Anacrusis

Biography

Anacrusis was an American progressive/thrash metal band from St. Louis, Missouri. Anacrusis was a leading technical thrash metal band and one of the first to blend the genre with progressive metal. Their albums Manic Impressions and Screams and Whispers are considered progressive thrash metal classics.

History

Metal Forces magazine readers voted Anacrusis' first demo, Annihilation Complete, Best Demo of 1987. It was later included in the publication's Demolition... Scream Your Brains Out! compilation album. The band signed with Active Records and recorded their first album, Suffering Hour, the following year on a $1,200 budget in under a week. The following album, Reason, revealed 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 joined the United States Navy shortly after they returned home. Former Heaven's Flame member Chad Smith took over drums. The band signed to 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 that year. After returning to St. Louis, they wrote new material, and after replacing Smith with drummer Paul Miles, work began on their 1993 album Screams and Whispers. This was their final album. 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.
To prepare for their first festival appearance in 17 years, Anacrusis played a reunion show 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 the two-disc set Hindsight: Suffering Hour & Reason Revisited, which contained re-recorded versions of their first two albums.
On April 23, 2010, Anacrusis performed at Germany's Keep It True XIII festival at Tauberfrankenhalle in Lauda-Königshofen. Later that year, the band announced they would play more shows.
During 2010, the band worked on new material, but only the song "This Killer in my House" was released on the "Silver Ag47 – Best of Anacrusis" CD.
On February 26, 2011, the band headlined a show at the Firebird in St. Louis.
On June 12, 2011, Anacrusis played at "Rock Hard Festival" in Germany. The festival was filmed by German TV – WDR Rockpalast –, to be broadcast on German television.
The band last played at Skullfest, St. Louis, on June 24–25, 2011, and Alcatraz festival in Belgium, on August 27, 2011.
On July 11, 2019, it was announced that Anacrusis would play a one-off reunion show featuring all their drummers in December in Missouri to celebrate the reissue's of all four of their albums. Guitarist Mike Henricks declined to participate. The reunion show took place on December 7, 2019, at Delmar Hall in St. Louis, MO.

Last lineup

Kenn Nardi – guitars, vocals (1986–1994, 2009–2013)
John Emery – bass (1986–1994, 2009–2013)
Mike Owen – drums (1986–1990, 2009–2013)
Mike Henricks – guitars (2011–2013)

Former members

Kevin Heidbreder – guitars (1986–1994, 2009–2010)
Chad Smith – drums (1990–1992)
Paul Miles – drums (1992–1994)
(Note: Chad Smith is not to be confused with the Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer of the same name.)

Studio albums

Suffering Hour (1988)
Reason (1990)
Manic Impressions (1991)
Screams and Whispers (1993)
Hindsight: Suffering Hour & Reason Revisited (2010) (re-recording album)
All albums except Hindsight are available for download on band website.

Compilation albums

Annihilation Complete: The Early Years Anthology (2009)
Silver (2012)

Demos

Annihilation Complete (1986)
Demo I (1986)
Quick to Doubt (1989) – unauthorized demo

Splits

Metal Forces Presents... Demolition – Scream Your Brains Out (1988)

DVD

Live @ Mississippi Nights 1993 (2010)
Our Reunion – Live at St. Louis 2010 (2011)