During the late-’80s thrash explosion, Anacrusis ranked among the more gifted outfits that nevertheless slipped through the cracks. Hindered by weak distribution and cut off from the coastal speed-metal strongholds, the group earned praise from fervent reviewers for seeming ahead of its era, yet its wide-ranging approach largely eluded most listeners.
All four members came of age in the St. Louis area and, like countless peers, first bonded over the pervasive influence of Kiss before absorbing the foundational work of Black Sabbath and the fiercer early-’80s acts. Following the dissolution of his high-school band Heaven’s Flame, vocalist-guitarist Kenn Nardi teamed with guitarist Kevin Heidbreder, bassist John Emery, and drummer Mike Owen to launch Anacrusis in late 1986. Doubting his vocal prowess, Nardi urged the others to drop their tuning from standard E to low B, yielding the unusually weighty, signature tone that would define the band. Their debut demo, Annihilation Complete, was named Best Demo of 1987 by Metal Forces Magazine readers and later appeared on the magazine’s Scream Your Brains Out compilation. The exposure secured a contract with the U.K. indie Active Records, which issued the band’s first album, Suffering Hour, the next year. Cut on a mere $1,200 budget in less than a week, the record assembled disparate songs from earlier projects; only its unrelenting velocity and aggression lent any unity. The following year’s Reason LP, though still hastily recorded and crudely produced, already hinted at a sharpening focus through intricate arrangements and unorthodox dynamics drawn from prog rock and new wave alike. Anacrusis toured alongside crossover stalwarts D.R.I., but the frustration of promoting an album unavailable at home prompted drummer Owen to enlist in the Navy upon their return. Former Heaven’s Flame colleague Chad Smith stepped in, and further good fortune arrived when Metal Blade signed the band, finally issuing both prior albums domestically.
Manic Impressions, released in 1991, marked the first Anacrusis effort tracked in a professional facility—Royal Recorders in Lake Geneva, WI. Although the group’s self-taught production yielded a somewhat arid, mechanical tone, the album remains widely regarded as their peak. It captured a noticeably more assured ensemble whose demanding, forward-looking songs gained added impact from Nardi’s markedly stronger and more versatile singing; a standout track was the cover of New Model Army’s “I Love the World.” An extensive tour supporting Overkill and the Galactic Cowboys ensued, capped by a series of Midwestern dates opening for Megadeth. Back in St. Louis, the members spent several months composing fresh material; after Smith was replaced by drummer Paul Miles, sessions for 1993’s Screams & Whispers commenced. Building on its predecessor, the album ventured further afield—introducing tentative keyboard textures—yet even with continued critical support and the guidance of veteran metal producer Bill Metoyer it failed to broaden the band’s reach. Sensing they had exhausted their options, Anacrusis dissolved quietly soon afterward, leaving behind a sadly overlooked, frequently misread, yet unmistakably singular body of work.
