Anacrusis (band)
American progressive/thrash metal pioneers from St. Louis
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Anacrusis were a progressive/thrash metal band from St. Louis, Missouri, recognized as pioneers of technical thrash and among the first to merge the style with progressive metal. Their albums Manic Impressions and Screams and Whispers are regarded as classics of progressive thrash.
History
The band’s first demo, Annihilation Complete, was named Best Demo of 1987 by Metal Forces readers and appeared on the magazine’s Demolition... Scream Your Brains Out! compilation. This led to a deal with UK indie label Active Records, for whom they recorded their debut album Suffering Hour in under a week on a $1,200 budget.
The follow-up Reason began to show their signature sound. After touring with D.R.I., drummer Mike Owen left to join the U.S. Navy, replaced by Chad Smith (formerly of Heaven’s Flame). The band then signed with Metal Blade Records.
Manic Impressions (1991) was their first proper studio album, recorded at Royal Recorders in Wisconsin. A 38-city U.S. tour with Overkill and Galactic Cowboys followed, after earlier Midwestern dates opening for Megadeth. Returning to St. Louis, they wrote new material, replaced Smith with Paul Miles, and released Screams and Whispers in 1993. That was their final album; the band broke up soon after.
In 2009, the original lineup of Kenn Nardi, Kevin Heidbreder, John Emery, and Mike Owen announced a reunion for the 2010 Keep It True XIII festival in Germany. That same year, Stormspell Records released a CD/DVD anthology of early material, including the 1987 demo, other demos, rehearsal recordings, and live footage. Before the festival, they played a reunion show at T. Billy Buffet’s in St. Louis on April 18, 2010, which was recorded for a future DVD. Also in 2010, they issued Hindsight: Suffering Hour & Reason Revisited, a two-disc set of re-recorded versions of their first two albums.
On April 23, 2010, they performed at Keep It True XIII in Lauda-Königshofen, Germany, and later decided to play more shows. That year they worked on new material, but only one new song, “This Killer in My House,” appeared on the compilation Silver Ag47 – Best of Anacrusis. On February 26, 2011, they headlined at the Firebird in St. Louis, and on June 12, 2011, they played Germany’s Rock Hard Festival, filmed by German TV’s WDR Rockpalast. Their final shows were Skullfest in St. Louis (June 24–25, 2011) and the Alcatraz festival in Belgium (August 27, 2011).
On July 11, 2019, the band announced a one-off reunion show in Missouri for December, celebrating reissues of all four albums. The show featured three drummers—Mike Owen, Chad Smith, and Paul Miles—each playing a set. Guitarist Mike Henricks did not participate. The concert took place on December 7, 2019, at Delmar Hall in St. Louis, with general admission tickets.
Lore & Background
Anacrusis' first demo, Annihilation Complete, was voted Best Demo of 1987 by the readers of Metal Forces magazine and was later included in the publication's Demolition... Scream Your Brains Out! compilation album. This led to a deal with England-based indie Active Records, for whom the group created its first album, Suffering Hour, the following year on a meager $1,200 budget in just under a week. The following Reason album began revealing signs of the band's popular sound.
Anacrusis toured in support of the band D.R.I., but without an album released on an American label, drummer Mike Owen left to join the United States Navy shortly after they returned home. Former Heaven's Flame member Chad Smith took over the drums, while the band was eventually signed to the American label Metal Blade Records. In 1991, Manic Impressions was their first proper studio recorded album, recorded at Royal Recorders in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. A 38-city U.S. tour supporting Overkill and Galactic Cowboys followed a handful of Midwestern dates opening for Megadeth earlier in the year.
After the tour, on returning to St. Louis, they devoted the next few months to writing new material, and after replacing Smith with drummer Paul Miles, work finally began on their 1993 album Screams and Whispers. This was their final album, as the band broke up after its release. In 2009, the band announced that the original lineup of Kenn Nardi, Kevin Heidbreder, John Emery and Mike Owen would reunite for a performance at the 2010 Keep It True XIII Festival in Germany.
Also in 2009, the band released a CD/DVD anthology of early material on Stormspell Records. The package included their 1987 'Annihilation Complete' demo along with other demos, rehearsal recordings and early live footage. In preparation for their first festival appearance in 17 years, Anacrusis played a reunion gig at T. Billy Buffet's, St. Louis, on April 18, 2010. The show was recorded and filmed for a later release on DVD.
Also in 2010, they released a two-disc set titled Hindsight: Suffering Hour & Reason Revisited, which contains re-recorded versions of their first two albums. On April 23, 2010, Anacrusis gave a performance at Germany's Keep It True XIII festival at Tauberfrankenhalle in Lauda-Königshofen. Later that year, the band announced they had decided to play more shows.
Reader's Guide
The band's discography includes studio albums Suffering Hour (1988), Reason (1990), Manic Impressions (1991), Screams and Whispers (1993), and Hindsight: Suffering Hour & Reason Revisited (2010). Compilation albums: Annihilation Complete: The Early Years Anthology (2009) and Silver (2012). EP: Excerpts from Reason (1991).
Demos: Annihilation Complete (1986), Demo I (1986), Quick to Doubt (1989) – unauthorized demo. Split: Metal Forces Presents... Demolition – Scream Your Brains Out (1988). DVDs: Live @ Mississippi Nights 1993 (2010) and Our Reunion – Live at St. Louis 2010 (2011).
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Anacrusis?
Anacrusis is a progressive/thrash metal band that originated in St. Louis, Missouri. They are best known as one of the earliest acts to fuse technical thrash with progressive metal songwriting.
Which labels released Anacrusis's music?
After their 1987 demo Annihilation Complete was voted Best Demo of the year by Metal Forces readers, the band landed a deal with the English indie label Active Records. They also put out material through Metal Blade Records.
More in American progressive metal musical groups
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Anacrusis (band) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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