Surprise ~ USA ~ St. Louis, Missouri

Assault on Merryland (1977)

---2/21/07

In the game that was the US Midwest underground progressive rock scene of the 1970s, Starcastle emerged as the winner (commercially speaking and not counting Styx, Kansas, etc... Keyword: Underground). There were plenty of other worthy competitors for the title (Ethos, Albatross, Pentwater, This Oneness, etc...)**. Surprise, from St. Louis, were one of the better ones to have participated. The genre itself can be defined as a mix of complex rock with a clear understanding of radio friendly chart music, as FM radio ruled the thoughts of the day. There's a common DNA amongst all these groups, and can be instantly recognized if your ears are tuned to it. Four piece group where everyone plays a multitude of instruments to add plenty of variety.

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** Almost five years from writing this review, I put together this listing for RYM. I credit this album for helping me form the idea.

---10/8/24

So here we are on my first revisit since that review. Not surprised, so to speak, to know I'm enjoying it more now than ever. Some of these bands in the Midwest really went "for the gusto" as the beer ad would suggest. There's much complexity buried in the mix, and yet you can tell they were trying to bring in some commercially acceptable music while at it. It was hopeless. The instrumentation is 1977 analog heaven.

In reading recent chatboard activity, this album has a poor rep. That's too bad. Sometimes I do feel there's some self-loathing over the prospect of enjoying albums like this. Of course it's not cool, and never will be. I have no such qualms. There was a small period of time when something like this could get recorded and released. Same with the where/place. 1977 St. Louis is the intersection of that phenomena.

Ownership: 1977 Carousel (LP). Sports the kind of cover you would never miss if crate digging. If only such a occurrence would happen.

2/20/07 (review); 10/8/24 (update / new entry)

Granmax ~ USA ~ Kansas City, Missouri

Kiss Heaven Goodbye (1978)

---11/7/07

For 1978, Kiss Heaven Goodbye rocks hard and has some riffing that you may have only found on a Judas Priest album (think Stained Class) at this early date. Pretty much nonstop heavy rock, and no pub and boogie rockers to drag it down as is typical for albums such as this.

---9/16/24

It was a long time in the making, but finally Granmax's heralded second album has been reissued. Long a sought after item by hard rock collectors, prices soared to unattainable heights.

There have been a few more late 70s private hard rockers I've discovered since, but Kansas City's Granmax belongs in that top tier discussion. Heavy rock was more and more prominent in the late 70s Midwest landscape, and American males everywhere were looking for an outlet to burn their pent-up energy. Borrowing from Judas Priest, Rush, Blue Oyster Cult, Budgie, Grand Funk, Kiss, Black Sabbath, and every other A-lister heavy band of the era, Kiss Heaven Goodbye was the answer to a lot of young dude's wishes. In the same way the first Van Halen was. Not every track is a winner, but even among the more mediocre tunes resides a creative riffing sequence. Granmax were ahead of their time and well positioned to go to the next step. They were auditioning for Polydor and then they disappeared without a trace. The liner notes mention it as an abrupt occurrence but do not give us details. It's easy to see how Granmax could have been peers of a group like Manilla Road, eventually going all in for heavy metal. They had the talent, the fantasy lyrics, and the masculinity to pull it off. One more tale of woe in the hard rock annals of American history.

The CD includes three bonus tracks taken from a concert of the era. These songs show the band moving more to the center, though maintaining their heaviness, demonstrating they had a desire to rise in the charts.

Ownership: 2024 Cult Metal Classics (CD). Contains history, perspectives, photos, lyrics, and recording data.

11/7/07 (first listen); 9/16/24 (acquired / review / new entry)

Anacrusis ~ USA ~ St. Louis, Missouri

Screams and Whispers (1993)

Screams and Whispers is Anacrusis' 4th and final album (for all intents and purposes). And as you see below, it was their 3rd album that I held in the highest esteem. And while I always enjoyed Screams and Whispers, it never transcended like its predecessor. It has now. I have them on equal footing, and it could very well be my favorite when it's all said and done (still need to revisit Manic). But why are Anacrusis resonating with me more now than ever? It's the 80s influences that I missed on initial impact. Their techy / proggy thrash approach appealed to me right from the get, but I didn't capture the influence of their love of 80's music. In particular, on what I just noted on Theatre of Hate - Post Punk. Anacrusis admits a strong affection to acts such as The Cure and New Model Army and it shows when focused on it. And true to the tech thrash genre, the music is all over the place and unpredictable. When they sing in softer tones, the 80s Music element is clear. And then Nardi starts screeching like a banshee pointing to their primary metal motif. One of the most bizarre mixes one can hear, and the music is timeless because of it. If you haven't heard these Anacrusis albums - or you did back in the day but were nonplussed - give them a shot. Your filters have probably changed. I know mine have. Brilliant really.

Ownership: 1993 Metal Blade (CD). Acquired in 1993.

1993; 7/22/13; 3/25/23 (review)

Reason (1990)

My first encounter with the St. Louis based Anacrusis was with their 3rd album Manic Impressions, which I purchased real time. It quickly became a personal favorite, and I look forward to telling that story some day. Within the next two years I also picked up their 4th and final album Screams and Whispers, while also finding their debut Suffering Hour on LP at a St. Louis record store. This chronology is important, as while I loved their 3rd and 4th, I really couldn't deal with the raw and pseudo-deathy Suffering Hour (an apt title BTW). In fact, it's one of only a handful of metal LPs I've sold in the last few years, as the final listen continued to leave me cold. So I never did hear the album "in between", as I was never quite sure which side of the aisle it would sit in. The scant reviews were never definitive enough for me to pursue in earnest. 28 years later, I finally gave in to that curiosity. That album, of course, is Reason.

Without a doubt, Reason is a departure from the debut and lays the groundwork for their masterwork Manic Impressions. There are a couple of places where they lose their mind, and go blast-beat guitar-solos million-miles-an-hour, but for the most part Reason has that same yin / yang approach that make Anacrusis so fascinating. It's my kind of inventive thrash with seemingly unrelated riffs coming at you at various angles. Kenn Nardi's schizophrenic vocals, at once soft and calm, at others shrieking like a mad man, continue to fascinate. Turns out that The Cure was one of their primary influences at the time, which may explain its dual personality. Anacrusis is a band you do not want to have as background music while doing other things. You will be annoyed if approaching the music that way. They require your full attention. But you will be greatly rewarded. As with all albums like this, I'll need more time to absorb it, but it's likely to only grow in stature. Essential for fans of that odd strain of progressive thrash that existed in the late 80s and early 90s.

Ownership: 2019 Metal Blade (CD). Recent online acquisition. Digipak with lyrics and photos. No liner notes, which is a bummer. 

3/10/21 (review)

Also own Manic Impressions.

3/10/21 (new entry)

Topper ~ USA ~ Kansas City, Missouri

At Last (1977)

As stated in many places, I truly enjoy the underground rock scene of the great American Midwest and Topper are no different. This time hailing from Kansas City, we have a band that was typically over ambitious, and wonderfully amateurish. The Moog soloing in particular is inspired. There are a lot of ideas on their one album, and it's clear they had a few Uriah Heep, Nektar, Yes, and Led Zeppelin albums in their closet. Basically a mix of hard rock, progressive, and a little bit of FM/AOR too. And they get a little too close to plagiarism in a couple of places. 'Smile for the Clown' rips straight from 'Stairway to Heaven' incredibly. Guys, surely you were aware everyone knew this song already. Right?

Ownership: 1977 Scot (LP)

No reissues as of 2/21/25.

2009 (first listen); 5/29/10 (review); 12/11/15 (new entry)