Annihilator

These cd's are great. Being an old rocker that dabbles into things like suicidal tendancies and Ozzy this stuff is unbelievable. These guys combine metallic speed with a lot of talent. I'm definately an annihilator listener now. I must get some more. Jim

I got Alice in Hell and Never Neverland almost 17 years ago and they got lost somewhere when I moved back many years ago.

I was always more a fan of Never Neverland because I think the compositions and production are a level higher than Alice.

But for Alice. What a classic. There are some mad shredding riffs in there. As a guitarist, Waters has always been some kind of inspiration even today.

I think the vocals on Alice in Hell are more rough and draft than Never Neverland but that's just me. Buy it even if it's just for the songs Crystal Ann and Alice in Hell.

Excellent old school trash metal

It is no longer necessary to search eBay and countless music stores to obtain the classic first two Annihilators. In order to make the might of Annihilator known to the masses, Roadrunner has rereleased both of them together and thus created the best metal package available for half the price.

The first album, Alice in Hell, is gritty and raw. The fires of pure thrash are here, furious speed, amazing solos, with plenty of diversity. A wicked flamenco intro, several odd time signatures, and a few brief clean interludes make for a dark and heavy album.

The second album, Never Neverland, provides a more well rounded album. Coburn Pharr, vocalist on this album, provides a clear powerful voice, even if he doesn't have the might and prescence of Randy Rampage(from the first album). Neverland is just as fast and powerful as the first with more melodic sections as well as slightly more mature lyricism.

The fact that these albums are being sold together for the price of one is more than enough incentive to buy them.

All I am going to say is that these two albums are good and the only good albums by Annihilator.You have two different singers on these albums,Alice In Hell(Randy Rampage),Never,Neverland(Coburn Pharr)there both good at singing.All the songs rule besides the song Stonewall off of Never,Neverland.If you like speed metal buy these two albums or buy them on one like this one is.

How can people prefer Metallica, Megadeth or Slayer instead of Annihilator is something unclear to me and really makes me sad.How can't the world value the talent of Jeff Waters?
Well, if you are into thrash metal or virtuosic guitars but done with originality and memorable riffs and awe inspiring and breathtaking changes in tempos, it doesn't get better than Annihilator.Some may argue about Set The World On Fire being too much pop-metal oriented or that the voice of Jeff diminished the power in such gems as King Of The Kill or Remains (all albums post - Never, Neverland)but the intense glow with sheer perfection of this two first Annihilator jewel albums can not be touched!
The fact that Roadrunner gives this two to you, the elusive buying public, at the price of one album and remastered both of them plus bonus tracks is mind - blowing!
Highly Recommended! What are you waiting for? No, you don't need to listen to samples! Just buy them.You will thank me.Trust me!

Haven't heard this CD in ages, as this looks to be the Canadian thrash metal band's eighth album - ? I was never aware they had so many CD's out. 'Criteria For A Black Widow' reportedly reunites most of the original line-up (always a good thing). Tunes I remember hearing (and liking) when this CD first came out were "Bloodbath", "Nothing Left", the heavy-duty "Loving Sinner" and "Sonic Homicide". Line-up: Randy Rampage-vocals, Jeff Waters-guitar & vocals, Dave Scott Davis-guitar, Russel Bergquist-bass and Ray Hartman-drums. Should do a lot for fans of Helloween, Pantera, Sacred Reich, Children Of Bodom and possibly Celtic Frost.

I agree with one of the earlier reviews that states that the biggest problem with this album is the fact that the vocals SUCK. not only that but the lyrics are ridiculous as well.. especially on the title track. As far as musicianship goes, this is pretty much a standard thrash album. nothing groundbreaking, nothing new, really. Jeff Water's lead work is also overrated on this release. a mediocre thrash album at best.

This album kicks unbelievable ass. Just when I thought Annihilator would slip into mediocrity, Jeff Waters tracks down Randy Rampage and brings him back into what could be one of the best thrash albums of the last 10 years.

Bloodbath, the first track, opens with powerful riffs and wicked vocals/solos/lyrics/everything and the album refuses to slow down. Back to the Palace is a great play on the classic Fun Palace theme, while Schizos Pt. 3 makes for a fitting continuation. Sonic Homicide reuses a sweet riff from an old 80's Annihilator demo and makes a great song out of it. And Punctured proves that the mighty Rampage can master a real singing part. The other songs on the album are solid and almost as memorable as these mentioned, with the final track, Mending, a short acoustic outro.

The synopsis of this album is this. Any Annihilator album with Randy Rampage on vocals will own. No matter how weak the lyrics, or how generic the guitarwork might be, his flair and style could save the album. I really wish his voice would have been on All for You instead of Dave Padden, who sounds like a jackass the entire time and ruins the album. Though Dave redeemed himself a little on Schizos Deluxe, imagine how amazing that album would be with Randy on it. It would have been a modern metal classic. Too bad they just don't get along anymore. Buy this album.

I listened to these guys back in the Alice In Hell days, but not much since then....

So when I got this CD, I so wanted to like it, but found it very redundant....

These guys had so much potential 10 years ago, but instead of growing, they apparently keep regurgitating the same sounds, and not much on this cd was catchy enough to get me wanting to jump in a mosh pit, bang my head, or pump my fists....

I agree with the 5-star reviews except for the vocals. This CD would be perfect if it weren't for the weird-sounding voice. It's also bad in other Annihilator albums too. I am sure this is the main reason Annihilator isn't as popular as we all wanted it to be. Just listen to the samples above and check for yourself. And the lyrics suck too, with repetitive annoying rhymes. But, hey, the guitar is awesome, the speed is as fast as it should be, with original rythms. All songs kick ass, specially "Schizos" and "Loving the Sinner".

Annihilator's debut album Alice In Hell is a classic Thrash Metal release with great songs like W.Y.T.D., Ligeia, Alison Hell, World Salad and Schizos are never alone pt. 1 and 2 those are basically my favorite songs.

The album was quite good and sounds very aggressive and raw especially with Randy Rampage's growling while hes not exactly a good singer it did fit the style of music they were playing and it does sound like he has some attitude which is great but the vocals aren't that important since there was such an amazing set of songs and the guitar work was brilliant and they had some nice solos its very memorable.

The lyrics were interesting especially Legeia which was about a short story by Edgar Allen Poe, Jeff Waters the lead guitarist and founding member of the group wrote all the songs and was able to produce his own demo tracks before he created Annihilator, even though some of lyrics were quite cheesy you cannot deny the fact that this guy is a genius and the killer riffs that he comes up with are amazingly good especially on Alison Hell this combines into one ultimate and inspiring thrash album.

I cannot think of a single bad song on this album if you liked Alice In Hell then you should check out their other albums Never Never Land and Set The World On Fire those two were pretty awesome as well.

Ok, pay attention newbies, because this'll be the best X amount of dollars you'll ever spend on a thrash metal album. This album is nothing short of a 5 star classic masterpiece. Those of you who are already familiar with this album already know exactly what i'm talking about. Let me start off by saying i can't stand when reviewers are constantanly comparing everything to Metallica. Even if they were responsible for bringing trash metal & metal in general into the mainstream eye (or ear), they are still highly over rated & totally washed up. In this case though i must stoop to saying that Randy Rampage's vocals do sound a lot like James Hetfield's gruff vocals, but the music is so much better, more technical & total genius compared to anything Metallica ever did. There, now that's out of the way i can continue. Randy Rampage was D.O.A.'s former bassist. I know what you're thinking, "D.O.A.'s former bassist?" "That doesn't sound like a good thing for a metal album". Trust me though, he fits 100 times better than any of the other vocalists that came after him. Yes it's unfortunate this is one of those bands that suffered from a constant line up change & one of the worst kind, the vocalist. I've read reviews on Amazon about some of the other albums & actually read stuff like, "this album is even better than Alice In Hell" Are you serious? Anyone who thinks that must be retarded, because nothing by Annihilator comes close to matching the pure perfection of this album. Their second effort isn't bad musically or technically compared to this album, it's just the overall sound that's inferior due to the way the production makes it sound & the vocalist, i can't stand his vocals. The sound they had on this album was PERFECT. Anyway with that said, this is one of those albums that you can put on & listen to from start to end without having to skip any tracks. Even the demos are great, Powerdrain is totally worthy of being part of the album's main content & not just a bonus track & it's one of the best songs on there & a stand out for me. Other standouts in my opinion are Crystal Ann, Alison Hell, Schizos(Are Never Alone) Parts I & II & Human Insecticide. This is a killer album that you will not be disappointed with, if you don't already have this in your collection then you should buy this. This is a highly over looked gem, get or regret it.

Annihilator has released some of the fastest and most powerful metal albums since their incarnation, but they will never again release anything as powerful as this 1989 epic. From the multi acoutic flamenco intro Crystal Ann, to the final pounding notes of Human Insecticide, Alice in Hell screams glorious metal. Randy Rampage's vocals are dark and killer. The solos are fast and well thought out. The riffs are dark and heavy and perfectly complemented with bass and drums. Alison Hell, WTYD, Wicked Mystic, Word Salad, and the instrumental Schizos(Are Never Alone) go down in Annihilator history as classic metal movements in a wicked symphony. Annihilator's debut was better than most metal bands in existence and is worth purchasing beyond any doubt.

If you are a true thrash metal fan, then you will love having this album in your collection. This is metal to the core, nothing more and nothing less. A lot of people complain about Randy Rampage's voice, but i think it is awesome. Yes it can take some getting used to, but after a while, you have to admit that it fits the music. Crystal Ann is a nice acoustic intro that leads into the mid-paced thrasher Alison Hell. The whole album is filled with headbanging classics, like W.T.Y.D. and Ligeia. It all concludes with Human Insecticide, which is 100% speed metal. Any self-respecting metalhead will love this. To all you mallcore fans, steer clear,as this is true metal, not the homo garbage you call "heavy."

I was so into Metallica, Megadeth and Pantera when i first listened to this one. And i was like: "who are these guys, they rock!!"

Alice In Hell is a mind blasting experience. A fast, crushing set of killer riffs and solos, great vocals. The speed on this one is amazing, the whole album is great, all tracks are remarkable. Good harmonies. Nice changes. It has it all, a must-have in your collection.

If you like original hard core,big guitars,own sound I recommend giving these guy's a listening 2.

one thing that amazes me about jeff waters is his drive to continue no matter the situation ....... even if he had to do everything solo (remains). i love his voice and guitar work on this album, still has the early thrash feel before the circuis diablo years which are great in their own right ....... but feels like a whole different band. highlights are the title track, syn. kill 1, ultraparanoia and city of ice.
if u love annihilators early efforts this is a must have.

Jeff Waters has to be one of the best shredders in the business. The leads he incorporates into his songs are sensational. My copy has an added track called "The Box" also on King Of The Kill which also rocks. Just listen to the perfection of the lead in that song alone. I've been an Annihilator fan for years and this CD shows who really runs the band. Pastor of Disastor and A Man Called Nothing are my favorites but this CD really never lets up. If you enjoy the other Annihilator CD's you can't go wrong!!

I like it a lot. Syn Kill 1 is my favorite track. Lots of strong thrash and bass guitars, lucky I bought this CD by accident- low priced item.
Highly recommended for the true metalhead.

Refresh the Demon is another one of the 'Jeff Waters solo project' Annihilator albums, but still manages to kick a liberal amount of ass. Darker and faster than King of the Kill, Refresh the Demon is peppered with heavy thrash songs as well as slower metal songs. Ultraparanoia, Pastor of Disaster, and Syn. Kill 1 represent the heaviest end, while the wicked upbeat thrash of City of Ice and the addictive Hunger round out the other end. A Man Called Nothing is arguably one of the cooler songs written in this period, blending several different styles and sounding cool as hell. The weakest songs here are actually the title track, which doesn't live up to its name, and Innocent Eyes, an out of place ballad. I like most of the songs on this album, and it has a heavier feel overall than King of the Kill, but it's nowhere near the band's classic releases.

your basic annihilator album....thoroughly listenable but slightly average as have been their last few releases.

Solid release from these Canadian veterans.

With close to a dozen musical guests, and a slightly cliched album title, you'd might suspect that this album is a stinker. Thankfully, it isn't. There's nothing very original here though, musically it often sounds like a mix of Anthrax and Metallica circa 1987, but the songs are well written, well performed and catchy. Adding some progressive elements to some songs adds variation; although it may be off-putting for die-hard metal fans to hear thrash mixed with Rush-influenced passages.

Solid release with solid songs; worth checking out as long as you don't mind hearing music with clear and distinct influences noticeable here and there.

Woooooooooooh....Indian metal fans rate this album 5 plus stars...just awesome. Fantastic production of kickass metal...Well done Jeff. Keep it comin buddy...

I've been a fan of Annihilator since '89 and it's rare that Jeff Waters disappoints. While this isn't the one-two punch of back-to-back opuses Carnival Diablos and Waking The Fury, Metal kicks with a fury that is almost non-existant in today's metallic world. Waters has assembled a virtual who's who of heavy metal guest artists for this release, and from that point on, it's heads-down, pedal-to-the-metal THRASH, bay-bee! You either come along for the ride, or get steamrollered over, it's that simple, punk!

I could use a whole bunch of superlatives to describe the songs herein, and wax poetic over the thrill of hearing such rippin' solos by Jeff's guests, but I sorta doubt you wanna read all that. Suffice to say, this is one solid album from start to finish. If I HAD to give Metal less than stellar marks, I'd have to point out the glaring Black Sabbath opening riff rip-off of "Detonation" (not to worry, Jeff veers away from that soon enough so that he can't be unfairly accused of stealing) and the rock, rather than metallic thrash, of "Couple Suicide"; it really does take some getting used to hearing that song. But honestly, that's about the only blunders on an otherwise nigh-to-perfect disc. And if that's all there is, then that's pretty d**n good to me! Go ahead, pick up this album, and be glad you did!

This is an awesome album from front to back. Waters does not disappoint and definitely delivers the goods on this one. If you are a fan of classic guitar driven heavy metal then this album should be at the top of your list. I've listened about six times through now. I took it out of my player because there are always other CDs screaming for attention. I had to put it back in this morning. Yes, it's a good album that begs for more playing. The highlights for me thus far are tracks 1, 3, 7* and 8. I starred track 7 because I often find myself starting it again to get some more when it's near finished playing. All in all a great album though and highly recommended if you like Annihilator at all, or if you regularly listen to music by classic metal guitar heroes such as Zakk, KK Downing, Glenn Tipton, Adrian Smith, Dave Murray, Mustaine... to name but a few...

This CD was INSTANT GOLD to me. At first though I was saddened by Joe Paddens Departure. I was a Big fan of Carnival Diablous. This isn't for the Death Metal Fans so much, this one is for the Thrash Metal Fans. Fans of old Metallica, Slayer, Kreator, Exodus.

These guys keep true to the form of old and new metal. Some people don't like their newer style, but I think it is one amazing improvement compared to their old stuff. If you don't know who Annihilator is, You gotta buy this CD if you like Thrash. Seriously! It does NOT suck! If I lost my copy, your damn right I'd buy it again and again and again. Can't live without this one!

Finally an album that comes somewhere near the magic and triumph of 'Alice in Hell'. Could be Annihalor's 2nd best album ever. Simply put Schizo POUNDS! Released a short year after the disastrous and in my view their worst album 'All For You'. How such a redound occurred with the same singer borders on miraculous. There is not a stinker track on here, even the slower tune 'Clare' is inspired. The vocals, guitars, drums, production, song writing and cover art all 10 plus!

Hands down the best thing I've heard in a long time! This thing shreds! Where the hell have I been? The new Exodus has nothing on this...in fact, this is just plain brutal face meltin' s@#T!
BUY IT NOW!

All in all this CD is worth buying. The music is fantastic metal. Although in my personal opinion I thought Joe Comeau on "Waking the fury" and "Carnival Diablos" was the Ultimate Annihilator Singer. He could sound like Judas Priest/AC/DC-Iron Maiden and Annihilator all in one. He made an annihilator cd Awesome. No song sounded the same. A lot of cds just mix and dull because every song sounds the same. Joe changed his vocals really well. Schizo Delux doesn't do to bad. The only thing I'm not fond of is that they bring back some of the old Randy Rampage style of singing.

This cd is like a Slayer/Static-X/Old Metallica/Old Annihilator mix with some flavor of alice in chains in "Father like Gun"

Those are not bad likenesses at all. The Cd Kicks ass, I just wish they still had Joe Comeau as their singer.

Never heard of Annihilator and are curious to buy or not? I would highly recommend this cd /Carnival of Diablos and Waking the Fury the most. Carnival of Diablos is my first pick. the song "Perfect Virus" is the most awesome song I have ever heard in my life.

The Good
The Beast is unleashed on "Maximum Satan." Dave Padden's doubled-up, echoed vocals mixed with Jeff Waters' dark and heavy riffs help make for one evil track. "Drive" barrels along like a racecar burning down the track. The drum work is so frantic that one has to wonder how many heads were damaged. "Plasma Zombies" takes a social stance on how young kids today are hypnotized by video games and how images on television may influence their lives. It's set to a backdrop of monster riffs and powerful vocals. Annihilator continues to express their social views on "Like Father, Like Gun." The rhythms fire off in typical thrash metal style, with shaded of classic Pantera thrown in.

I would actually classify "Clare" as a dark and ominous ballad. The track leans a lot on softer tones as it builds to a distorted release during the chorus. Three bonus tracks are thrown in on this release; all are rare demo or unreleased recordings. You can hear contrasting vocal styles on "Weapon X" and "I Am Command," but both stay true to Annihilator's early days. There's also a song called "Annihilator" that was taken from a Canadian radio premier sometime in the eighties. What metal band didn't have a song titles after them back then?

The Bad
Nothing notable

The Verdict
Annihilator deliver the goods with a thrash metal album that would go down as historic, if this were 1985. Schizo Deluxe is sure to please the band's European and Japanese faithful, but how it plays out in the U.S. will probably be worse than it deserves. It hard, it's heavy, and it's metal!

This is a very good CD but it's not quite great. The main problem is the vocal melodies. They're just not as good as everything else. If you can't get enough of old-school thrash, then definitely pick it up-but don't expect any big hooks to sing along with.

On a personal level, Never Neverland is a very special album to me, by the fact that thanks to it I discovered one of the most fantastic and overlooked guitar heroes on the face of the planet: Mr. Jeff Watters.
The dynamics of the songs, the great execution and the incredible amount of technical resources shown by the musicians on this recording makes of Never Neverland an overwhelming and bombastic sonic experience.
The chemistry between Watters and the killer rhythm section (Ray Hartman on drums and Wayne Darley on bass) is simply out of this world.
My actual rating is 4.5 stars. Never Neverland falls short from perfection due to vocalist Coburn Pharr's performance, which I found somewhat stiff and unexpressive, excepting the aforementioned complain everything else is state of the art.
Favorite songs: "The Fun Palace", "Sixes and Sevens", "Never Neverland","Road To Ruin", "Reduced To Ash".

If you expect every Annihilator album to be like Alice in Hell, you'll be disappointed early. Never Neverland would better with the vocal talents of Randy Rampage instead of Coburn Pharr, but it has its appeal yet.

Firstly, I'm always impressed with the instrumentation on these albums. All of the riffs are brilliant, and the solos masterful. Songs like The Fun Palace, Phantasmagoria, and I Am In Command are among Annihilator's classics even to this day. The Never Neverland title track 'ballad' is wicked as well. All the guitarwork on this CD is incredibly well done. As for lyrics, they tend to be more moralistic, advocating against drunk driving, pollution, gambling, nuclear warfare, and corrupt religious leaders. The only out of place song was the goofy Kraf Dinner, clearly about macaroni and cheese. On a whole, I liked this album, especially compared to some of the albums to come.

Wow, the previous reviews literally scare me. People liked this album?? Is this some sort of mass collective joke?
I love Annihilator, I have all their albums, and listen to them constantly, but this album has remained shelved for many, many years. Absolute pure junk.
Let's start with the obvious problems. Number one on the list is Coburn Pharr, who can't sing period, let alone sing good metal. What Jeff was thinking when he hired this "wanna-be" I'll never know.
Second, the album is pop metal. While some of the guitar work is still awesome, the songs lack any "metal" to them. I never once replayed a part to hear it again cause it was so cool. Something I did do on their equally disapointing King of the Kill.
Then there are the lyrics which went from awesome and fun on Alice in Hell to silly and just plain stupid.
Luckily Jeff went a different way with this band, and dumped Pharr.
Alice in Hell (their first album) was a thousand times better than this, the third effort, even Set the World on fire, and equally pop metal like album, was better having some really great metal songs as well as some truly fun songs and having at least a decent singer.
The two new albums Carnival Diablos and Waking the Fury absolutely rule and if you're looking for the same thrill you got when you bought Alice in Hell, get them now.
Skip this disaster, the closest to sell-out album, Jeff and the band ever got.
One thing though, I have to admit the song, Phantasmagoria absolutely rules. Note though that it was written before even Alice in Hell. Unfortunately for this album, it was also released with Bag of Tricks featuring Jeff's vocals, which are far superior to Pharr's hoarse vocal strains.

Annihilator was a metal band lead by guitar virtuoso Jeff Waters. He wrote or co-wrote every track on this album and proves a very creative, intelligent lyricist. Waters took a lot of care in these songs and even includes the stories behind the songs. Some examples: the title track is about a girl confined to a room by a fanatically overprotective grandmother after the girl looked at a boy in a grocery store; "Sixes and Sevens" comes from the British phrase for disorder; "Road to Ruin" is about a drunk driver ("impaired security at ninety miles an hour"); "Kraf Dinner" is about just what the title states without risking copyright infringes ("a cheddar cheese heart attack"); "Stonewall" was written after Waters moved to Vancouver and discovered the depressing reality of chemical damage to a river.

The music is also very creative. The guitar in "Never, Neverland" (not affiliated with Michael Jackson's estate) is beautiful (not unlike "Crystal Ann" from their debut album) and it incorporates a story-telling vocal. Things get silly, though, when they get to the defensive part: "Get back, back! Just leave us all alone! Take that and that! I'll break your every bone!" (can you imagine a little girl yelling this?). Some of the songs are preachy, especially "Stonewall" ("the power of corporations, spewing chemicals into the air. Fines are imposed to discourage, but what's a dime to a millionaire.") Still, the album rocks with, of course, excellent guitar. The music gets more thrash in the last tracks, although I find the first half of the album to be more interesting. It is also more solid than their previous album Alice in Hell.

If you like original hard core with character,some good guitar action you should be able to enjoy this CD with a high level of volume.

I agree definitely that this is a great album although a bit different in the guitar riffs and tempo. Sounds industrial, grunge, and alternative but still remains in the thrash/power metal arena.
It is good to witness a band that keeps going strong with a talented frontman like Jeff.

The culmination of Jeff Waters' solo experiments is Remains. Recorded and produced entirely by Waters himself, the album is unlike any other Annihilator. The first several songs give off a NIN/Rammstein industrial metal vibe which, though quite well written, are a major departure from his other work. Human Remains, Murder, and the instrumental at the album's end, Bastiage, all reflect this. There are several thrash songs however, such as the ultra heavy Dead Wrong, brutal fast Reaction, and the classic Tricks and Traps. It's not at all a bad album, just noticably different from the others.

Not as good as some of the other Annihilator stuff. It is a bit more industrial and less thrashy. Perhaps just an experimental solo effort. Not the best but still good listening.

I HAD HEARD THAT '' ANNIHILATOR '' HAD A NEW CD OUT - SO OF COURSE I HAD TO GET IT !! THEN I SAW HE HAD A FEW MORE , BESIDES THEIR FIRST 2... OF COURSE SOME WERE SOLO CDS - THAT HE TITLED ''ANNIHILATOR '' CDS .. HE SHOULD !! HE NATURALLY MADE THE BAND THE ICONS THEY ARE !! IF YOU WANT BALLSY CRUNCHING METAL SONGS , AS WELL AS A VARIETY OF SONG STYLES -THEN LOOK NO FURTHER.. JEFF IS BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER ... LONG LIVE METAL.......AND CHECK OUT ALL THE OTHER COOL '' ANNIHILATOR '' CDS !!! YOU WONT BE DISAPPOINTED ....

This is one of the best albums, I've ever owned. If your a metal fan at heart and you want the cutting edge vocals, then Mr. Water's and Annihilator is for you! No Love, is one of my personal fav's on this, so check out the preview, the guitar's in this album, are very nice, how they stand out in some parts, but always stay and flow with the rest of the sounds going around in the songs. If you like not to thrash, and speed metal, sounds, but the nice distorted vocal's and lovely hard, guitar sounds, this would be a nice one to pick up.

Ah, good old Annihilator, and good old Jeff Waters. Having doggedly stuck to his guns despite musical trends since releasing some classic progressive-thrash metal albums in the late '80s and early '90s, Mr. Waters has had mixed success and results, releasing a string of very uneven and sometimes awful albums over the last few years, partially due to personal problems and a constantly revolving band lineup. With "Carnival Diablos", he delivers a crushing, powerful metal disc with a great band backing him up, and the best vocalist he has ever had.

Water's inimitable thick, buzzsaw guitar tone and progressive-tinged musical sensibility is all over this disc, along with decent lyrics and excellent vocal styling (finally, the band seems to have taken more of an aggressive approach lyrically and vocally, instead of the corniness found on many Annihilator discs....I mean, come on, it's METAL, man). Water's guitar work really shines on this album, with too many great moments to mention, and a ton of crushing, off-kilter riffs and inhumanly fast solos. Any metal fan should pick this one up, and any Annihilator fan (like myself) who is tired of trying to predict the quality of every new Waters release shouldn't hesitate; this is the best album he's put together in years.

With Randy Rampage gone again, Annihilator turns to the talents of Joe Comeau, whose harsh yet melodious voice makes for a new degree of heavy Annihilator metal. Carnival Diablos takes the sound of Criteria with a little bit of Remains. There are no weak songs on the album, but there are several outstanding ones. Denied features some ripping vocals, Hunter Killer is heavy as hell and just as fast, Time Bomb and Battered have some cool riffing, Shallow Grave gives off a wicked AC/DC vibe, and the Perfect Virus has some amazing guitarwork and a great sound. Not the best Annihilator by far, but definitely a solid release and will be liked by Jeff Waters fans and heavy metal fans in general.

I'm posting this review for people who have never heard of Annihilator. I was one less than a year ago. I had NO IDEA who they were and I've followed Metal for my whole life.

It so happens these boys got shafted by their early producers. They were released Foreignly and haven't had the best marketing, therefore they are NOT well known, but I say they deserve better!

These guys are still around. I love them, because they really make a cd packed with AMAZING Guitar rifts. I'm talking about the kind that remind you of OLD Metallica to really amazing thrash metal.

You don't see that anymore. Everything is Candy Coated in the sound studio to sound like Creed or Pop music. Some of these newer bands are great, but their screaming voices give you a headache after a while even though the guitars and drums and kicking you into space.

Annihilator is an 80's band who has changed their sound and keeps the cd mixed so you don't get bored with every cd Sounding the same.

Fans of Judas Priest/Iron Maiden/Accept/Savatage/Slayer/Old Metallica )You'll love these guys.

This CD is the best of theirs. I don't recommend their older stuff too much. Carnival Diablos is AWESOME! They have slower songs too on all of their cds or instrumentals. Those I don't really care for. If they just kept it completely Thrash Annihilator would be a completely Great band. SO I'd give them a 8 out of 10.

Another great Annihilator release. But sadly, with the exception of those who are reading this(as well as fans of the band), who's ever gonna know? In comes Joe Comeau on vocals. He had spent the last few years as one of Overkill's guitarists, and I was curious if he could make it as a singer. He sure does. I'm actually surprised at how well he does. He even manages a Bon Scott gone metal impersonation on Shallow Grave. With the exception of Shallow Grave, most of the numbers are very speedy, progressive thrash. Certainly lives up to the name of Annihilator. They even throw a silly song in at the end, which is fun. Shows they don't take themselves as seriously as some other thrash cornballs. So, what reason could you have not to get it now?

"Oh God", another overrated thrash band such as Slayer and Metallica come out with a crappy watered down album (God Hates us All and St. Anger), and then Annihilator comes along. This album is insane. I'm surprised that not many people know of this band. They always hear Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax, and Metallica. Well, if you are sick of those bands and want to listen to better thrash, get Annihilator, Testament, Dark Angel, Toxik, Exodus etc... Amazing album. 9/10