Anacrusis - Reason (1990)Release ID: 3059
Anacrusis has made another solid prog-ish tech-thrash album that is 1990's Reason! It is another stormy collection of tracks with doomy leads and thrashy riffs blended together. And within the frenzy roam nihilistic lyrics. All of these make this album one of the more diverse albums in the classic thrash era. They've added in more focus than what they had in Suffering Hour, though the soundscape is more narrow while having some variation. The guitar duo can perform godly riffs leaping between speed, prog, and doom, while the bass and drums pound in different times and places. The Slayer-esque leads sound technical and melodic to add to the speed. However, the creepy ambience might come out as confusing when bringing the writing out to sound.
If anyone thought Suffering Hour was crushing, Reason has a more lethal balance of headbanging thrash and occasional doom. Having different variations of speed in the technical riffing is something Coroner has also done. Fast doom, slow thrash, plus a bit of hardcore groove. Vocalist Kenn Nardi has matured in his usual shrieks and shouts. The same can be said for the poetic lyrics. Emotions, fears, and doubts sound more confident without lecturing the listener, and that's what makes the lyrics stand out here. Nardi knows how to phrase them well enough to be taken seriously...
Attracting you right away is "Stop Me", hinting at their later progressive thrash as Nardi's soaring vocals guide you through atmospheric heavy riffing. Without too much repetition, the dark "Terrified" has moments leaning into brutal death in the instrumentation, in a similar technique to their debut, but with more polished frets. "Not Forgotten" starts off with punky bass that then warms up for moshing riffing and vocals in the chorus. "Wrong" has epic madness form Nardi's vocals and riffs.
"Silent Crime" starts off sounding like a serene ballad, but then it immediately takes on their memorable thrash sound, complete with semi-shrieked choruses. "Misshapen Intent" adds more speed in the well-written chorus and intricate time changes for the guitar to breeze through. More of the impressive lyrical writing makes "Afraid to Feel" another fantastic track. "Child Inside" is another track to enjoy for more of the pure thrash of Suffering Hour and 80s Anthrax. It's not the most technical here, but there's much more of the technicality to come...
"Vital" is a bit creepy, while you get to hear melodic riffs speed up by the second half for some essential prog-thrash shredding. "Quick to Doubt" ends things quick without a doubt as a standout finale with fast guitars of moshing anger that sometimes pauses for a breath-catching break. The CD edition has two bonus track, starting with what's actually my favorite in the album overall, "Killing My Mind". I wish this was in the actual album so I can give bump the rating up a half-star. This is an intense track that starts off as a mid-tempo doom march with Nardi's vocals ranging from low to high before suddenly bursting into the usual speedy thrash. Lots of excellent riffing form an insane cauldron thrash that ends with the earlier doom march. The second CD bonus track "Injustice" sounds like a more proper ending for this album.
Reason is an offering of solid greatness from this underrated band. The chemistry within the band is so unique. The destructive intensity of this band was overlooked in a time when alt-metal bands like Alice in Chains and Tool started to appear. The lack of attention the band received is a good reason why they should've been given a chance....
Favorites: "Stop Me", "Wrong", "Silent Crime", "Afraid to Feel", "Quick to Doubt", "Killing My Mind"
