VEMOD

Devastatingly beautiful, mellotron-heavy, grief-swollen, and excruciatingly abrasive - this is the sound presented by Swedish band Anekdoten on their 1993 debut album 'Vemod', one of the most significant and far-reaching albums of the progressive revival of the nineties. This is a dark, desperate and melancholic work that exhibits certain qualities pertaining to gothic rock, but at the core of 'Vemod' lies the epic, technical writing that Anekdoten mastered gracefully, jazz-tinted rhythm sections, scorching dissonance with aggressive riffs counteracted by the swirling mellotron soundscapes and gorgeous cello parts, or in a word, a fabulous work of progressive excellence, unique in its style, approach and mood, definitive of its era, and allowing this incredible band of talented Swedish musicians to go on and develop this particular groove of their own, their compelling style that blends progressive rock's complexity and theatrics, with the moodiness and ingenuity of the alternative and gothic scenes.

On 'Vemod', the cathartic musical journey of the Nicklas Berg-led quarter develops swiftly within a dense framework of sounds that harken back to some of those classic mid-70s progressive rock albums, dark and menacing, eager and visionary, and as the band exhibits a taste for King Crimson and Goblin, among others, the listener surrenders himself to an audacious rendition of these classic sounds - heavy, distorted and evidently sorrowful, rendering this debut album a fascinating and important part of the Swedish progressive scene. Manic opener 'Karelia' is a signature piece from Anekdoten, a song that introduces and encapsulates perfectly what this entire album is all about. Followed by the drab and epic 'The Old Man and the Sea', the mellotron-heavy sound dominates the atmosphere, whereas numbers like 'Where Solitude Remains' and 'The Flow' reveal the technical capabilities of each member. Tender and acoustic-driven shorter songs grace this album, too, offering an antidote to the otherwise dense nature of the longer compositions, and how could one forget to mention the pensive and mournful tone of 'Sad Rain'. 'Vemod' is a mesmerizing, hypnotic work with a unique, ominous atmosphere and a recognizable, unique sound, not much more that you can ask for from a progressive rock album.

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