ANEKDOTEN - Until All The Ghosts Are Gone 24/96 hi-res new release!

It is a great year so far for progressive rock.

Last summer saw a new record from Opeth, this year Steven Wilson - in both cases, simply masterpiece level work.

Now - Anekdoten.

Unfortunately, aside from the odd pocket of prog-dom this excellent Swedish band are not well know in North America.

Unfortunate, and hopefully new record Until All The Ghosts Are Gone will change that. This is an amazing record.

I have the hi-res 24/96 files, and they are superb sounding. There is little to no compression added, there are wonderful dynamics. That alone justifies going the hi-res route over CD. The tonality is very much realistic and must surely be the closest to how the band sounded in the studio.

So in terms of sound - a winner, in hi-res. This is as it should be - the hi-res should be the ultimate in sound.

Anekdoten very much have their own sound, although the lineage comes through unmistakably - Poseidon era King Crimson, bands from the U.K. scene such as Cressida, and the Swedish scene such as Young Flowers even - yet a very much modern prog band of the moment, taking those influences forward - heavier elements, as well as some wonderfully pastoral ones. The connection to Porcupine Tree, Opeth and King Crimson is reinforced by the presence of members of those bands in guest spots.

This may well be the best work Anekdoten have done so far. Their last was a good record, but this surpasses that - maybe even Gravity, which has until now been my favorite. The record is sequenced just perfectly, it flows together organically and the 6 songs flow into each other seamlessly, suspending time, and grabbing the listener. An immersive and magnetic experience.

The mellotron is a strong voice, but the lead guitar is superb, the playing is fantastic - searing, electric - the bass playing reminds me as lot of John Paul Jones (strangely), and their is powerful drumming of great accomplishment. The band seems more organic and unified as a voice than ever before. There is not a weak track here, in fact, strong as each individual track is, the whole comes together as greater than the parts - a rare album that does that.

I can't recommend this highly enough. Until All The Ghosts Are Gone is a wonderful record and in hi-res sounds glorious. This will surely be one of the best records of 2015 in any genre.