WAKING THE DEAD - LIVE IN JAPAN 2005

This live CD should cement Anekdoten's status as the indisputable best band inspired by the classic "Red" Crimson sound. The performances on this disk recorded before what sounds like a smallish but very enthusiastic audience are, in a word, thunderous, even more dynamic than their studio counterparts. The rhythm section really cuts through, and the bass sound is monolithic. And of course, there are great slabs of mellotron to be heard here. The band also acquits themselves very well as tuneful vocalists. Anekdoten gives a nice overview of their career, and I'm glad they included many songs from the occasionally- maligned Gravity, their best studio album IMO and one of my favourite prog albums. The two new pieces, "Moons of Mars" and "This Too Will Pass" are moody instrumental burners in keeping with the band's later, more spacy work, and well worth the price of the CD alone. All Anekdoten admirers should pick this up ASAP, and even though you may have to look for it, I'd recommend this album as the perfect introduction to this quintessential dark prog band for those who want to try it out. You won't regret it.