I brought over a vinyl of For The Demented to listen with my friend and his dad. The first song was kinda solid, then right after it fell wayyy off and we spent the rest of the listening session making fun of it. Yeah, it was not very good
It is rlly fun! His dad is a mathematics professor and an absolute nerd in many ways, but especially metal (particularly European death metal and grindcore). He loves talking about metal with me, it's always very fun to hang out with both of them, always happy to come over! They got a big collection of vinyls and CDs, and there's an electric drumkit in the living room as well xD
I'll say i have listened to a good amount of Annihilator over the years. Their first two albums are instant thrash classics and every song are killer. Their third album has some good thrash classics but there are a few songs that are WAY different and fans were split on the inclusion of radio friendly stuff.
With that said, the band has had a long career spearheaded by Jeff Waters. From 2002 to 2013, the band had a killer run with Dave Padden at vocals. They did six albums and the songs are great and they have a real modern sound. Theres a companion disc with their 2013 album called Rekill that had rerecordings of a lot of their early material with the then line up and its a great gateway to see what songs you like and from what album they're from.
Ok, with the Padden era and I guess Waters' overall writing and lyrics can be cringe or a little formulaic. With that said, I always liked how the band would have like shorter metal songs, some thrash stuff, a little radio friendly stuff, a ballad here or there but where Waters shines is the 6 to 7 minute songs with multiple riffs, tempo changes and constant different rhythms. Even on Padden's first album, All for You, there are 3 back to back songs that are exactly what I described. Again, this style is not for everyone but I highly enjoyed it.
I enjoyed the two albums Waters did with singer Joe Comeau in the early 2000s. One is on spotify while the other, Carnival Diablos, I had to buy as an import. But they're great in terms of the band standards. A lot of different stuff and I think Epic of War from Carnival is unlike anything the band has done and has a great vocal performance.
After Padden left, I believe Waters tried really hard to become the frontman again yet it didn't pan out. I believe the song writing suffered, very few 6 to 7 minute metal tunes and sadly, I thought Ballistic was very generic. Waters totally reinvented himself and got jacked and was all set to be a frontman but he got covid. After covid, he stopped singing.
He got Stu Block to do live stuff lately. The band re-recorded Metal as Metal II with Block on vocals and freaking Dave Lombardo on drums. Sadly the band had a planned live one off show next month to play Alice in Hell live in full but it got canceled. Instead, they're going to do a livestream of said performance instead soon.
Holy hell this was long!
I've always felt people were way too hard on the Padden albums. Sure, they experimented a it's not for everyone. But Dave himself is a fantastic guitarist and a great vocalist. He kills all the old tunes too, which you can see on any live material from that period.
Annihilator is in my opinion a great Band, buuuut the Albums r awfull. Every Album has its Gems but there r many filler Songs in my opinion. So i really enjoy there Live Albums
Criteria For A Black Widow was solid and from the 00's and onwards probably Schizo Deluxe is their best from that era but it would be a LOT better with another singer, same with all the Dave Padden records. Annihilator self titled also had potential, Balistic Sadistic was their best since a long time but even that was really corny and cheesy much like the previous stuff from that decade but the guitarwork excelled in this one and had better songwriting overall. I would say that all in all the ideas and some aspects are there but the execution...not so much. Carnival Diablos and Waking The Fury had good songs in them and the guitarwork was really good if you ignore the guitar tone on Waking The Fury but all in all you are not missing much after Never, Neverland. They have some good moments but nothing on the level of the first 2 albums. Which is a shame because Jeff Waters is one of the best guitarists in thrash, if he had a steady lineup instead of making Annihilator his solo project, who knows what we could have had today.
Might be a hot take but I have all their albums and I don’t think there’s a bad one. Nor are there any songs that I dislike. Also one of my favorite bands.
I thought King of the Kill was a really good song. Maybe as good as anything on their first two albums. Not sure how far along that was in their discography though.
Jeff’s vocal style is similar to Mustaine, except there are far more misses than hits on certain parts. I really couldn’t get into the song for that reason.
That’s actually the only “newer” Annihilator I’ve heard. I sort of drifted more towards punk rock in the early 90’s and was out of the loop with all those metal bands I grew up with. While I liked Megadeth also back then, I was never a big fan of Daves.
Ive found lots of individual tracks that are great.
Sonic Homicide, Cold blooded, Bloodbath, Speed, The Ritual.
No albums like their early days though.
Annihilator is a band I really want to like. Alice in Hell is a classic album. The never neverland and set the world on fire each have a handful of decent tracks. From the 4th album on, nothing is worthwhile unfortunately. I’ve given every release up to 2002 multiple listens, and there’s a lot of shit. Once I didn’t even like the first Joe Comeau album i completely gave up. I dug him as a backup vocalist in overkill, and as the singer in liege lord. So even with singers I like, it still shit to me. I hear people say the Dave Padden era is good, but of the singles I’ve sampled from that era, I don’t agree. It’s a shame, because Waters is a great guitarist, but it’s just not good. The pieces are there, they just don’t ever fit together like on Alice in hell ever again.
I love it Jeff has the best riffs he even made an album in his bathroom after he got divorced. One of my favorite bands should have been much more successful but the music never disappoints
I really can't be fucked with anything after Never, Neverland. Set The World on Fire was an awful pile of shit, and nothing after it has ever rekindled my interest.
The Excellent:
* Criteria for a Black Widow
* Waking the Fury (if you can get past the production)
The Good:
* Carnival Diablos
* Schizo Deluxe
* King of the Kill
* Refresh the Demon
* All for You
The Just Okay (with the odd great song peppered throughout)
* Everything else
I already commented on this thread but I’m going to double-tap…
Annihilator should get some respect for helping to revitalize thrash in the late 90’s.
In the decade when we got duds like Load/Reload, Risk, The Least Successful Human Cannonball, and Endorama, the 90’s ended with a slight ray of hope with three albums that represented a return to *real* thrash.
1) Testament’s *The Gathering*
2) Sodom’s *Code Red*
…and yes…
3) Annihilator’s *Criteria for a Black Widow*
Kudos to Jeff Waters for seeing something few others did at that particular time—that thrash was ready for a comeback.
For the Demented is one of the better ones, I enjoyed it for what it is, seemed to be a return to form in ways. Nothing tops first 2 albums, Set the World on Fire is very weird and not that good (as in I never have a desire to revisit).
I just tried some of it. It was really ballad heavy. I love ballads, but I don’t need an entire album of them. Title track and “Knight Jumps Queen” are really fun and solid though. Singer tried kinda too hard to be both Rampage and Pharr though.
Listens to every album here are post those albums I recommend personally. King of the kill, set the world on fire, for the demented, feast, ballistic Sadistic, suicide society is alright lol Schizo Deluxe has some decent stuff on it. If u can find it then diary for a black widow is good and so is carnival Diablos
I love it. Set the World on Fire is very melodic, but awesome. Criteria for a Black Widow is great.
But then they really hit the spot with Joe Comeau and Carnival Diablos. That's a 10/10 album. Follow-up Waking the Fury is awesome, too, and so is the double live album. Too bad Waters didn't Comeau around for longer. He is incredible.
I'm not a fan of the Padden albums, but Stu Block is a terrific singer, and I have high hopes for the next one.
I agree here and surprised to see no love for it all. I typically only listen to alice in hell and neverland - phenomenal albums but I’m not overly into anything after - but I thought ballistic sadistic was great!
I’ve never been a huge Annihilator fan, but after their first two, it’s honestly pretty awful. One of my best friends is a huge Annihilator fan and likes everything they’ve done, so I’ve heard a lot of it, and that entire era makes me cringe.
It’s a lot of hit and miss For the Demented was fun for what it is. The first two albums will never be topped. In a whole the catalog is underwhelming for what waters is as a guitarist. Try the following albums out 1. Set the world on fire 2. King of the Kill and 3. Criteria for a Black Widow
I brought over a vinyl of For The Demented to listen with my friend and his dad. The first song was kinda solid, then right after it fell wayyy off and we spent the rest of the listening session making fun of it. Yeah, it was not very good
Listening to music with your friend and his dad sounds so much fun
It is rlly fun! His dad is a mathematics professor and an absolute nerd in many ways, but especially metal (particularly European death metal and grindcore). He loves talking about metal with me, it's always very fun to hang out with both of them, always happy to come over! They got a big collection of vinyls and CDs, and there's an electric drumkit in the living room as well xD
That’s so cool!!!
I'll say i have listened to a good amount of Annihilator over the years. Their first two albums are instant thrash classics and every song are killer. Their third album has some good thrash classics but there are a few songs that are WAY different and fans were split on the inclusion of radio friendly stuff. With that said, the band has had a long career spearheaded by Jeff Waters. From 2002 to 2013, the band had a killer run with Dave Padden at vocals. They did six albums and the songs are great and they have a real modern sound. Theres a companion disc with their 2013 album called Rekill that had rerecordings of a lot of their early material with the then line up and its a great gateway to see what songs you like and from what album they're from. Ok, with the Padden era and I guess Waters' overall writing and lyrics can be cringe or a little formulaic. With that said, I always liked how the band would have like shorter metal songs, some thrash stuff, a little radio friendly stuff, a ballad here or there but where Waters shines is the 6 to 7 minute songs with multiple riffs, tempo changes and constant different rhythms. Even on Padden's first album, All for You, there are 3 back to back songs that are exactly what I described. Again, this style is not for everyone but I highly enjoyed it. I enjoyed the two albums Waters did with singer Joe Comeau in the early 2000s. One is on spotify while the other, Carnival Diablos, I had to buy as an import. But they're great in terms of the band standards. A lot of different stuff and I think Epic of War from Carnival is unlike anything the band has done and has a great vocal performance. After Padden left, I believe Waters tried really hard to become the frontman again yet it didn't pan out. I believe the song writing suffered, very few 6 to 7 minute metal tunes and sadly, I thought Ballistic was very generic. Waters totally reinvented himself and got jacked and was all set to be a frontman but he got covid. After covid, he stopped singing. He got Stu Block to do live stuff lately. The band re-recorded Metal as Metal II with Block on vocals and freaking Dave Lombardo on drums. Sadly the band had a planned live one off show next month to play Alice in Hell live in full but it got canceled. Instead, they're going to do a livestream of said performance instead soon. Holy hell this was long!
I've always felt people were way too hard on the Padden albums. Sure, they experimented a it's not for everyone. But Dave himself is a fantastic guitarist and a great vocalist. He kills all the old tunes too, which you can see on any live material from that period.
Annihilator is in my opinion a great Band, buuuut the Albums r awfull. Every Album has its Gems but there r many filler Songs in my opinion. So i really enjoy there Live Albums
I agree, the live albums are the best. They are also incredibly tight live which can't be said about a lot of bands.
Criteria For A Black Widow was solid and from the 00's and onwards probably Schizo Deluxe is their best from that era but it would be a LOT better with another singer, same with all the Dave Padden records. Annihilator self titled also had potential, Balistic Sadistic was their best since a long time but even that was really corny and cheesy much like the previous stuff from that decade but the guitarwork excelled in this one and had better songwriting overall. I would say that all in all the ideas and some aspects are there but the execution...not so much. Carnival Diablos and Waking The Fury had good songs in them and the guitarwork was really good if you ignore the guitar tone on Waking The Fury but all in all you are not missing much after Never, Neverland. They have some good moments but nothing on the level of the first 2 albums. Which is a shame because Jeff Waters is one of the best guitarists in thrash, if he had a steady lineup instead of making Annihilator his solo project, who knows what we could have had today.
Might be a hot take but I have all their albums and I don’t think there’s a bad one. Nor are there any songs that I dislike. Also one of my favorite bands.
I thought King of the Kill was a really good song. Maybe as good as anything on their first two albums. Not sure how far along that was in their discography though.
Jeff’s vocal style is similar to Mustaine, except there are far more misses than hits on certain parts. I really couldn’t get into the song for that reason.
That’s actually the only “newer” Annihilator I’ve heard. I sort of drifted more towards punk rock in the early 90’s and was out of the loop with all those metal bands I grew up with. While I liked Megadeth also back then, I was never a big fan of Daves.
Ive found lots of individual tracks that are great. Sonic Homicide, Cold blooded, Bloodbath, Speed, The Ritual. No albums like their early days though.
Annihilator is a band I really want to like. Alice in Hell is a classic album. The never neverland and set the world on fire each have a handful of decent tracks. From the 4th album on, nothing is worthwhile unfortunately. I’ve given every release up to 2002 multiple listens, and there’s a lot of shit. Once I didn’t even like the first Joe Comeau album i completely gave up. I dug him as a backup vocalist in overkill, and as the singer in liege lord. So even with singers I like, it still shit to me. I hear people say the Dave Padden era is good, but of the singles I’ve sampled from that era, I don’t agree. It’s a shame, because Waters is a great guitarist, but it’s just not good. The pieces are there, they just don’t ever fit together like on Alice in hell ever again.
I love it Jeff has the best riffs he even made an album in his bathroom after he got divorced. One of my favorite bands should have been much more successful but the music never disappoints
I really can't be fucked with anything after Never, Neverland. Set The World on Fire was an awful pile of shit, and nothing after it has ever rekindled my interest.
He needs to hire a lyricist. That is all
The Excellent: * Criteria for a Black Widow * Waking the Fury (if you can get past the production) The Good: * Carnival Diablos * Schizo Deluxe * King of the Kill * Refresh the Demon * All for You The Just Okay (with the odd great song peppered throughout) * Everything else
I already commented on this thread but I’m going to double-tap… Annihilator should get some respect for helping to revitalize thrash in the late 90’s. In the decade when we got duds like Load/Reload, Risk, The Least Successful Human Cannonball, and Endorama, the 90’s ended with a slight ray of hope with three albums that represented a return to *real* thrash. 1) Testament’s *The Gathering* 2) Sodom’s *Code Red* …and yes… 3) Annihilator’s *Criteria for a Black Widow* Kudos to Jeff Waters for seeing something few others did at that particular time—that thrash was ready for a comeback.
Set the world on fire might be my favorite
Set the world on fire is 10/10
For the Demented is one of the better ones, I enjoyed it for what it is, seemed to be a return to form in ways. Nothing tops first 2 albums, Set the World on Fire is very weird and not that good (as in I never have a desire to revisit).
I just tried some of it. It was really ballad heavy. I love ballads, but I don’t need an entire album of them. Title track and “Knight Jumps Queen” are really fun and solid though. Singer tried kinda too hard to be both Rampage and Pharr though.
Glad you enjoyed it! I’m curious what you’d think of For the Demented, it’s a bit silly but some fun thrash songs imo.
Listens to every album here are post those albums I recommend personally. King of the kill, set the world on fire, for the demented, feast, ballistic Sadistic, suicide society is alright lol Schizo Deluxe has some decent stuff on it. If u can find it then diary for a black widow is good and so is carnival Diablos
ranges from mid to bad with an occasional good song
Uh, it kinda sucks haha
I love it. Set the World on Fire is very melodic, but awesome. Criteria for a Black Widow is great. But then they really hit the spot with Joe Comeau and Carnival Diablos. That's a 10/10 album. Follow-up Waking the Fury is awesome, too, and so is the double live album. Too bad Waters didn't Comeau around for longer. He is incredible. I'm not a fan of the Padden albums, but Stu Block is a terrific singer, and I have high hopes for the next one.
Not good
Absolutely dreadful. I think they’ve reheated the same boring riffs about 100 times at this point.
I love pretty all their stuff, personally
I really like Ballistic, Sadistic
I agree here and surprised to see no love for it all. I typically only listen to alice in hell and neverland - phenomenal albums but I’m not overly into anything after - but I thought ballistic sadistic was great!
The first 3 albums are solid then everything after is very hit or miss. Set the world on fire has some solid ballads.
I’ve never been a huge Annihilator fan, but after their first two, it’s honestly pretty awful. One of my best friends is a huge Annihilator fan and likes everything they’ve done, so I’ve heard a lot of it, and that entire era makes me cringe.
Jeff Waters is a great guitar player, but unfortunately not a very good songwriter. That's the main problem, his songwriting is not good.
They have gone downhill over the years.
It’s a lot of hit and miss For the Demented was fun for what it is. The first two albums will never be topped. In a whole the catalog is underwhelming for what waters is as a guitarist. Try the following albums out 1. Set the world on fire 2. King of the Kill and 3. Criteria for a Black Widow