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This is not a new album from US cult thrashers Anacrusis, but rather a rerecording of their first two albums, considered by some to be prog/thrash classics. I used to have these discs back in the day, so I am at least able to tell you what the difference is between the old and new versions.

Anacrusis were always an odd band. They had undeniable chops, but they were always a little too manic, like they couldn't settle down. Their songs seemed to start and stop in a twitchy ADD kind of way. They were too technical for the Thrash crowd of the day, but too thrashy for the prog heads. A very cool thing about this rerecording is that it smoothes out the rough spots on their sound. The songs are better-paced and better-played, with less of the chaotic cacophony of the band's younger days. Some people may not like this, but I do. The production here is miles better than the originals, giving the guitars real punch and filling in the bottom end of the sound very nicely. Kenn Nardi's vocals sound a lot better than they used to as well. In the old days he had a kind of nondescript voice that sounded downright silly when he went into a screech. Now his voice has manned up, with more depth and range. Again it seems like only classic bands can actually do Thrash vocals without either yelling or screaming.

All in all, this rerecording unearths two excellent proggy Thrash albums once buried in poor production and youthful lack of restraint. The riffs are polished up and allowed to shine, while the spastic playing and poor sound are cleaned away to reveal fine examples of metal songwriting. This is one rerecording that is definitely worth having.