| Annihilator albums ranked (2020) |
| 17 |  | Annihilator
Remains
Jeff's solo album is for the most a failed experiment. The electronic drums fits well in primal tracks such as murder and sexecution but sounds out of place in the thrashy ones such as reaction. The industrial production sounds pretty uninspired and it features some of the worst annihilator tracks ever such as never and bastiage. Some riffs and solos are pretty fine tough |
| 16 |  | Annihilator
Suicide Society
Maybe their most unoriginal. not necessarily bad; the motivational closer "every minute" is great and there are some serious thrashy stuff such as "narcotic avenue" and groovy ones like "the one you serve" but the lack of creativity makes me pick this one so low. Snap, my revenge and the title track borrows riffs and style from other bands, plus the production is the less good Mr. Waters has ever delivered. |
| 15 |  | Annihilator
Refresh The Demon
Sounds like a more cynical sequel to king of the kill but with less inspiration. While this albums delivers some of the best annihilator tracks such as the evil thrasher title track, the intense city of ice and some tracks depicts perfectly insanity (a man called nothing) there are some fillers though that lowers the quality of this good album such as the repetitive syn kill and voices and victims. The final ballad sounds a bit out of place, for the most a good album. |
| 14 |  | Annihilator
Ballistic, Sadistic
Their last album is sure one of their thrashiest ever, Fabio's drumming is maybe one of the best in annihilator's career, Jeff vocals sounds a bit generic but still enjoyable while his guitar skills shines like always, the lyrics are dirtier and more in your face than usual, a great 80s revival. The only problem i have with this is the lack of annihilator's experimentation and originality for some riffs, clearly recicled from jeff's previous works, sometimes they sounds like a nice return to the roots but lip service went too far in terms of self plagiarism |
| 13 |  | Annihilator
Feast
The last album featuring Padden as a vocalist. A great compromise between thrash and some experimentation with other genres such as punk (wrapped) and funk (no surrender). The traditional thrash tracks sound good with padden even if he works better with darker songs such as "demon code". The instrumentation in fight the world is awesome. The flaws with this albums are strangely the solos, good but less than the previous (And following) and their fucking worst song ever: perfect angel eyes, a terrible ballad, even Padden sounds like he's singing just to do us a favor in this. |
| 12 |  | Annihilator
Metal
One of their most hated works. while some tracks are pretty cheesy (operation annihilation and army of one) , and some lyrics are pretty bland i think that this needs more appreciation. The solo section is outstanding, some songs are truly heavy, Padden vocals are great, the featurings fits well (yeah i like even that Danko Jones track), the Double solos with Laiho and Loomis are majestic, Haunted is one of ther best songs ever and even if sometimes it could sound a little bit watered down for the majority is amazingly enjoyable to listen. Mangini's performance is among his best. |
| 11 |  | Annihilator
Waking the Fury
Many people bashed the guitar sound in this, i think it works pretty well with this album. A pure thrasher with the only purpose of giving adrenaline. That pumped up guitar tone works awesome with the solo section of my precious lunatic asylum and the catchy riffs of striker (which features a great drum solo by mr. Hartmann). |
| 10 |  | Annihilator
For the Demented
Jeff vocals improved a bit from the previous work and the experimentation is back (punkish the way and the dance-funky interlude in not all there), Jeff's guitar skills are back, melodic and technical. Aside from some repetition of riffs (the terrific "phantom asylum" has a riff before the solo that could have been shorter) an incredibly fun listen. That dark humour ballad about cannibalism is great. |
| 9 |  | Annihilator
Criteria for a Black Widow
Almost original line-up. A failed attempt to return back to the roots but a successful work of music. From the almost Primusesque title track to the well accepted throwbacks such as the schizos sequel and the best track of the album (back to the palace) to the more modern approach of punctured and loving the sinner. Randy's vocals haven't aged very well but the melancholic vocal interludes by waters sounds awesome(double dare for example). Thrashy but without forgetting the personal touch of annihilator |
| 8 |  | Annihilator
All for You
Maybe the most hated annihilator album, well, from everyone but me. Sure the one is boring af but holding on is a better ballad. The groovy influences works incredibly well with darker tracks such as nightmare factory, and Padden's demented vocals fits the horrorish atmosphere, his switch from growls to cleans are well structured. I love the switching from quiet moments to heavy ones like in Dr psycho (one of my favorite by them) and both of me. Obviously the guitar performance is delightful |
| 7 |  | Annihilator
Annihilator
The trend is maybe one of the best ways to open an album ever. Guitar melodies and solos at Jeff's best. There is always space for experimentation between one thrasher and another (25 seconds). Furious and destructive but still featuring Jeff's elegance in the complex solos and riffs. |
| 6 |  | Annihilator
King of the Kill
I feel like this is one of his most personal and introspective works. Second to none reach the highlight with it's intense bridge and the overall lyrics themes are pretty much Water's life and thoughts about various topics. Musically is almost a mashup of Metallica, Megadeth, Van Halen and Jeff's personal touch. Only be lonely is maybe their second best ballad and Waters raw vocals were really good back in the day. |
| 5 |  | Annihilator
Carnival Diablos
Powerful, technical, heavy and epic. Comeau vocals are top notch, through the album many songs allude to other band's style (the "epic of war" iron maidenish bridge is one of the best homages in metal), like the ac/dc style song. The production is both raw and clean, Ray hartmann's drumming is superb, Jeff switches to many styles, liquid oval's progressive vibes sounds delightful. After the superb hunter killer there is the most idiotic yet funny hidden track ever |
| 4 |  | Annihilator
Set the World on Fire
The softer side of the band, imo Randal was a great choice for this kind of album. The ballads are beautiful, sounds good to me in particular. There is space for heavier tracks such as the iconic knight jumps the queen and the demented experimental brain dance. The bass production is fantastic and Mangini debutted in a great way. Jeff's style went softer but nonethless still technical and original |
| 3 |  | Annihilator
Schizo Deluxe
One of the most underrated albums in metal. Sure their heaviest, the evil guitar tone creates a darker atmosphere and Padden's vocals reach their peak, he switches from great cleans to some pissed off growls (the 20 seconds scream at the end of warbird and the incredibly heavy Clare's bridge). Waters managed to create an awesome atmosphere in songs like maximum satan and clare, plus his bass playing is really good. Invite it is one sick masterwork |
| 2 |  | Annihilator
Alice in Hell
Their most iconic work, really ahead of their times. Jeff managed to create his unique style blending thrash's technical skills and dark atmospherical elements. The intro is one of the best acoustics in metal, the production and vocals fits perfectly the insanity subject. Alison hell is still a thrash anthem. This album credited Annihilator as pioneers of technical thrash sided by coroner |
| 1 |  | Annihilator
Never, Neverland
The magnus opus of technical thrash. Their most complete effort both lyrically (various themes such as ambientalism, insanity, abuse, war, horror, religion and macaroni) and musically: fast heavy thrashers, title track is a dark power ballad with a groovy bridge, fun palace is a demented masterpiece and imperiled may be one of the hardest songs to play in 90s metal, phantasmagoria is truly evil sounding while kraf dinner is... well, macaroni. Coburn pharr was an appropriate vocalist with his large vocal range and Jeff is just sublime here. |
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