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Anacrusis - Manic Impressions CD (album) cover

MANIC IMPRESSIONS

Anacrusis

 

Progressive Metal

3.06 | 38 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

UMUR
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
2 stars Manic Impressions is the third studio album from metal act Anacrusis. Itīs safe to say that I havenīt been overjoyed with the first two albums from Anacrusis: Suffering Hour (1988) and Reason (1990). In fact I think both of those albums are weak attempts at playing technical thrash metal. Iīve read much about Anacrusis through the years and quite frankly I couldnīt understand what the fuzz was all about after listening to those two albums. But I never give up on a band before Iīve heard everything they have to offer and two out of the three current reviews of Manic Impressions are pretty enthusiastic, so I decided to review the album.

The music has definitely grown since Reason and there are actually parts that I find enjoyable on the album. The style is still technical thrash metal which is very rooted in the eighties version of that genre. Vocalist Kenn Nardi has a very weak and strange vocal style and it hasnīt gotten any better on Manic Impressions. He even tries some clean vocals on the New Model Army Cover song I Love the World and it just doesnīt work. Even though the thrash metal riffing is mostly generic and forgettable there are some powerful sections here and there that saves the album. The acoustic parts that occur in some songs are also good for the diversity but not very impressive in themselves.

The musicianship is very good, but good musicians donīt always make great composers and that īs exactly the problem with Anacrusis IMO. They might know how to play technically difficult things, but their songs are inconsistent and poorly written.

The production is excellent and because of the great production I almost gave the album more than it deserved.

Out of the first three albums from Anacrusis this one is definitely the most listenable, but that doesnīt make it good in my book. Thrash metal with progressive leanings should actually be right down my alley, but when itīs delivered this weakly Iīm not impressed. 2 stars and a recommendation to look elsewhere for technical thrash metal. And donīt let anyone tell you this sounds anything like Voivod. Thatīs blasphemy to my ears.

UMUR | 2/5 |

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