WAKING THE DEAD - LIVE IN JAPAN 2005

I remember still vividly the time that I started to write about prog for Dutch SI Magazine, in the early Nineties, and as a Tron-maniac I was asked to review a few interesting new bands from Skandinavia, named Anglagard, Landberk and Anekdoten. Listening to these bands turned out to be a mindblowing musical experience, what a wonderful, often compeling and Mellotron drenched prog this was, wow! This trio speerheaded the New Wave Of Skandinavian Prog, from Paatos to Beardfish, from White Willow to Wobbler, and from Morte Macabre tot Par Lindh Project, to name a few. After all those years Anekdoten has become my favorite Skandinavian prog band, and I was lucky to witness the band two times (De Pul and De Boerderij). In my opinion Anekdoten is a band that rises to the occasion on stage, more powerful, more compelling, and, last but nost least, a more lush Mellotron sound. On Waking The Dead, Live In Japan 2005 you can experience that unique Anekdoten sound in its full splendor.

Heavy and agressive with a thunderous rhythm-section, propulsive guitar riffs and floods of Mellotron violins in Monolith, From Within and Kiss Of Life.

Hypnotizing with twanging electric guitar and soaring Mellotron female choirs in Hole, and the previously unreleased track Moons Of Mars and The Sun Absolute.

Slow rhythms with a very compelling atmosphere featuring a melancholical undertone, often embellished with a lush Mellotron violins sound in Gravity and the previsously unreleased track This Too Will Pass.

The final composition Sad Rain (additonal bonustrack on the remastered CD version of their debut album Vemod) is 'a wet dream for Tron-maniacs', due to the intense Mellotron violins soaken eruptions, an obvious tribute to In The Court Of The Crimson King. Because Anekdoten started as a prog band playing King Crimson compositions, but the band succeeded to incorporate the King Crimson hints with lots of interesting own musical ideas, thumbs up for their incredible musical development. Anekdoten is not only my favorite Skandinavian prog band, but also one of my favorite post-70s and 80s progressive rock formations.

Highly recommended .... to be more specific, a must!