FROM WITHIN

Like their previous, second studio album "Nucleus", "From Within" reveals Anekdoten moving away from the accusation of being a Krimson-covers/imitator band. With this record there is a level of considerable musical independence, while hanging on to some of those early roots which makes their sound both gut punching and cerebral at the same time, with mellotron(s), guitar, bass, drums and the occasional cello and vibes. Anekdoten have uncovered a rich vein of music only skimmed over originally by Fripp and Co. in the mid 70's, and and this Swedish quartet have refined and processed it , giving out something new.

"Nucleus" was a heavy album, with only a little light relief from its stridency. In comparison, "From Within" is an album of light and shade. A couple of the tunes can be heard road-tested on their earlier double Japanese import, "Official Bootleg" but here have evolved into something tight and different. The newer tracks surprise because they show significant movement forward.

The 13 minute piece "Hole" is outstanding and is recommended as an example of Anekdoten's musical style. The track opens with an anthemic explosion by the band, mellotron-lead. Anekdoten know how the mellotron can be used to provoke emotions- as Krimson did on their classic "Epitaph" - honed for instance as part of a 4 mellotron set up, known as Mort Macabre on an album covering Italian horror film music. After the heightened emotional ache, the sound subsides to the vocals: both the words and the inflection are reflective and (let's say it again) angst ridden. Vibes break into the background, as a bell chiming/tolling. By the middle of the tune the pace has dropped to an idle walk, the refrain set to repeat in a mantra-like way: indicating deep thought? The mellotron powerfully breaks in, as a reality beckons the thinker out of the depths. The end is inconclusive but suggests many things. The ambiguity of the piece reflects the maturity of the musicians.

Brilliant - a word that should not be used too often.