Earache Records
2010
1. The Trend
2. Coward
3. Ambush
4. Betrayed
5. 25 Seconds
6. Nowhere To Go
7. The Other Side
8. Death In Your Eyes
9. Payback
10. Romeo Delight (Van Halen cover)
Annihilator are one of those bands where I'm really not sure why I continue to check out their new releases. I guess somewhere I have some small glimmer of hope this band may stop sucking and start putting out good music again. I used to be, once upon a time, a huge fan of this classic thrash metal act, but ever since All For You and the couple of albums that followed I have not enjoyed anything this band has done. A fair amount of this can be credited to vocalist Dave Padden, but also the sort of modern commercial touch this band has incorporated into their music. I really didn't go into this one expecting much of anything, but one can never know for sure.
Surprisingly, I don't totally hate this. Just that fact makes this album a hell of a shocker. Actually there is some fairly traditional thrash fare in here and some signature Jeff Waters riffs which is a pretty good start. Also, while still far from my favorite Annihilator vocalist, Dave Padden doesn't really annoy me on this album. I know, not exactly high praise, but it's pretty good for him. On this album he largely stays clear of the melodic/commercial sounding vocals and it only comes up a few times. For the bulk of this release he sticks to a harsher style and while still semi-modern it's more in that newer Exodus sort of way loosely speaking. The first three tracks in particular are actually enjoyable and showcase some of the more inspired, heavy, and intricate riffs Jeff Waters has come up with in some time. I actually found myself recalling old school Annihilator on these and that's gotta be worth something. All in all this album is not so far removed from the Joe Comeau era either as the sound is modern, but the style not as much. Not all the tracks are total winners, but nor are any really losers. I don't find myself really disliking any of this and again that's pretty good for me and newer Annihilator. Even the cover of Van Halen is halfway decent.
This isn't the greatest thing Annihilator has ever released or the album to make me love the band again, but the fact I can spin this and find some enjoyment in it has gotta be worth something. I doubt I'll ever really love Dave Padden as a singer, but Jeff Waters brings some good playing and some decent thrash metal songs to the fold here. Not bad... now just ditch Dave Padden and head farther back to the sound I really enjoyed.
Highlights: The Trend, Coward, Ambush
Rating - 3.0/5
2. Coward
3. Ambush
4. Betrayed
5. 25 Seconds
6. Nowhere To Go
7. The Other Side
8. Death In Your Eyes
9. Payback
10. Romeo Delight (Van Halen cover)
Annihilator are one of those bands where I'm really not sure why I continue to check out their new releases. I guess somewhere I have some small glimmer of hope this band may stop sucking and start putting out good music again. I used to be, once upon a time, a huge fan of this classic thrash metal act, but ever since All For You and the couple of albums that followed I have not enjoyed anything this band has done. A fair amount of this can be credited to vocalist Dave Padden, but also the sort of modern commercial touch this band has incorporated into their music. I really didn't go into this one expecting much of anything, but one can never know for sure.
Surprisingly, I don't totally hate this. Just that fact makes this album a hell of a shocker. Actually there is some fairly traditional thrash fare in here and some signature Jeff Waters riffs which is a pretty good start. Also, while still far from my favorite Annihilator vocalist, Dave Padden doesn't really annoy me on this album. I know, not exactly high praise, but it's pretty good for him. On this album he largely stays clear of the melodic/commercial sounding vocals and it only comes up a few times. For the bulk of this release he sticks to a harsher style and while still semi-modern it's more in that newer Exodus sort of way loosely speaking. The first three tracks in particular are actually enjoyable and showcase some of the more inspired, heavy, and intricate riffs Jeff Waters has come up with in some time. I actually found myself recalling old school Annihilator on these and that's gotta be worth something. All in all this album is not so far removed from the Joe Comeau era either as the sound is modern, but the style not as much. Not all the tracks are total winners, but nor are any really losers. I don't find myself really disliking any of this and again that's pretty good for me and newer Annihilator. Even the cover of Van Halen is halfway decent.
This isn't the greatest thing Annihilator has ever released or the album to make me love the band again, but the fact I can spin this and find some enjoyment in it has gotta be worth something. I doubt I'll ever really love Dave Padden as a singer, but Jeff Waters brings some good playing and some decent thrash metal songs to the fold here. Not bad... now just ditch Dave Padden and head farther back to the sound I really enjoyed.
Highlights: The Trend, Coward, Ambush
Rating - 3.0/5
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