Sweden
In the early 90s a wave of King Crimson inspired new progrock bands emerged in Scandinavia. One of the first was four piece formation Anekdoten from Sweden and they are still alive and progging, unlike their promising contemporaries Anglagard and Landberk.
Anekdoten their roots are in 1990 when Nicklas Berg (guitar and Mellotron) and Jan Erik Liljestrom (bass and vocals) decide to found a band to make progressive rock music. They name the band King Edward and the musicians start to rehearse, soon accompanied by percussionist Peter Nordin. Their repertoire consists of songs from King Crimson. In 1990 Anna Sofi Dahlberg joins King Edward, this inspires them to intensify their rehearsals, to write own compositions, to rename the band into Anekdoten and to release two demo-tapes under their new name in 1991 and 1992. With the second demo things start to roll for Anekdoten because several Skandinavian progressive rock labels show their attention and invite the band to make a CD on their label. But the band prefers to release their debut album entitled Vemod on their own label in the Spring of 1993. The press hails the obviously KING CRIMSON inspired and Mellotron drenched compositions. A strong point in the music from Anekdoten is the hugh tension between the mellow, often melancholical climates and the dynamic parts delivering ROBERT FRIPP-inspired howling electric guitar, an aggressive and propulsive bass and splendid drumwork.
In 1994 Anekdoten starts a worldwide tour (including Sweden, Norway, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, USA and Canada) with an acclaimed performance on the annual USA progressive rock festival Progfest as their absolute highlight. Some tracks from that treat of a concert are present on the "Nearfest 1994" double live CD and video.
Late 1995 Anekdoten releases their eagerly awaited second album entitled "Nucleus", the band succeeds to sound more original and is on the way to develop an own musical identity.
The next year Anekdoten tours around the same big European countries, but Japan turns out to be by far the most important country in which they've played and impressed a lot (after Sweden). Vemod soon gets re-released, followed by a mini-CD called "Live EP". Three shows the band performed in Japan, in 1997, lead to the release of an important double CD entitled "Official Bootleg - Live in Japan" (including five previously unreleased tracks), on year later. Tours reach, in the same year, the full North American continent..
In the autumn of 1998 Nicklas Berg and Peter Nordins team up with Stefan Dimle and Reine Fiske from LANDBERK to form the band MORTE MACABRE, also release a debut, mainly playing soundtrack themes from horror-movies.
In 1999 Anekdoten announces and releases its third studio album, "From Within" pushing forwards a progrock music with a particularly evolved style: very dynamic and compelling compositions featuring two different singers, a powerful bass, splendid, very creative and propulsive drums and many waves of the unsurpassed Mellotron. The vocals have a bit melancholical undertone that fits perfectly to the music. The instrumental variety ranges from Wurlitzer - and Fender Rhodes piano to vibraphone and Hammond organ (by producer Peter Nordin). Soon after, the band tours in major European and South-American countries. 2000 sees them in the annual USA progrock festival NEARfest.
After experiencing a considerable hiatus, Anekdoten rejoin to work and play, unfortunately without the wonderful cello chasm of Anna Sofi Dahlberg, and release, in 2003, Gravity. The sound remains of a typic Anekdoten strength, but is also more varied and experimental.
The next three years mean a lot of gigs, most notable being their first tour in Poland, then the Baja Prog Festival in Mexico, an European tour with Ritual, a Norwegian tour, the Burg Herzberg Festival in Germany and two shows in Tokyo in Japan. These Japanese shows are recorded and released on the live album "Waking The Dead, Live in Japan 2005" in 2005 on the Japanese label Arcangelo. In 2006 Anekdoten starts the rehearsals for their fifth studio album entitled "A Time Of Day", released a year later. It's remarkable that this new album sounds more as a successor to "From Within" than their previous effort "Gravity".
From sound to composition and from effects to emotions, this album encourages the idea of Anekdoten staying one of the strongest prog bands of the contemporary period. And looking back at Anekdoten their history, it's amazing how they have turned from an obviously King Crimson inspired formation into a worldwide acclaimed progrock band with an own identity delivering great tension and dynamics and an omnipresent sound of the Mellotron as their trademark. In fact Anekdoten has become Anekdoten!
In the early 90s a wave of King Crimson inspired new progrock bands emerged in Scandinavia. One of the first was four piece formation Anekdoten from Sweden and they are still alive and progging, unlike their promising contemporaries Anglagard and Landberk.
Anekdoten their roots are in 1990 when Nicklas Berg (guitar and Mellotron) and Jan Erik Liljestrom (bass and vocals) decide to found a band to make progressive rock music. They name the band King Edward and the musicians start to rehearse, soon accompanied by percussionist Peter Nordin. Their repertoire consists of songs from King Crimson. In 1990 Anna Sofi Dahlberg joins King Edward, this inspires them to intensify their rehearsals, to write own compositions, to rename the band into Anekdoten and to release two demo-tapes under their new name in 1991 and 1992. With the second demo things start to roll for Anekdoten because several Skandinavian progressive rock labels show their attention and invite the band to make a CD on their label. But the band prefers to release their debut album entitled Vemod on their own label in the Spring of 1993. The press hails the obviously KING CRIMSON inspired and Mellotron drenched compositions. A strong point in the music from Anekdoten is the hugh tension between the mellow, often melancholical climates and the dynamic parts delivering ROBERT FRIPP-inspired howling electric guitar, an aggressive and propulsive bass and splendid drumwork.
In 1994 Anekdoten starts a worldwide tour (including Sweden, Norway, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, USA and Canada) with an acclaimed performance on the annual USA progressive rock festival Progfest as their absolute highlight. Some tracks from that treat of a concert are present on the "Nearfest 1994" double live CD and video.
Late 1995 Anekdoten releases their eagerly awaited second album entitled "Nucleus", the band succeeds to sound more original and is on the way to develop an own musical identity.
The next year Anekdoten tours around the same big European countries, but Japan turns out to be by far the most important country in which they've played and impressed a lot (after Sweden). Vemod soon gets re-released, followed by a mini-CD called "Live EP". Three shows the band performed in Japan, in 1997, lead to the release of an important double CD entitled "Official Bootleg - Live in Japan" (including five previously unreleased tracks), on year later. Tours reach, in the same year, the full North American continent..
In the autumn of 1998 Nicklas Berg and Peter Nordins team up with Stefan Dimle and Reine Fiske from LANDBERK to form the band MORTE MACABRE, also release a debut, mainly playing soundtrack themes from horror-movies.
In 1999 Anekdoten announces and releases its third studio album, "From Within" pushing forwards a progrock music with a particularly evolved style: very dynamic and compelling compositions featuring two different singers, a powerful bass, splendid, very creative and propulsive drums and many waves of the unsurpassed Mellotron. The vocals have a bit melancholical undertone that fits perfectly to the music. The instrumental variety ranges from Wurlitzer - and Fender Rhodes piano to vibraphone and Hammond organ (by producer Peter Nordin). Soon after, the band tours in major European and South-American countries. 2000 sees them in the annual USA progrock festival NEARfest.
After experiencing a considerable hiatus, Anekdoten rejoin to work and play, unfortunately without the wonderful cello chasm of Anna Sofi Dahlberg, and release, in 2003, Gravity. The sound remains of a typic Anekdoten strength, but is also more varied and experimental.
The next three years mean a lot of gigs, most notable being their first tour in Poland, then the Baja Prog Festival in Mexico, an European tour with Ritual, a Norwegian tour, the Burg Herzberg Festival in Germany and two shows in Tokyo in Japan. These Japanese shows are recorded and released on the live album "Waking The Dead, Live in Japan 2005" in 2005 on the Japanese label Arcangelo. In 2006 Anekdoten starts the rehearsals for their fifth studio album entitled "A Time Of Day", released a year later. It's remarkable that this new album sounds more as a successor to "From Within" than their previous effort "Gravity".
From sound to composition and from effects to emotions, this album encourages the idea of Anekdoten staying one of the strongest prog bands of the contemporary period. And looking back at Anekdoten their history, it's amazing how they have turned from an obviously King Crimson inspired formation into a worldwide acclaimed progrock band with an own identity delivering great tension and dynamics and an omnipresent sound of the Mellotron as their trademark. In fact Anekdoten has become Anekdoten!
ALBUMS:
2007 - A TIME OF DAY
Musicians
- Nicklas Barker / vocals, guitar, Mellotron, keyboards
- Anna Sofi Dahlberg / vocals, Mellotron, violin, synthesizers
- Jan Erik Liljeström / vocals, bass guitar
- Peter Nordins / drums, percussion
Guest musician:
- Gunnar Bergsten / flute
1. The Great Unknown (6:22)
2. 30 Pieces (7:13)
3. King Oblivion (5:02)
4. A Sky About To Rain (6:29)
5. Every Step I Take (3:06)
6. Stardust And Sand (4:29)
7. In For A Ride (6:47)
8. Prince Of The Ocean (5:30)
Total Time: 44:58
Look!!
