Customer Reviews

Screams & Whispers

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This band has never gotten the credit they deserve. This album is no different. One of the best technical-progressive-thrash outfits ever, Anacrusis certainly set standards with their music. Screams and Whispers ranks among the best metal albums of the nineties. This album had a fantastic blend of great musicianship,melody, and aggressive attitude. A very intelligent edge is present as well. Without a doubt worthy of your hard earned cash, if you're into metal of such high caliber. Enjoy!

Anacrusis probably hasn't gotten the attention they deserve for their prominent role in the turn-of-the-decade technical speed/thrash/death movement (along with other bands like Mekong Delta, Believer, Cynic, Tourniquet, Atheist, etc.). "Screams and Whispers" is one of the catchiest of the technical metal albums out there; it lacks the grey uniformity of their prior works as well. Anacrusis' vocals are as always interesting, alternating between a cool mid-range vocal and a high-pitched squeal. All in all, a fine way for them to end their career. It's a shame, however, that they packed up shop: they might have done even better things had they continued.

High 4 rating.

Progression and technical proficiency have long been an important part of extreme music, but you usually tend to find those elements in death metal bands like Cynic, Atheist, Alchemist, and of course Death. In the thrash metal arena, Anacrusis was the most innovative band in terms of taking the straightforward thrash sound and fusing it with technical virtuosity and musical/vocal experimentalism, creating a complex and engaging variation of thrash metal that set them apart from the rest of the genre's mainstays.

Released in 1993, Screams and Whispers was the band's fourth and final album. It's also their crowning achievement. Anacrusis managed to combine the intricate riffwork, innovative bass lines, and otherworldly vocals that worked so well on Manic Impressions and add a sense of power and emotion that the previous album was lacking. If there's a thrash album on par with Cynic's legendary Focus album, this is it. Gloriously technical, yet emotional and sinister in a cold and clinical, walking down empty hospital corridors at night kind of way. It's just an incredibly impressive technical metal album that more people should be aware of.

I highly recommend Anacrusis to all thrash and/or progressive metal fans. If you're into old school bands like Testament, (old) Metallica, Watchtower, Cynic, Atheist, Believer, Alchemist and Death, or even newer bands like Spiral Architect, Mercenary and Nevermore, you should definitely check out Anacrusis, and Screams and Whispers is a good place to start.

hello fellow rockers and thrashers. this album by far is one in a million. a heavy metal masterpiece, anacrusis has been with me for years, and i really recommend all the albums. lest not forget manic impressions

Hi,Guys....I do not have the proper words to describe this masterpiece.I like to thanks these GUYS (Anacrusis) for the special moments that they gave us by recording their albums.I LOVE their music and i think Anacrusis is the BEST band of 'TECHNO-THRASH' all over the RockWorld.

Anacrusis has to be considered one of the most talented, yet criminally overlooked thrash bands ever in my opinion. "Screams And Whispers" is an incredible, highly technical masterpiece, unlike anything that was being recorded around the late 80's / early 90's. Anacrusis was truly a band that was way ahead of it's time, and it's extremely unfortunate that they were never able to break through. I highly recommend any Metal fan to give Anacrusis a listen. Both "Manic Impressions" / "Screams And Whispers" are masterpieces...

~MJ~

this band was introduced to me by way of overkill horrscope tour they open for overkill not overly impressed at first by the end of the show i was mildly impressed over the next week i found my self stuck on a few songs of theirs i could remember and had to purchase there cd's.after a few months this cd was release and yet again i was surpised by their originalty and catchiness.they may have something in compareision to powermad or believer but mostly they are nothing like anyone else.

Anacrusis fourth album, Screams and Whispers, combines all the elements of their last 3 recordings and polishes up on past production troubles to create not only one of the best metal albums of the 90's, but a masterpiece that transcends musical classifications and should forever be remembered. Sadly it's been tossed into obscurity along with such classics as Mekong Delta-Dances of Death and Believer-Dimensions.

Line-Up:
Kenn Nardi - vocals, guitars
Kevin Heidbreder - guitars
John Emery - Bass
Paul Miles - drums

Guitars: Guitar duties are shared by Nardi and Heidbreder and all solo's, except 2, are done by Nardi. There are some killer riffs here but nothing as fast or brutal as their thrash contemporaries. What they lack in speed and brutality though they make up for with creativity and originality. Not that this is metal-lite, there are plenty of head banging moments but Nardi focused on the music first and the thrash second. The guitars are the core of the Anacrusis sound and are atmospheric from start to finish. The solo's range from soft and melodic to blazing out your speakers, but always go well with the music. Nardi and Heidbreder switch from slow, light passages to heavy hitting riffs with relative ease. Nardi isn't the greatest guitarist in the genre but knows exactly how to use them to set the right tone and lead the music in the right direction.


Bass: For starters, Emery's bass is always audible and is high in the mix. It stands on it's own from the guitars and gives the music an extra dimension. Emery is an excellent bassist and he's used here to great effect. There are smooth bass lines that slither under the music and loud sludging lines that almost have a mechanical feel to them. Screams and Whispers would not be near as perfect if it weren't for the excellent bass work.


Drums: Sadly Anacrusis lost Chad Smith on drums who was a highlight on their last album, Manic Impressions. He was replaced by Paul Miles and, though he doesn't exactly fill Smith's shoes, he gets the job done. His cymbal work and nice beats fit the atmosphere of the album well. While not an outstanding perfromance, Miles complements the music and doesn't hinder it at all.

Keyboards: Yep... keyboards. But don't worry, no solos or Dream Theater stuff here. Keyboards never take over the music but add the extra bit of atmosphere that the other instruments couldn't. A thrash metal band using keyboards is unheard of but i must admit it was an excellent choice by Nardi to include them.


Vocals: Ahh... The final instrument of Screams and Whispers, and arguably the best. Let it be known that Kenn Nardi has some of the best vocals in metal. Whether he be singing, screaming, talking, shrieking, growling, barking, yelling, or whispering he always does an amazing job. His mesmerizing voice is all over the dial but doesn't come off as inconsistent or annoying. His range never ceases to amaze me. On top of all that there are a couple of instances where he uses a slightly robotic voice too. This is Nardi's best vocal performance of his career.


Lyrics: Anacrusis wrote some well thought out lyrics and Screams and Whispers are where most of them can be found. The topics deal with life and the many pitfalls of the human mind and the human race. It's really interesting and goes extremely well with the music. It's also nice that this band broke away from the cliche's of metal, not only with their music, but with their lyrics as well.


Production: No matter how perfect a band performs, an album can't be a masterpiece with bad production. That's not the case on Screams and Whispers though, and one could say it's perfect. Gone is the cold, hard, mechanic feel of Manic Impressions. Screams and Whispers has a life of it's own and the production helps it emit a dark and moody feeling. This album also doesn't feel dated at all, fifteen years later. Absolutely top-notch.


Screams and Whispers is one for the history books and, hopefully, music fans will find their way to this masterpiece sooner rather than later. You'll never hear anything quite like this. It's creative, original, and never gets boring. Anacrusis have outdone themselves and any collection must have this often overlooked classic.

Anacrusis was from around my hometown. When this album orignally came out I played it into the ground. After listening to the CD again after all these years, it hasn't lost anything. I may be getting old, but the songs never get old. There is no doubt this is one to keep in the collection.

I give it a 4.5 or 4.3 after the first listen i loved it then it wore on me a bit manic is the better one this goes into more progressive ground then manic but still some killer tracks on from sound the alarm my personal fave by the band to driven it seems to stall a bit the middle but then it picks up agian, go get it if ya like metal with a twist.