group of prog bands to emerge from Sweeden in the early nineties including the likes of Anglagard, unlike whom are still active today.

Vemod whilst not their best is nevertheless a stunning debut by anyone's standards. Their songs combine a melancholic beauty largely down to Anna Sofi Dahlberg's use of Mellotron and occasional cello, with bombastic Robert Fripp inspired guitar riffs courtesy of Nicklas Berg. Jan Erik Liljeström's bass often takes a front seat with an incredibly powerful, pummelling sound who along with excellent and sympathetic to whats required drummer Peter Nordins make up a brilliant rhythm section.

The King Crimson influences largely come from mid seventies period, say between Larks Tongues In Aspic and Red but earlier Crimson influences can also be heard, for example on the likes of the more reflective Thoughts In Absence. All this talk of Crimson influences gives the impression that Anekdoten don't have an original idea in their heads but they give their sound an inventive and contempory edge and Berg's vocals have a haunting melancholic quality in no way reminiscent of Greg Lake and John Wetton.

On an album of such consistent quality it's churlish to single out individual tracks for praise and such are its strengths, Vemod is an album I never tire of listening to from start to finish.

Anekdoten's debut is a dark and powerful album that should appeal to all admirers of King Crimson's Red. Unless those people would say that only King Crimson is allowed to create churning bass driven rock in weird time signatures with dissonant guitar power chords and smoky vocals!

So that pretty much sums up how they sound. Maybe add the brooding atmosphere and entrancing pace of Magma to the list and you might have a good idea of what Anekdoten is all about on their debut album. Oh yes, there's even more, they really pull it off really well.

I would almost give 5 stars here but as they would still grow on further albums I'll stick with 4. Nevertheless, you really shouldn't miss this slab of muscle prog!