Anacrusis - Suffering Hour

One of the most under-appreciated bands in the history of metal, Anacrusis came onto the scene slowly, yet not without cause for alarm. While Suffering Hour does indeed sound as if it was recorded in a cave, the trademark elements of what would become a very distinctive band pop up in various spaces. If one can consider this the last demo, things can be put a little more in perspective. At face value, this could be one more thrash beast from the late 80's, but several key differences here push the envelope, allowing for one to look past the primitive sounds. John Emery's bass already stands out, as do the more-than-average riffs which dominate here. The drumming, while a tad over the top, is good, and gives the recording a rushed feel which is completely different than later efforts. Of course, the most important piece of this St. Louis, MO puzzle is the chameleon like quality of vocalist Kenn Nardi. Able to switch from good clean vocals to hellion shrieks in mid-phrase, you always know who you're listening to, even on this release. The songs aren't as creative here (you can pick out "the Slayer part", the "Pink Floyd" part) and neither are the lyrics (Frigid Bitch), but I bet this was recorded soon after high school with no budget alloted, which allows me to mete out an extra point. All in all, worth having to see an alternate take on the late thrash scene, and to hear the humble beginnings (see Voivod's War and Pain of a great metal band. An unfortunate postscript to this is that all of these albums are out of print, meaning they are very hard to find. Try Metal Blade mail order or ebay for ordering.