There are some guys who are so prolific that they just can't stop putting out material, regardless of its quality. Jeff Water's Annihilator is one of them and this is their 13th release coming out May 17 in Europe, through Earache. Now, I must admit that I have been a fan of his since the Alice record came out and I consider him a fine guitarrist. A great songwriter? That's another story. Jeff has not been able to put anything nearly half as decent since 2001 Carnival Diablos and even though this record seems to be a bit of an improvement over Metal(a truly horrific effort) it's still long ways to go.
I have been thinking if maybe Dave Padden's vocals are the problem. Ever since he joined in the atrocious All For You, I just haven't been able to get into his vocals. I prefer him sounding aggressive than when he switches to a more melodic approach. I'll cut him some slack this time since he stays away from that approach in the majority of this record. The main problem lies in the generic songwriting. The album starts with The Trend, of which the first two minutes are a breath of fresh air since Jeff doesn't go to his usual thrash style and opts for a melodic intro. The song switches to thrash mode but not overexceeding its velocity. So far so good. The next two songs exemplify what's wrong with Annihilator all these years. You just can't be fast for the sake of being fast. Coward and Ambush are exactly that and even though the instrumental parts are good the vocals lines are dull and boring. Betrayed it's a mid-tempo one and not as awful but you will find yourself cringing at the lyrics (Betrayed, like a rat). From here on it seems as if Jeff realizes that he can't go fast just for the sake of it and we are treated to a variety of tempos. 25 Seconds tries to be experimental but it doesn't work except in the middle instrumental parts. Nowhere to Go almost lives up to its name but it actually has a decent melodic chorus and a good riff. The Other Side has a similar riff like Henchmen Ride from the latest Testament album so yes...you have heard it before. The chorus is just terrible. Death in Your Eyes is just boring when you are trying to force melody and blast beats at the same time and it comes out sounding weak. Payback goes to mid tempo again but surprisingly enough, I dig it. It really tries not to overwelcome its stay and Jeff actually comes out with some good riffing here. Now, why make a cover of Romeo Delight when VH-Roth era material for me it's almost untouchable in the wrong hands? The cover does not bring anything new to the table and it comes out sounding dull (no, Padden can't do the mandatory squeals from Diamond Dave).
Now, to be fair, the solos are fantastic and so are the instrumental parts on the majority of the songs. Yet, if this is so, why not make an instrumental record and give Annihhilator a rest for a while? If you didn't like this band before, this record will not change your mind and for us fans from way back it might make you thing that this is step in the right direction. It maybe so but is it a bit too little too late? As for the cover...uff there is a bit of originality for you, right there. :Smug:
I have been thinking if maybe Dave Padden's vocals are the problem. Ever since he joined in the atrocious All For You, I just haven't been able to get into his vocals. I prefer him sounding aggressive than when he switches to a more melodic approach. I'll cut him some slack this time since he stays away from that approach in the majority of this record. The main problem lies in the generic songwriting. The album starts with The Trend, of which the first two minutes are a breath of fresh air since Jeff doesn't go to his usual thrash style and opts for a melodic intro. The song switches to thrash mode but not overexceeding its velocity. So far so good. The next two songs exemplify what's wrong with Annihilator all these years. You just can't be fast for the sake of being fast. Coward and Ambush are exactly that and even though the instrumental parts are good the vocals lines are dull and boring. Betrayed it's a mid-tempo one and not as awful but you will find yourself cringing at the lyrics (Betrayed, like a rat). From here on it seems as if Jeff realizes that he can't go fast just for the sake of it and we are treated to a variety of tempos. 25 Seconds tries to be experimental but it doesn't work except in the middle instrumental parts. Nowhere to Go almost lives up to its name but it actually has a decent melodic chorus and a good riff. The Other Side has a similar riff like Henchmen Ride from the latest Testament album so yes...you have heard it before. The chorus is just terrible. Death in Your Eyes is just boring when you are trying to force melody and blast beats at the same time and it comes out sounding weak. Payback goes to mid tempo again but surprisingly enough, I dig it. It really tries not to overwelcome its stay and Jeff actually comes out with some good riffing here. Now, why make a cover of Romeo Delight when VH-Roth era material for me it's almost untouchable in the wrong hands? The cover does not bring anything new to the table and it comes out sounding dull (no, Padden can't do the mandatory squeals from Diamond Dave).
Now, to be fair, the solos are fantastic and so are the instrumental parts on the majority of the songs. Yet, if this is so, why not make an instrumental record and give Annihhilator a rest for a while? If you didn't like this band before, this record will not change your mind and for us fans from way back it might make you thing that this is step in the right direction. It maybe so but is it a bit too little too late? As for the cover...uff there is a bit of originality for you, right there. :Smug:
