Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Anacrusis - Screams and Whispers (1993)
Time for me to again give you a brief summary of what the deal was with classic metal genres transitioning in the early 90s. Most thrash metal bands at that time either left in a hurry or switched to a different style, most notably alternative or groove metal. But those bands started in the early to mid-80s, and the ones late in the game that started in the late 80s wanted to have the last bit of what was popular when the story was already moving on. Anacrusis is one of those latecomers, and they still had their great sense of technicality and unique atmosphere, unlike other late-80s-starting bands like Annihilator that fell victim to mainstream pressure too soon at that time.
Screams and Whispers is a masterpiece! They really ended their initial run smoothly. It was quite an incredible surprise to me after just finding this band this week. It's a dark atmospheric swansong offering. Kenn Nardi has an impressive vocal range, ranging from aggressive shouting, almost deathly, to clean operatic singing that you can find from other thrashy progressive metal bands like Nevermore.
The lower sorrow of his cleans can already be found in the dramatic riff-wrath of "Sound the Alarm". The pessimistic darkness would continue in later songs, while the mid-paced riffing stays sharp and keeps the bleakness interesting. The chorus in "Sense of Will" has greater speed. The progressive "Too Many Prophets" has mystical keyboards.
"Release" is a highlight that tackles a style similar to earlier progressive rock/metal. A remix would later appear as a bonus track. A faster standout "Division" has pounding bass and drums. A nice operatic progressive track "Tools of Separation" has more atmospheric heights. "Grateful" has a heavier contrast. It is a tremendous song with the best of the album's guitars and keyboards. Honestly, I'm so grateful to hear such a well-written track as a break from the depressiveness. The most positive highlight here!
The more technical "A Screaming Breath" follows. Then the dynamic "My Souls Affliction" shreds through. "Driven" has that heavier contrast yet again. The 7-minute finale of the album and the band's initial run, "Brotherhood?" is quite ambitious. The first half includes a riff taken from an old demo song, and the second half is mostly orchestral. It can be a bit draggy, but it's still an acceptable way to leave the stage. The orchestration comes from the keyboards instead of an actual orchestra, so I can't really put the "early symphonic metal" stamp on it. Still it adds a whole new dimension to the sound before ending it all in grace.
With Screams and Whispers, Anacrusis made their technical transition achievement better than what other bands had done that year. Coroner's last album Grin was more progressive than their previous album, but leaned too much into industrial-ish groove metal territory. Voivod dumped the thrashy side of their progressive thrash metal sound for something more experimental. Anacrusis stayed firmly in thrashy progressive metal with the right amount of balance. Sadly, they disbanded right after that album, a self-sacrifice to not fall into the modern trap. However, in the early 2010s, they were back on the touring road for some time, and they even re-recorded their first two albums, then after that, other than a 2019 reunion show, they again said "That's all, folks!" But if they ever come back in the future with a new original album, sound the alarm!
Favorites: "Sound the Alarm", "Release", "Division", "Grateful", "Driven", "Brotherhood?"