Anekdoten are one of the towering bands of the modern progressive rock revival — a Swedish group who, alongside Änglagård and Landberk, dragged vintage 70s prog thrillingly back to life in the early 1990s. Formed in 1990 and built around the core quartet of guitarist Nicklas Barker, bassist and vocalist Jan Erik Liljeström, cellist and keyboardist Anna Sofi Dahlberg and drummer Peter Nordins, Anekdoten forged a sound of brooding, mellotron-drenched intensity, drawing above all on the heavy, angular menace of King Crimson’s Red. Dark, heavy and utterly distinctive, they are among the finest bands the genre has produced in decades. Here is every Anekdoten studio album, ranked from worst to best.

The short version

At the top sit their twin early masterpieces, the King Crimson-inspired Vemod (1993) and the heavier Nucleus (1995), with the triumphant return Until All the Ghosts Are Gone close behind. At the other end, the gentler A Time of Day tends to divide even the faithful. The full ranking is below.

How we rank them

This is one fan’s honest take on Anekdoten’s six studio albums — we have set aside the live records, EPs and compilations to focus on the full-lengths. We weigh atmosphere, heaviness, songwriting and that unmistakable double-mellotron sound. The facts are accurate; the order is where the arguments begin.

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The lower reaches

6. A Time of Day (2007)

A quieter, more subdued album, leaning further into gentle melody and restraint, with the mellotrons as lush as ever. Beautiful and atmospheric, but a touch less gripping than their heavier work. A fine if lesser entry.

5. Gravity (2003)

Their most melodic and accessible album to that point, trading some of the old menace for a warmer, more distinctly Scandinavian beauty. A fan favourite that some rank among their very best, even if it divides the purists. A lovely, mellower record.

The middle of the pack

4. From Within (1999)

The third album, where the band began to broaden their palette, easing away from pure Crimsonian heaviness toward a more melodic, atmospheric approach. Consistent and richly rewarding, if a shade less ferocious than the first two. A strong, underrated record.

The upper tier

3. Until All the Ghosts Are Gone (2015)

A triumphant return to form after an eight-year silence, combining the heaviness of their early work with the melody of their later albums, and graced by guest turns from King Crimson’s Theo Travis. Powerful, assured and deeply moving, from the epic opener “Shooting Star”. A latter-day triumph.

The masterpieces

2. Nucleus (1995)

Probably their heaviest album, all metallic, down-tuned riffs and rampaging tempos, yet never sacrificing the hazy, melancholic atmosphere, crowned by the explosive “Book of Hours”. A stunner from a band who had become a well-oiled machine. A near-masterpiece.

1. Vemod (1993)

The masterpiece: the debut whose title means “melancholy” in Swedish, and one of the defining records of the entire prog revival, taking the heavy, angular menace of King Crimson’s Red and drenching it in mournful cello and vast mellotron, from the doom-laden “Karelia” onwards. Dark, heavy and hauntingly beautiful. The definitive Anekdoten album, and the place to begin.

Every Anekdoten album, ranked

The full ranking at a glance, best to worst.

Where to start

New to Anekdoten? Begin with Vemod (1993), their King Crimson-inspired masterpiece and one of the defining albums of the prog revival, and the heavier Nucleus (1995). From there, the triumphant return Until All the Ghosts Are Gone and the transitional From Within await. Few catalogues in modern prog are this dark or this rewarding.

The verdict

Few bands of the prog revival have aged as gracefully, or burned as brightly, as Anekdoten — a group who took the darkest, heaviest corner of 70s progressive rock and made it entirely their own, all pounding bass, mournful cello and vast walls of mellotron. Across three decades and a mere handful of albums, they have never released a weak one, and their willingness to take years between records has only sharpened their focus. With the same four musicians who started it all, they remain one of modern prog’s most treasured cult institutions. Whether you begin with the masterpiece Vemod or the heavier Nucleus, there is a wealth of dark, magnificent, richly atmospheric prog to discover here.

Go deeper

Keep exploring: count down their finest tracks with the best Anekdoten songs, browse our pick of their best Anekdoten albums, or head back to the full directory of every prog band’s discography, ranked.

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