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== Discography ==

Albums

#1 (CDR, 1997)

Egotik (CDR, 1999)

Hælvetes dyster EP (CD, 2000)

Compilations

Psychoactivated 1 (Psycho active records, 1997)

Psychoactivated 4 (Psycho active records, 1999)

Oslo Synthfestival 1999

Sex.:.goth.:.electronics (Tatra, 2000)

Oslo Synthfestival 2001

== Biography & History ==

In 1993, Nikolai (Nikko) Kleppe, Henrik Brautaset Aronsen and Tollef Ladehaug decided that listening to other people's music was not enough. Using Henrik's old computer (Amiga 500), they made the first couple of songs and sketches for later compositions.

Throughout the the early 2000's, Anax imperator had come a long way musically. The development from the first sketchy versions of Lotus Drive (né Hipdrome I-IV) to the songs on the 2002 demo for the forthcoming album "Nëcropop", has been a huge one. Originally an EBM-related band, they have during the years incorporated gothic moods and harmonies into their music, added more danceable rhythm-sections and more complex structures to get the sound they have as of 2003: necropop: a blend of EBM, gothic, synth pop and industrial.

Autumn 2001 Anax added a new member to the group: Per Christian Nilsen is sound engineer and technical consultant both in studio and live.

Words are weapons

The lyrics mainly written by Nikko, in many ways reflect the band's viewpoints on politics, although some are more abstract or emotional. It may not be so obvious, but some of their lyrics are actually about love. With some help from Nikko, Tollef has written a couple of love songs, (Safety in Bondage, Head on the Slab) and Nikko and Tollef worked together on the song Cthulhu.

Topics range from the overtly political (Life vs Itself, Silent War) to elegies of sorts, like Life In Vein, which was made after the deaths of two friends at the hands of drug abuse (Ingunn Harberg and Christian Koslowski).

Another important feature in the lyrics of Anax imperator is the mental and physical abuse people inflict on each other. Nikko writes these lyrics (Head, Pandaemonium) out of personal experience and a wish to show that psycopaths are not invariably men and victims of domestic violence are not always women; that one should not believe the myths that perpetuate gender stereotypes, whatever they may be.

Freedom to be

In general, Anax wish to express their disapproval of whatever force, individual or corporate, that tries to limit individual and personal freedom. Artistic freedom is also important for Anax imperator. This includes working with stage and performance concepts as well as music and lyrics. A concert with them marries music, lyrics and strong visual impressions. They have used video installments, computer animations, installations, masks and theatrical effects to emphasize their music on stage, in order to give the audience the show they mean they deserve. Too many bands play their music on stage as they would in a studio and in recent years more and more bands "mime" on stage, without even plugging in the instruments they "play" on. Not so with Anax. A live show is supposed to be performed live, with the challenges and uniqueness this gives to each gig. Inspired by industrial live-acts like Skinny Puppy, Das Ich and Frontline Assembly and gothic, sci-fi and tech-noir films, Anax imperator always strive to be on the cutting edge of Norwegian live-acts.

Anax imperator's track record adds up to more than thirty gigs (as of 2003), all met with ever-growing enthusiasm from their audiences. On the local scene they are viewed as pioneers in the area of industrial and gothic music and we already enjoy the respect and friendship of other bands and people connected to the Norwegian darkwave scene.

Image

Imagewise Anax usually present themselves in an atypical manner, as far as gothic is concerned, wearing suits on press-photos and live-shows (although Nikko's make-up is strictly gothic). The reason is simple. There does not exist an outfit more symbolic of evil than a suit. Most of the really evil people on this planet are, and have been, government officials, heads of state, leaders of multinational corporations and other authority figures. By taking their symbols: the flawless suit and tie, they wish to demask and reveal the true enemies of mankind and the planet as a whole.


== External Links ==

Anax Imperator official website