ANNIHILATOR – Double Live Annihilation

Canada’s Annihilator, an ever changing line-up band, releases what I will call their first ever real live album. Yes, I am aware of the one released in the mid-nineties. It only consisted of old recordings, while what I call a real live album is a double disk from the last tour, just like Double Live Annihilation. Today – and hopefully for a long time – Annihilator is mastermind and riffmeister Jeff Waters, while Joe Comeau (of Overkill and Liege Lord fame) fills the vocal spot, Curran Murphy (ex-Nevermore) crunches duties along with Waters, Russ Bergquist grooves like no other, and Randy Black tortures the skin.

If you expect a best-of and a live record at the same time; sorry boys and girls. But eh – if you liked Annihilator’s set last year and didn’t necessarily care for all the classic stuff they did on the “Carnival Diablos” tour (why play the same oldies every year?) – and you simply saw great pleasure in a band that delivers pure energy, attitude and riffs, riffs and more riffs – pick up a copy of this CD. It starts off with “Murder”, and that’s exactly what this line-up is capable of. Honestly, although I really dig the old classics, this set fits the band’s current expression and musical vision. Also, what a real deal it is to hear Jeff Waters riff raff his way through a few great “Waking The Fury”-songs, an album which quality lacked because of its guitar sound. Here, Jeff shows he is still able to deliver good songs. I never really doubted that, but “Waking The Fury” was not much to my liking.

However, to my liking is Joe Comeau – a singer that moved from a shy and very trying-out stage character to a monster with more self-confidence than the Minister of information in Iraq. Unlike the clown of Baghdad, Joe is honest, and when he presents “I Am In Command”, you know he’s right. Randy Black is such a thunderous drummer, I can’t believe that his arms are still attached to that little body when the show is over. All in all this is a great line-up, how about keeping it this way, Jeff?

The recording itself; it seems like the record is mixed from a few different shows. Also, I believe the audience sound is made up, but hell, that’s probably how to make (good) live records these days. Who cares? This is more real than lots of the old classics out there… Jeff Waters is a unique guitar player, that’s old news. I never in a million lightyears believed he’d fit in another band not playing his own songs, but last year, if you were lucky enough to catch Savatage in Europe, you know the Mohawk also can adapt to others. If only Paul O’Neill was more “metal”, they would have made the right choice…

But eh, this review is about Annihilator (smacking my head). What more can I say? In for a treat of riffs and high energy heavy metal presented with honesty and lots of attitude? Order “Double Live Annihilation” and let Canada’s finest murder your world!