REASON

Stop me (please!)

Two years after releasing their self financed debut, Anacrusis returned to the studio to record this follow up. In the band's own words, "Reason" represents the band "finding their identity". Unlike the first album, which was made up of old and new material, "Reason" started with a blank sheet, and was built up from there.

Once again in the band's own words, the last two songs written for the album "Stop Me" and "Afraid To Feel" formed the "blueprint" for what was to follow on subsequent releases. That said, they themselves admit that these tracks are flawed, and did not turn out as intended. The other tracks here tend to be more in line with what went before on the debut.

The album opens with the aforementioned "Stop me", a pounding, heavy 6 minute riff driven number with sudden soft passages and mood changes. It is certainly the band's most adventurous arrangement to date, but unfortunately the overall impression is rather muddled. "Afraid to feel" follows a similar style, but is heavier and more intense.

While, as mentioned, the majority of the tracks fall into line with the style adopted on the band's debut, there is a slight degree of refinement here. We still have the heavy lead guitar riffs and solos, but the songs themselves do not tend to have the same dark tones (especially in the titles!).

Overall, I must admit I found this release rather disappointing after the raw excitement of the band's debut. The recording quality has certainly improved, but the fact that this was another rushed effort is rather apparent. Best avoided.

"Reason" is the second full-length studio album by US, Missouri based thrash metal act Anacrusis. The album was released through Active Records in February 1990. It´s the successor to "Suffering Hour" from 1988, but since Anacrusis only had a one-album deal with Axis Records, they recorded the "Quick to Doubt" demo in 1989 and used it to shop for a new label. Seven out of the eight tracks from the demo was re-recorded and included on "Reason" (all eight tracks if you have the European version featuring "Killing My Mind" and "Injustice" as bonus material).

Stylistically Anacrusis have developed a lot since "Suffering Hour", which featured a raw and aggressive thrash metal style with technical thrash metal leanings. "Reason" is still a thrash metal album, but in addition to the technical playing (which has increased) the album also features quite a few progressive songwriting ideas making this a technical/progressive thrash metal release. It´s artists like contemporary Coroner, Realm, and Mekong Delta I´m reminded of while listening to "Reason", but a much more resent band like Vektor must also have worshipped Anacrusis in their youth.

The vocals switch between raw snarling thrash vocals and some mellow atmospheric clean vocals, which unfortunately aren´t produced that well. The sound production is otherwise pretty decent for the time (the clean/acoustic guitar parts could also have benefitted from better production choices though). Upon conclusion Anacrusis took at bit step towards a more technical/progressive metal style on "Reason" and while they certainly didn´t leave behind their raw and aggressive thrash metal vocals, speed, and riffs, "Reason" is generally a much more sophisticated release than "Suffering Hour". A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).