Annihilator

Once you've dubbed an album simply Metal, I suppose the only way you can reflect upon yourself any deeper is to finally drop that eponymous effort after two decades of existence. And Annihilator certainly works far more as s proof of concept, this is basically the Annihilator album I would have wanted directly after Never, Neverland, a complete tour de force of Jeff Water's thrash metal style, with loads of earworm rhythm guitars and blazing leads. If you love the trotting blitz of records like Master of Puppets or Alice in Hell, this thing is loaded with all the pent up energy that should have been brought a long time earlier, and I think if I were to judge Annihilator records on musicality, this would be top notch and top three. You could argue that in terms of sheer velocity and energy expended, this one often tramples the debut.

As for Dave Padden, he settles into his James Hetfield/Chuck Billy style and sounds pretty good at it here, with a few more melodic lines, but staying largely consistent along with the riffing and pure force on exhibition. I like the production of his voice, it's never too awkward or overbearing. The one aspect that drags it down is the lyrics, they are full of lazy cliches and often distract away from the phenomenal music, such as the mention of 'Hot Topic' in opener "The Trend", that sort of thing is usually pretty weak and attempts to permanently date what could otherwise become a timeless exercise in thrashing. However, the opening volley of melodies, and writing in that song overall, somehow compensate this lapse in good taste. There are also a few points at which the album veers away from its more pure thrashing for tunes like "Nowhere to Go" which have a slightly more modern rock vibe to them, but even here Jeff smothers it all with so much great melody and bluesy, burning lead work that it's almost on par with all the faster, and then they often go in the entirely opposite direction, like the blasting of "Death in Your Eyes".

Quite the scorcher of an album here, which stays out of its own way at almost any cost, and easily can put your neck in a brace if you succumb to its maniacal charms. The closer "Romeo Delight" is a Van Halen cover, similar to some of the original hard rock the band often lapsed into for fun on older records, and this tune could have been clipped, but there is still some excellent bass and guitar work in there and they certainly turbo-charge the thing with an energy to surpass the original. But I can skip that, and it's easy enough when you can just hit 'STOP' after "Payback". Is this album on tier with the debut in terms of overall memorable songwriting and chops? I don't think so, and though they've never had great lyrics, some of these remain a bit too plebeian and cringe, but in every other department Jeff Waters and crew are firing on all cylinders. I don't even mind the simple cover image of the zombie girl with the band name tattooed onto the forehead, I know it's a departure from the logo and a lot of eponymous albums try this sort of aesthetic shift, but at least it looks alright. Fun album, and I hope for a lot more like it as the band finally gets the fires burning again.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

I'm not extremely well-versed on Annihilator. I plan to explore them more, but prior to listening to their eponymous 2010 release, my only exposure to the band was a smattering of songs from their classic days. Needless to say, I didn't know much about Annihilator's more recent work, and this is my introduction to it.

Starting with the good, Annihilator brings forth an abundance of solid modern thrash metal. The melodic leads and catchy riffs remind me a little of newer Megadeth, and I quite like that. The thrash aspects of this album are nothing to be blown away with, but they're definitely good by my standards. The music is engaging, and while there is no shortage of speed, the tempos are consistently quite fast, aside from a few slower moments that add texture to the album. The weird, kind of funky bass riff in "25 Seconds" is a shining example of their willingness to occasionally slow things down to keep their sound interesting.

With the above said, this is not a straight up thrash record from end to end. The fast tempos and aggression are all here, but there seems to be a strong metalcore undercurrent present throughout the album's length. It's not overt, and I can't tell if it's a plea for commercial success, or just a stylistic variance for experimentation's sake, but I could see it displeasing some metal purists. Melodic vocals on songs like the rather emotionally heavy "Nowhere to Go" exemplify this tendency, as they semi-successfully reach for an Avenged Sevenfold-type of appeal. While I generally like the idea they had here, there are two sides to the coin, bringing about some negatives that can't be ignored.

As for what I dislike about Annihilator's self-titled album, the big thing that stands out to me is the strange vocal performance. There are two distinct singing voices present here. The screams, which are fairly prevalent throughout the album, are fine. The problem is that they also use very heavily over-processed clean vocals for the album's more melodic sections. It's the same vocal style used in the chorus of Avenged Sevenfold's "Unholy Confessions", which in turn makes me think of the "heavy" music that appears occasionally in episodes of Phineas and Ferb. I don't want to be overly negative or mean to the artists, but the digital effects used strip most of the emotion from the vocals, making them sound cheesy and unimpactful. I don't know exactly who to fault, since Jeff Waters handles some of the backing vocals, so I guess I'll just consider it a severe production error. It sort of works okay on "Nowhere to Go", which is one of my favorite songs here, but otherwise, it gets grating. Not album-ruining, but annoying, nonetheless.

Possibly one of the most interesting notes here is the band's choice to use a cover of Van Halen's "Romeo Delight" to close the album off. It doesn't add much to the album, but for what it's worth, they do a remarkably good Van Halen impression.

Annihilator is decent. It's not generic or bad, but it also doesn't impress me that much. The band's decision to play around with metalcore is simultaneously the best and worst thing about the album, and whether or not this is enjoyable to you will likely come down to your expectations. Annihilator is worth listening to, but don't expect too much from it.

After Joe Comeau's departure in the early 2000s, Annihilator spent much of the remainder of that decade in what could charitably described as creative doldrums (and less charitably described as fucking awful). However, Jeff Waters and Dave Padden ushered in the 2010s with an album seen by many fans as a return to form - a return to the breakneck pace of the band's earliest era, eschewing the groove influences which had permeated much of their later work up until this point.

There's just one problem: whilst the return to a thrashier sound is undeniably welcome, the songwriting simply isn't that strong. It feels lifeless; devoid of all feeling, as if Waters saw the criticism directed at the previous three records and haphazardly cranked out a bunch of fast songs for no reason other than fan service, without much regard for how good the actual riffs were. Speaking of the riffs... well, what you have for the most part is basically a set of very modern sounding (compare literally any riff here to the glorious throwbacks of "Deadlock," from Feast), ultra-precise almost mechanical riffs with no real defining characteristics beyond their speed. There's no underlying melody, there isn't much variation, and they simply aren't very interesting. See, what you get on Annihilator is essentially like an AI listened to a bunch of thrash records, and just recreated that as well as it could. Sure it's all very competently written and performed and even technical but there's just no real feeling behind it at all.

The vocals and drums really demonstrate this point to a tee. Dave Padden was a decent singer live because he could passably mimic 5 other guys with wildly different styles, but that kinda speaks to his own lack of identity as a vocalist. His bark here is very uniform and suitably aggressive, and his clean singing is... okay, if a little irritating, but he just has no character. I'd take Randy Rampage over this performance any day, because even though Padden could sing circles around Rampage, he doesn't have a tenth of the charisma. The drums are very competently played and safe, but, again, there is no identity - it could literally just be any drummer sat behind a kit playing thrash beats. Not that drumming is the be all end all of everything, but look at major names in thrash drumming - Hoglan, Lombardo, fuck, even Ulrich - all those guys have a recognisable style and a certain character (there's that word again) which Ryan Ahoff is just completely devoid of. Again, this is not to say that boring drumming = bad album, but it certainly is a symptom of this album's passionless, mechanistic feel.

Having said that, Waters can still crank out a good song here and there. "The Trend" and "Romeo Delight" (which technically Waters didn't crank out at all since it's a Van Halen cover) are the two songs here which go against everything I just said above. The former song builds on a lengthy intro revolving around Waters' trademark flashy leads before finally launching into a rousing pummeller decrying trend-hopping (hilariously ironic, since this same band released a trend-hopping album not six years before this, and just plain hilarious when Padden snarls, "Hey, man I think they're having a sale down at Hot Topic, let's go!" right before the solo). "Romeo Delight" also just exudes fun, what with it being a Van Halen song and all, and Padden even does a good job in the vocal department imitating the great David Lee Roth. That said, that's more or less where the fun starts and ends. "The Other Side" kind of has a cool, bouncy chorus and sticks out from much of the rest of the album for being more midtempp and is pretty catchy too, but that's pretty much it for the rest of it. The rest of the songs are perfectly okay, and none of them really stink (with the possible exception of "25 Seconds") but they all fall victim to the problems discussed above. They're alright and all, but am I gonna put any of them on and be blown away? No chance.

And that's pretty much the long and the short of it. Annihilator is a long way from the depths plumbed by certain other Paddenihilator albums, but that fact seems to have fooled people into thinking that this is a good album on its own merits. Really what you have here is an aggressively mediocre record which falls a long way short of the band's classic period in the 1990s or even their more recent run from 2013-17. It's not an offensive listen, but aside from a couple of songs it isn't really worth the praise or even the time of day. Do yourself a favour and listen to Feast.

Annihilator's inconsistency continues with this solid self-titled output that abandons the band's recently employed modern metal soundscapes and goes back to a more basic thrash metal sound with a cold production one would rather expect from an industrial metal band. This partial stylistic return to the roots might be the reason why the band went for the rather unimaginative self-titled option here.

This album stands out with great melodic guitar work that sounds fresh and not rehashed as on numerous occasions on previous records. The dreamy introduction to the strong opener ''The Trend'' stands out immediately for instance. The fast and melodic solos in the otherwise pitiless ''Coward'' add a much-needed emotional side to the track. ''Ambush'' offers some of Annihilator's fiercest and most technical riffs ever. It quickly becomes obvious that Jeff Waters and Dave Padden harmonize perfectly five and six years after the somewhat inconsistent Schizo Deluxe and All for You records while the previous release Metal should rather be considered a collaborative compilation effort between Jeff Waters and his friends and idols than a genuine Annihilator release. Jeff Waters and Dave Padden have obviously put a lot of thought into each and every single song of this new output that was worth the wait.

In several songs such as the desperate ''Twenty-Five Seconds'' or the opening moments of the melancholic ''Nowhere to Go'', the bass guitar plays a more prominent role than before as well. The use of this instrument suits the industrial production rather well and increases the album's oppressive atmosphere.

The vocals vary successfully between angry screams in the key of Over Kill and the likes, hoarse and almost spoken-word-like efforts not unlike Megadeth and a few more melodic efforts in the choruses like Metallica use to employ. Dave Padden switches from one style to another within moments in a single song without sounding misguided or overwhelming. His transitional efforts sound smoother than in the past. While Padden was often criticized by fans of old date for his first efforts with the band, most people agree on him becoming better with each effort and leaving the band on a high note. Up to that point, this was Dave Padden's best vocal performance on any Annihilator record as he constantly expanded and improved his skills during his stay with Jeff Waters' band.

On the negative side, the production is a little bit too cold and dry in my opinion. This has a particularly negative impact on the drum sound which is very artificial. It almost sounds as if a drum computer were used instead of a real musician. In a few songs, Annihilator overuses a stop-and-go technique with sudden moments of silence and abrupt breaks when I would have preferred smoother and less technical transitions. While the record has its own flow and style in form of gloomy thrash metal soundscapes, the album might be missing one or two truly experimental or outstanding tracks as several tunes are slightly similar or even exchangeable.

Among the highlights of this record, one has to point out the epic and melodic opener ''The Trend'' that coherently evolves into a furious thrash metal track. The vivid ''Coward'' is one of the fastest songs in the band's career but doesn't sound stupidly aggressive and comes around with a few minor surprises in form of a technically stunning extended guitar solo, a short drum solo and a somewhat catchy chorus. The desperately aggressive ''Twenty-Five Seconds'' successfully meanders between slow bass guitar rhythms and incredibly fast guitar solos that almost make think that Annihilator has become DragonForce's deranged twin.

In the end, Annihilator's self-titled album is a coherent and focused effort that sees the band go back to its fast thrash metal roots by adding a dry and gloomy sound to it. The group sounds energizing and hungry again as this release's dynamic and menacing vibe feels truly infectious. In hindsight, this release would start a decade that would surprisingly turn out to be the band's most consistent one as this album was followed by Dave Padden's excellent swansong Feast and the successful transition to Jeff Waters returning to vocal duties on the diversified and vivid Suicide Society and the gloomy and melancholic For the Demented.

Annihilator, one of the 80's finest thrash metal bands, bringing a much needed intelligence and technicality to the genre. Despite their awesome days in the 80's I more or less ignored Annihilator for a while. After their cringe inducing last album Metal and the lackluster Schizo Deluxe before it there wasn't much reason to think this album was going to be any better. The cover art that looked more at home on a B horror movie promotional poster rather than on an album cover did little to peak my interest so I moved on. However, this was a mistake, as this album is a fine album, and has restarted my interest in Annihilator.

This is a standard release from Annihilator in terms of style. Thank god it dropped the horrible mallcore tendencies found in many tracks back on Schizo Deluxe. That alone makes this a record worth mentioning. It's technical, progressive thrash metal. This is a sub-genre that isn't as explored as I feel the genre should be, so I find releases with that kind of sound almost always interesting, and that is no different here. The album is plenty thrash and plenty complex, and longtime fans will feel at home here. That being said, this album doesn't challenge long time fans either, and don't expect Annihilator's upcoming releases to be anything other than a modern take on their historic sound. With that in mind however, it also doesn't do that old sound as well. Also the modern production takes away from the older feeling Annihilator albums had. It's a minor complaint, but that paired with poorer songwriting makes this an, while not bad, album that in the long run won't matter.

While it's a good album, when compared to "Alice in Hell", or "Never, Neverland" it doesn't stack up. There aren't any real stand out tracks here, or anything that will make you feel truly epic while listening to it. The album is constantly good, but never anything more than good. If you have never heard of this band and are interested, I would listen to the two albums I mentioned earlier, "Never, Neverland" and "Alice in Hell". I personally prefer "Alice in Hell" but not by much, as they are both great pieces of thrash.

I would recommend this to longtime fans and no one else. There isn't anything special here that will really draw in new fans, but to those who already know and love Annihilator, there is plenty here to keep you entertained. While not a modern classic, the album gets the job done, and is another solid addition to Annihilator's discography, and really an album they needed in their discography, to help reinforce Annihilator as a band that still has it in them to make a good album.

I honestly wasn't expecting much from this one. So much so that I skipped Annihilator altogether and deservedly put the band on the back burner during the time of its release. Looking back, could one really blame me with the choking aural stench of All for You still ringing true in the air? Metal was amusing for what it is (I guess) but I personally don't consider that a true Annihilator record. Despite these guys incontrovertibly purporting this as an eponymous testament to the legacy of a band that had by this point strayed ridiculously far from its initial point of impact, I can't help but imagine Waters realizing it was a do-or-die moment and acting accordingly. As such, Annihilator drops virtually all of the mallcore tendencies that dogged Schizo Deluxe and especially All for You, returning us to some of what made the band enjoyable (and by extension helped keep it afloat well past its deserved expiration date) during the early to mid '90s.

To that effect, those expecting a second coming of Alice of Hell will find little of merit here, as this is still quite obviously post-Set the World on Fire Annihilator; but in the context of the circumstances surrounding it, this ends up being one if its greater strengths. One of the band's more recent positive transmutations revolves around the sudden ability to convincingly pull off more protracted songs. "The Trend" is an invasive, gut wrenching opener that foreshadows some of the best tracks on Feast like "Fight the World" and "One Falls, Two Rise." In a way, this sets the listener up for disappointment further into the procession, but it serves as a great first impression and pairs nicely with the surging "Coward," which itself features Waters' electrified picking hand at its most breakneck. When I first listened to this, I remember thinking to myself: "Okay, where is the power ballad..." but I was staggered to find nothing even approaching the sort here. To be candid, I kind of miss that expected intermission in the thrashing, and my disappointment was only further congealed by the fact that Padden's cleans sound pretty rock solid this time out.

The ejection of the melodic slant is a concern, but there are always exceptions, as Waters refuses to let go spectres of styles long forgotten. "Death in Your Eyes" features a spectacular jam-session interval around its halfway point that is ripe to the brim with leads and acoustic backing. It reminds me of "Phoenix Rising," and is perhaps the closest we get to a throwback moment here on Annihilator. Given the no-frills fisticuffs of the first few tracks, the groove-laden "25 Seconds" lands like a sack of flaming dog shit on your front porch during Halloween. I have no idea what Waters was thinking of there (as I usually don't, honestly), but it is nice to have all of the swill isolated to one track for efficient skipping.

Lyrically, Padden is still serving as Waters' mouthpiece against the perceived societal deficiencies of our generation. "The Trend" is about exactly what one would expect, which coming from modern Annihilator is one of the more hyperbolic ironies one can witness. "Nowhere to Go" is yet another grievance against drug abuse and homeless youth, but it honestly seems to lack a clear purpose. We get it Jeff, downtown Vancouver is a shithole. Ahoff rotates in and out, making his percussive voice heard here fairly well. I still prefer Chappelle's crashing and thumping, but for being essentially a guest musician, he does admirably.

Although it thrashes more efficiently than Feast, I find it hard to pick a favorite between the two. For those who turn to Annihilator for their proclivity to intersperse Waters' unhinged riffing with melodic cleans and the like, go ahead and take Feast. Annihilator is decidedly more stripped-down and to the point, which is a cogent impression given its location in the timeline. The band needed to wipe the filthy slate clean here, and this record serves its purpose in that regard. The only remaining complaint I have is the ridiculous album cover and disposal of the band's iconic logo. Disregarding that along with the rancid groover that is "25 Seconds," we've got a solid slab of Waters doing what he does best here. I'll buy that for a dollar.

Annihilator are a band I like but don't love or obsess about. Their discography is fairly patchy, ranging from near-classics to utter rubbish, but mostly somewhere in between. This album was meant to be a return to form after the patchy 'Metal'. It is and it isn't...

Firstly, this album has no guest vocals, guest guitar solos or experimental tracks. Just straightforward thrash/groove the typical Annihilator way. This time the music is definitely thrashier than more recent output, but still gets weighed down in these plodding grooves that plague many of Annihilator albums. Secondly, this album was heavily promoted for the sheer number of guitar solos on here (i seem to recall it was 66 solos). Even casual fans know Jeff Waters is a ridiculously talented guitarist, so no surprises that the solos are brilliant.

The rest of the music is just modern Annihilator. Good thrash riffs mixed with slightly dull groove riffs, standard drumming, buried bass and Dave Padden's annoying vocals. I've never been massively offended by his voice, but i don't like it either. The lyrics are at the usual low standard but this is part of Annihilator's charm! The overall song dynamics seem to be a little more varied than past efforts, there aren't too many tracks that are simply groove or thrash-more of a mix of the two styles within a song. "Death In Your Eyes" is a good example, standard groove riffs suddenly flow into a thrash section and a brilliant solo/melodic guitar part then back to the groove riffing. If every song was written as well as this then I'd score the album much higher.

As for the songs, there's 3 or 4 that stand out as good tracks, 1 poor song (25 Seconds is the dullest of dull plodding groove) and a cover of Van Halen that i can't really say much about as i don't know the original. It's quite a good song that sounds like Van Halen more than Annihilator so it's probably a decent cover. A lot of the tracks start off with some top quality lead work and as mentioned before the solos are excellent as are the melodies. If you're not a fan of groove metal this album won't convert you to the style. The album is generally above average but nothing overly stands out as great.

Basically, this is Padden-era Annihilator at their peak. If you like their modern output, this album is the best. If you can't stand the Padden albums i'd still recommend giving this a listen as it's certainly better than 'All For You' and 'Schizo Deluxe". Just don't go expecting a classic like the early stuff.

Recommended tracks: The Trend, Death In Your Eyes, Romeo Delight

It's a well-known fact in the metal world that, regardless of whether the band is still together or not, thrash metal usually goes through several line-up changes. However, few thrash metal bands, especially those who went through their prime time in the 80's, have stuck to the sound that made them famous in the first place. Annihilator are one such band. Sure, they emerged at the tail end of the 80's, and their music from 1994 through 2001 hasn't been exactly, shall we say, original, but at heart their take of thrash metal has remained firmly at the standards set on the band's first three albums. Today, Annihilator are little more than a band just making albums for the sake of it, but I'd like to think they are still existent in many metal elitists' eyes.

This isn't to say that Annihilator aren't a band that, despite of whether you like them or not, strive for perfection with each and every album they release. In fact, it seems that on every album since the supposed comeback of 'Schizo Deluxe', the band have tried to create a song bigger (and possibly better) than 'Alice in Hell' or 'Fun Palace'. So what of their recent self-titled album? Certainly self-titled albums have always been known to bear some significance of a band's career itself. Metallica's debut became bigger than a pregnant whale, and Annihilator's self-titled effort proves to be slightly similar. Sounding bigger and slightly better than anything they have made in the last few years, the band's latest effort fails to surprise but definitely succeeds in satisfying both long and short term fans of the band.

The album starts off brilliantly. Annihilator have been known to make a great first impression, introducing each of their albums with sizzling hot riffs, surprisingly good song structures and enough energy to fill a lifetime's supply of Red Bull. No, that isn't an exaggeration. 'The Trend' pretty much sets the standard of the entire album. Scything riffs, explosive solos and melodic guitar licks courtesy of the incredible talent of Jeff Waters dominate this album. In fact, even before the vocals begin in any of the songs, there is at least one solo that will introduce itself to you, and you can bet your high horses that every one of those solos is different. Whether it's the ultra fast fretwork of 'Ambush' or the slight nod to NWOBHM on 'The Other Side', Waters just never lets up on his performance at all. It is probably him who has been keeping the chemistry of the band from dissolving over the last two and a half decades or so.

However, whilst the guitar work here is admittedly incredibly fantastic, the other instruments, especially the vocals, do not quite match the quality. If you've listened to every one of Annihilator's albums with Dave Padden, you'll know that he isn't exactly an instant highlight. Most of what he does is in fact supported by very aggressive lyrics, and even if his shouting method isn't to everyone's taste, the nature of the lyrical content matches the frenzy and intensity of the guitars. Speaking of the lyrics, much of the content is purely directed at the pronoun 'you'. Whether this 'you' is personal or not is unknown, but it certainly sets the album as a whole firmly in the boundaries of thrash metal. Some songs, including the medium-paced and mediocre '25 Seconds' and the equally as monotonous 'Nowhere to go', are sung in first person, and it certainly doesn't help the song to improve when Padden almost croons his way through at times. Nevertheless it is a distinctive way of writing lyrics, to direct one's own anger purely at the same pronoun for the majority of the record.

The aggression set on Annihilator's self-titled works surprisingly well. In an age where bands try to be too angry for their own good, Annihilator seem to get the right balance of melodious passages and pummeling metal to make the record as a whole fit well. When Padden almost screams his lungs out, it works even better. As on the impressive 'Coward' and the silly yet satisfyingly good 'Betrayed', Padden introduces an even angrier approach to the lyrics, making them seem much more meaningful than they actually are. The lyrics are simplistic, but they work in a way that sets them apart from other tedious bands of the same genre.

Negatively speaking, Waters' guitar work doesn't always seem that impressive. A prime example of this would be the dreary tedium of '25 Seconds', which as a matter of fact, is probably the weakest song on the entire album. Introduced with a slow riff and drum beat, the listener can be tempted to automatically hover their finger over the 'skip' button before even proceeding. It's a shame that '25 Seconds' doesn't live up to its name, and actually seems like a lifetime before Waters once again picks up where he left off, and lays down the craziest of solos. That said, some Annihilator fans are more patient than others, I'm sure.

All in all, Annihilator's self-titled doesn't offer anything new or fresh, and one can pretty much guess the amount of fun and energy that was put into this record. The problems found here are only the ones that have been haunting the band for the last decade or so, but this is surely one of their better albums of this century so far. Let's hope that Waters and co. keep up the momentum and standard set here, because if that is the case, then we can certainly expect something special in the following years.

Ho hum, another Annihilator album. First impressions: that album cover is gross. And not in a 'Hey, that's COOL man! Ewww!' way, but in a way that'll make people want to move away from you on the subway. So I was totally embarassed to pick this up, but interested to see what Annihilator sounded like in 2010. I'd read terrible things about pretty much every album they've released since 'Never, Neverland'. Classic Thrash (.com) had stopped reviewing their albums a long time ago and nobody I know who likes Annihilator even knew they played thrash metal originally! But just like the better of Annihilator's output, this album is audible saccharin: Yes Annihilator can kick some serious ass, but there's no escaping that unpleasant aftertaste.

'Annihilator' certainly sounds good. The band borrows heavily the speed and thrash metal elements of their debut album, albeit in their simplest form, and produce an album that could almost - almost - but the Big Four and their most recent output to shame. Padden is somewhat better than your stock thrash metal vocalist, and an improvement over previous Annihilator vocalists. Growling and shouting with some considerable speed ('Ambush'), other times sounding like a pissed off Dalek ('Death In Your Eyes'), which is kinda bad ass, but it sometimes gets on your asscheeks (and irritates them). Oh and there's a definite whiff of Pro Tools when he goes softer, an obvious attempt at trying to appeal to a newer scene.

Song wise, Annihilator seem able to do no wrong on the first half of the album, which features some of their best songs in a long time, the best of which is 'Coward'. It's got a blast of speed metal in the verses, a hardcore punk chorus and unless I'm very much mistaken an industrial metal breakdown accompanied by some sort of screaming, angry metalcore vocals. The songs also features Waters' most memorable solo on the album, which isn't saying much. His solos here aren't exciting or interesting, and almost seem like a parody of himself. They merely exist to have that creepy old homeless metalhead put his six fingered hand on your shoulder and tell you he likes your style.

The second half is a bit different. Full of average songs, for which I can't remember the names, the riffs, the vocal melodies or the choruses. But if anything, these actually prevent the album from being an absolute disaster: besides that horrible chorus in 'Nowhere To Go' ('Carnival Diablos' anyone?), they aren't unpleasant to sit through, and don't offend me enough to provoke harsher criticism.

The biggest let down of the album is the production. It's as cold as that horrible girl on the cover, a big problem for me. The album feels like what a replicant would produce trying to 'blend in', it feels as though Pro Tools was used to process every single freaking note. Basically, it doesn't sound natural, and leaves me feeling detached from the music. Yes it's crisp and clear, but that lack of dirt leads to a lack of feeling, a lack of emotion.

All in all, it's a fairly solid attempt at speed-thrash, with an unwelcome modern twist to it. It could have done with two or three real 'standouts' and the production could've been more organic, but in a world that has seen the reanimation of the Big Four of Thrash Metal(Anthrax, Megadeth, Metallica and Slayer, if you must know) and seems to have embraced thrash metal once again, it's a fine effort.

Trend hopping is probably the last thing that I’d suspect Jeff Waters of lyrically denouncing on an album, let alone the prospect of him releasing a mostly thrash oriented metal album, but that is basically what came to pass here. Likewise, his lone longtime project putting out a self-titled album a full 26 years after being formed is quite auspicious. But all of these unexpected occurrences have come into being here, and it has worked out very well for a band that has had one of the most inconsistent careers in the history of Thrash, which is saying quite a lot considering the company kept in said genre.

Although the modern tinge in production qualities is maintained on this latest studio offering, “Annihilator” is a stylistic exercise in turning back the clock a couple of decades. The multifaceted riffing approach, the impressive lead breaks, and the chunky feel of the whole package hearkens back to the late 80s to early 90s adventurism of the likes of Death Angel, Sepultura and Exhorder, but reinterpreted with a polished production is somewhat more in line with the semi-mechanical feel of the mid-90s groove era. It’s faster and more furious than most of this band’s recent output, but doesn’t quite abandon the mixed innovative measures that began to be incorporated into the band’s sound on “King Of The Kill”.

What this translates into is that Annihilator has not gone into complete retro mode here, but they get a good deal closer to it than many other older bands looking to reclaim their original base. Right at the onset of “The Trend” the melodic contour and familiar heavy metal influences that typified the first 3 studio releases out of this outfit leap right out at the listener, and are immediately followed by a bludgeoning set of fast paced riffs that remind of a couple different songs off of “Alice In Hell”. When taken as a whole, this is among the betters songs put out under this name since the early 90s, and perfectly captures that epic development of a basic riff concept that became standard in the mid 80s thanks to Dave Mustaine.

Surprisingly enough, this trend (no pun intended) in songwriting doesn’t stop after just one crushing masterpiece, and continues on through the next couple songs in an unrelenting fashion. “Coward” and “Ambush” are both a good bit shorter than the lead off song, but are essentially the same mixture of mad speed riffing in the mode of Slayer and Dark Angel, with a thudding breakdown somewhere in between, but with the extended intro cut off. “Betrayed” revisits the creepier progressive side of the band’s history, keeping things to somewhat of a slower groove most of the time, and incorporating a few spooky guitar themes that intermingle with the heavier main riff. After this things take on a bit more of a groove oriented character that is a bit similar to the Pantera-like of Annihilator’s history up until “The Other Side”, which kicks things back up a bit with a sinister triplet riff in the mold of “Children Of The Grave” on steroids.

Although this album sort of ebbs and flows a little in the middle, things are pretty much solid and consistent throughout. Even the Van Halen cover “Romeo Delight” manages to bring home the poundage, and also proves to be vocalist Dave Padden’s best moment on the album as he seems better capable of pulling off a David Lee Roth than he does doing the vocalizations on the Thrash songs. Padden basically proves to be the usual weak link in this chain, though his husky baritone bellows are not quite as obnoxious as they were on the last couple of releases. Picture a really overbearing version of Matt Barlow, but with only a segment of his middle vocal range, and you’ll get the idea.

There seems to be a really strong up trend (again, no pun intended) among the old guard in the Thrash Metal scene of late. Annihilator seems to be, yet again, unwilling to buck the trend in this case (okay, that one was intentional). Those who loved both “Carnival Diablos” and “Never, Neverland” will definitely be taken in by this, as well as most other fans of this genre who wanted to see it being done competently rather than by metalcore hacks who don’t understand how to get beyond imitating some of the riffing techniques. Regardless to whether or not Jeff Waters has been consistent in the past; on here he gets the job done quite nicely.

Originally submitted to (www.metal-observer.com) on August 1, 2010.

Before I begin, let me just start off by getting one thing out of the way: Dave Padden isn't going anywhere. He may not be a popular figure in these parts and doesn't quite compare to the band's previous singers, but he has officially become the band's longest serving vocalist with his fourth effort. Hell, guitarist Jeff Waters doesn't even have any lead vocals on this release! Now with that fact established, let's just see what the group has come up with for their thirteenth effort...

For the most part, you could say that this album's style picks up where 2007's "Metal" left off though there are a few noticeable differences to be found. In addition to the absence of special guest musicians, the production has a rawer feel than the last few releases and there seems to be a rather angry feel in the band's delivery. Having said that, the vocals retain the previous album's more polished edge and the guitar playing delivers plenty of the standard riffs and solos.

Musically, the album starts off on an intense note with the first four songs largely being fast paced thrashers. "The Trend" starts off with a "Fun Palace" styled introduction before leaping into some rapid fire Hot Topic bashing (Weren't most of the last album's guests an attempt to be more accessible to said demographic?), "Coward" is probably the most intense track of the lot with its particularly fast riffs and angry vocals, "Ambush" is another fast number with a chorus that brings to mind the hooks of Hallows Eve's "Speed Freak," and "Betrayed" is an upbeat song in the vein of "Torn." While I'm not sure how many classics this side of the album has, it should be the most appealing end for fans of the band as well as a few of its critics...

Of course, the next five songs go into more groove-oriented territory with some unusual results coming out of it. "25 Seconds" is made memorable by its slinky bass line and screaming vocals, "Nowhere To Go" brings in more melodic elements while still sounding upbeat, "The Other Side" sticks out in its similarity to the climax of Diamond Head's "Am I Evil," and "Death In Your Eyes" and "Payback" attempt to go back to faster ground though mostly stick to a mid-tempo march. This side is likely to be the source of controversy for its stranger tracks and it isn't quite as good as the first half. Of course, there are still some decent songs such as "The Other Side" and "Payback" that manage to stick out.

Fortunately the album picks up the pace once more with a cover of Van Halen's "Romeo Delight," which is pretty much the only cover ever included on an Annihilator studio album. While the scenario sounds incredibly weird written down, it manages to work pretty well and ends up being an album highlight. Padden manages to channel David Lee Roth quite nicely, Waters gets Eddie's guitar playing down, and the song generally does justice to the original. Of course, such a loyal cover may make the listener wonder why they did it in the first place but I sometimes get that mentality with a good portion of the covers I've heard...

All in all, there's not much on here that will convince those that have already disliked the band's recent works. The vocals haven't changed too much, the lyrics still range from cringeworthy to generic (Though Padden's contributions are a great improvement over his bit on "Schizo Deluxe"), and there aren't too many amazing songs on here. Having said that, I do find this to be a pretty decent album that may prove to be a little bit of improvement over the last few. Hopefully the band will find a way to stop going through the motions and deliver another excellent album.

My Current Favorites:
"The Trend," "Coward," "Ambush," "Betrayed," and "Romeo Delight"

16 long years have now passed since the last time I uttered an honest WOW upon hearing a new Annihilator album. 1994's King of the Kill was the last in a long run of great albums from these canucks and while they've never put out any crap, apart from the hideous Remains debacle, they haven't exactly blown my mind either. I won't go as far as saying that this, their 13th album, has reinvigorated my early 90's Annihilator-mania but it is without Jeff Waters' best output since the aforementioned '94 album.

From the get-go with The Trend the album launches into wellknown thrash domains. Waters' guitar playing is unmistakable and it is such a joy to hear him shred like a maniac again. My older brother, another Annihilator fan for 20+ years, called me up after giving the album a few spins and said it sounded like Wargasm meets Lamb of God at times. I'll stand behind that statement 100%. It definitely has that old school clean thrash feel of Wargasm and at the same time is sounds modern and somewhat grooveish. If comparing to the bands own back catalogue I'd say a King of the Kill, Carnival Diablos, Schizo Deluxe combo ain't too far off the target.

The überthrashing Coward is an immediate favourite with its devastating opening riff and its sing-along chorus. Should quickly become a staple in their live set. Death in Your Eyes and the oddity that is 25 Seconds are two other delights. Extra props to Dave Padden for delivering his best vocal performance thus far!

This is the album that should be able to bring old and new fans of the band together and as such it could be that long awaited break Jeff and crew have deserved for two decades.

Annihilator (or should I say, Jeff Waters) are surely one of the least consistent metal bands around. While their overall sound doesn’t change enormously, they’re totally hit and miss in their albums. One year you’ll have a real winner, the next a true stinker. In their career they’ve had some truly atrocious offerings (Remains, Criteria for a Black Widow), some great ones (Carnival Diablos, Alice in Hell) and plenty of mixed bags in between. As such, you never really know what to expect going into a new album, as the last one is very rarely an indicator of the next one’s quality.

Thankfully, on this self-titled offering, Annihilator have done themselves proud and really put out one of their higher grade releases, with little of the filler material that all too often plagues them. Annihilator (the album) is as thrashy as they come, only occasionally slowing down the pace, and most every track is full of intense razor-sharp riffs and rapid-fire drum beats. If you like your Annihilator fast-paced and wild, this is the one for you. The solos are also a real highlight. Granted, they are Jeff Water’s speciality, and often a good point, but on this album they really shine, Waters is on top form throughout, and this one is particularly laden with enough to keep any shred fanatic happy.

Of course, a point of contention will, as has been the case for the last few albums, be Dave Padden’s vocals. It’s true, he’s not as good as Joe Comeau’s vicious barks, which elevated Carnival Diablos and Waking the Fury to new levels of ass-kickery for the band, but they still do a good job and suit the music. His slightly screamy style will grate with some purists, but he’s good enough, and definitely has talent.

With that aside, there is one significant down-side, one that’s always present: the lyrics. Try as he might, Jeff Waters simply does not write good lyrics for his songs. It’s not just that they are often not entirely serious, but they can be downright cringe-worthy. Waters is to lyrics what George Lucas is to film dialogue, and he would be better off finding someone else to do it. But still, the delivery and music surrounding is good enough, so it doesn’t hold the album back overly.

True, it still has a stumble here and there: the funk beat breaks of 25 seconds just don’t work so well, and you won’t find many epic masterworks as you might on some of the more ambitious thrash albums. The Van Halen cover, “Romeo Delight” will be also noted as a slightly odd choice for an album closer, but it works surprisingly well, and there have been weirder ones in Jeff’s career (Chicken and Corn anyone?).

But all told this is a fine return to form after a couple of lesser albums, calling to mind other high-quality recent works by the old guard like Megadeth’s Endgame, Testaments Formation of Damnation or Overkill’s Ironbound. It’s full of prime Annihilator-brand thrash, with just the right degree of Anthrax-esque bounce and sense of fun, while still maintaining the momentum of the aggression.