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10-10 New Annihilator LP, single
09-12 Annihilator announce new album
06-02 Annihilator announce album #15


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Annihilator

Canadian thrashers Annihilator are the lifework of guitarist Jeff Waters, who founded the band in his native Vancouver in 1984 -- just as the speed metal revolution was getting underway further to the south in the San Francisco Bay Area. Due in large part to this geographical isolation, Annihilator as a band phased in and out of existence over the next few years, with only Waters as a constant factor, but when the driven guitarist's homemade demos finally made it into the hands of Roadrunner Records, the band's career was ready to begin. Released to positively wild public and critical acclaim ...read more

Canadian thrashers Annihilator are the lifework of guitarist Jeff Waters, who founded the band in his native Vancouver in 1984 -- just as the speed metal revolution was getting underway further to the south in the San Francisco Bay Area. Due in large part to this geographical isolation, Annihilator as a band phased in and out of existence over the next few years, with only Waters as a constant factor, but when the driven guitarist's homemade demos finally made it into the hands of Roadrunner Records, the band's career was ready to begin. Released to positively wild public and critical acclaim at the height of the thrash metal boom, Annihilator's 1989 debut, Alice in Hell, was an unqualified triumph and epitomized the state of the art in terms of thinking man's thrash metal, but it was hardly a band effort. Indeed, though they are pictured on the sleeve alongside Waters (who wrote, produced, and played guitar and bass on the entire album), vocalist Randy Rampage (formerly bassist with legendary Vancouver hardcore band D.O.A.), drummer Ray Hartmann, bassist Wayne Darley, and second guitarist Anthony Greenham were little more than hired guns. Not surprisingly, both Rampage and Greenham were gone by the release of the following year's Never, Neverland (replaced by the equally improbably named Coburn Pharr and Dave Scott Davis, respectively), the beginning of a revolving door policy that would elevate Annihilator's musician turnover to Spinal Tap heights. In any event, though not quite as inspired as its predecessor, Never, Neverland did decent business and the band's latest lineup capitalized by touring relentlessly behind it. A three-year delay and more lineup changes preceded 1993's Set the World on Fire, however, and the album's shocking move to adopt more traditional metal and commercial hard rock sounds wound up alienating most of Annihilator's fans, sending their popularity into a tailspin. Roadrunner issued 1994's Bag of Tricks compilation and promptly dropped the band, which quickly resurfaced with a new deal and several albums on Music for Nations (1994's King of the Kill, 1996's Refresh the Demon, 1997's Remains) but never again enjoyed anything similar to their original success -- despite Waters' retreat to thrashier terrain. Released in 1999, Criteria for a Black Widow reunited the guitarist with both Roadrunner and old singer Rampage, but subsequent albums like 2001's Carnival Diablos, 2003's Waking the Fury, and 2004's All for You marked a return to Annihilator's unpredictable musical about-faces and personal musical chairs.Credit to AllMusicAnnihilator is:Dave Padden - Vocals, Rhythm Guitar Jeff Waters - Guitars, Bass & Vocals « hide

Similar Bands: Megadeth, Testament, Metallica, Overkill, Coroner

LPs
Ballistic, Sadistic
2020

2.9
69 Votes
For the Demented
2017

3.1
87 Votes
Suicide Society
2015

2.7
89 Votes
Feast
08/26/2013

3.3
139 Votes
Annihilator
2010

3.2
164 Votes
Metal
2007

2.5
172 Votes
Schizo Deluxe
2005

3.4
165 Votes
All for You
2004

2.6
132 Votes
Waking the Fury
2002

3.4
115 Votes
Carnival Diablos
2000

3.6
134 Votes
Criteria for a Black Widow
1999

3.1
114 Votes
Remains
1997

2.3
112 Votes
Refresh The Demon
1996

3.2
126 Votes
King of the Kill
1995

3.7
218 Votes
Set the World on Fire
1993

3.5
237 Votes
Never, Neverland
1990

4.2
611 Votes
Alice in Hell
1989

4.2
741 Votes
EPs
The One
2004

3.5
6 Votes
Stonewall
1991

3.5
4 Votes
Phantasmagoria
1986

3.6
5 Votes
Welcome to Your Death (demo)
1986

3.5
1 Votes
Live Albums
Triple Threat
2017

4.4
4 Votes
Live At Masters Of Rock
2009

4.3
15 Votes
Double Live Annihilation
2003

3.8
8 Votes
In Command (Live 1989-1990)
1996

3.6
7 Votes
Compilations
Metal II
2022

2.9
14 Votes
Re-Kill
08/23/2013

3.5
5 Votes
Total Annihilation
2010

3.7
9 Votes
The Best of Annihilator
2004

3.3
15 Votes
Bag of Tricks
1994

3.6
12 Votes

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