Inspired By...

http://www.whack.org/~ken/

If Sepultura was my "Slayer," then Anacrusis was my "Metallica." As a long-haired high-schooler, and later a longer-haired college student, Anacrusis was the be-all and end-all of heavy music as far as I was concerned. The fact that they were local (St. Louis), and I could see just about every show they played was only part of the equation; I probably would have caught this band anyway.

Being angry, sad, alienated, and everything else involved with life isn't anything different. How Anacrusis dealt with those things was unique for a metal band, in the use of thought, reflection, and even logic instead of tired posturing as a substitute for angst. Making the music reflect the difficulties and emotions realistically and beautifully without sacrificing intensity is what set them apart in my eyes.

I like all of their work, even the primitive enthusiasm of Suffering Hour. They took a lot more influence from Slayer and Forbidden in those days, but they arrived at many of the same musical conclusions as the Norwegian black metal bands independently. Suffering Hour's crappy production and ripping speed, gripped by dark semi-melody aren't all that different to early Emperor, Enslaved, Mayhem, and Darkthrone. Even before Sepultura hit the mainstream, early Anacrusis proved that thrash metal could approach death metal in visceral appeal. Since Suffering Hour was largely music written by Nardi and Kevin Heidbreder prior to the formation of Anacrusis, the band concept hadn't really congealed yet.

Reason was more polar, and uglier, but the real exploration of members' emotions, and subsequent evolution of the "real" Anacrusis began here. Reason is very uncompromising, sacrificing beauty for the pure statement. The main device was unpredictability, with quiet interludes erupting into violent thrash with a deliberately awkward aesthetic. When you're young, and you haven't quite learned to control the things in your own head, it's an approach that lends itself a lot of empathy. In many ways, Reason "made" me. "Quick to Doubt" is among my personal anthems. Sometimes I still realize that I'm subconsciously forcing myself to screw up, and I remember "Quick to Doubt" long enough to refocus.

Manic Impressions was cold, stark, and chilling. The digital production format honed the guitars into single razors of metal on metal, scraping against each other with leaping sparks. Bass player John Emery got a lot of deserved recognition for his contributions, and the use of the bass as a third guitar rather than a rhythm source enhanced the chill and reduced the mass of the sound. It was almost as if the notes were afraid to hit solidly. Nardi apparently thought it was a failure, but I dug it from the start. Struggling against isolation by yourself is frightening thing. So is giving up the protection that isolation affords (see "Afraid to Feel," in Reason). In Manic Impressions, Nardi and the others faced both challenges eloquently. Just as eloquently, even tragically, the music failed to overcome them; there's no shame in that. It's extremely moving to follow in metal that was shaping itself similarly to Voivod. My favorite quote from Manic is the last stanza on the album (from "Far Too Long"): "I hope in my heart of hearts, with all of my soul and mind, that it's not irreversible; that this isn't all there is."

Most people like Screams and Whispers over the other Anacrusis albums. You're probably thinking to yourself, "Yeah, I was wondering if you were just going to keep butt-trumpeting about the other albums." It has the best title, and I probably listen to it the most because it tends to be more positive in its overall outlook; I've been more positive myself lately. Screams is more about communication and relationships, and it features warmer, slower, and more organic sounds than Manic. Brass and string synthesizer works its way into the music, which is much more technical than before. Most of the tracks involved the entire band in the songwriting, and the multidimensionalism of Screams is worthwhile pondering in itself. As with the other releases, Screams is thoughtful, honest, and moving.

If I've put this much effort into writing an article time and time again, differently on each occasion, you can bet that Anacrusis comes with my highest possible recommendations.

It seems that the official website is largely dead now. The MP3's don't want to download, at least not for me, but you're welcome to give them a shot. Metal Blade still has some Anacrusis music for sale, so that might have something to do with it.

Another triumphant workout for the old semicolon.

Sincerely,

Ghrankenstein