FROM WITHIN

Once again Anekdoten have tried to make an album that lies somewhere between Joy Division's CLOSER and 1970s King Crimson at their gloomiest, and once again one must admit they've succeeded. From Joy Division they inherited stately, funereal tempos; plangent, dirge-like vocals; Bible-black lyrics and a prominent, rumbling bass. (It is, of course, entirely possible that they weren't influenced by Joy Division directly; they may have listened quite a lot to intermediate bands I know very little about, such as Soundgarden or Sonic Youth.) From Crimso they inherited, above all, (apart from that rumbling bass which may also remind you of John Wetton) Bob Fripp's dissonant guitar excursions and a penchant for glorious, pseudo-orchestral mellotron climaxes. Indeed, by now Anekdoten are absolute, unrivalled MASTERS of the Mature Mellotron Climax; whenever they insert one of these, it's a joy... I can find only one point where the band get it wrong, and it comes at the start of their second number, 'Kiss of Life'. If your opening tune ('From within') ends majestically, surely it's a mistake to open the next piece with exactly the same sound and in the same key?

Anyway, several of the tracks here belong to the best I've ever heard by this band. 'Hole' and 'Slow Fire', in particular, are two pieces every prog lover should hear. Anekdoten achieve an emotional intensity that's rare in prog - and thank heaven they do this without resorting to growling, shrieking or other types of intimidation. I also find it remarkable that their music is restrained and free of empty virtuosity: every note helps determine the album's mood. Twenty years ago, who would have predicted that such mature prog would emerge out of Scandinavia? You could argue, of course, that all that wallowing in darkest melancholy seems a little 'adolescent', but compared to certain other bands (Radiohead, for example), the gloom is never 'in-yer-face'. And time after time, those magical mellotrons save the day! I'm keen to explore Anekdoten's other work.

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