Pump that fist
"'Metal' is one of the best-written records in my career," says Annihilator lynch pin guitarist Jeff Waters. It's nice to see Jeff Waters holding so much faith in his new album even if a certain shelf magazine gave it a shortsighted 1 out of 5. The big question that needs to be asked is whether or not it is one of Annihilator's best or just one of Jeff's personal favourites.
It seems Jeff and his in out in out shake it all about band members are a band invigorated by the new material and such is the influence of the Canadian thrash band that they've managed to pull in some heavy weight guest appearances from the cutting edge of metal. The likes of Angela Gossow, Alexi Laiho, Mike Amott and Willie Adler all grace this record and with a guest spot on the up and coming Trivium tour one could suggest that Annihilator are aiming for the most lucrative end of the market...the kids. (A shrewd move if there ever was one)
Jeff also goes on to say, "It may sound a little strange when I say that 'Metal' reminds me of the first four Annihilator recordings," however, I don't think it's that strange because even after a couple of listens this was the conclusion I came to. This isn't a retro record nor is it Jeff Waters harping back to the 'good ole days' for commercial gain, the similarities between this release and Annihilator's early material is in the approach in song-writing which is the same method he used to record 'Alice in Hell', 'Never Never Land' and so forth.
I feel this has been one of Annihilator's strengths. It's very difficult to express yourself numerous times, if you churn out the same old stuff you are in danger of becoming stale and stagnant but if you change too much then you may alienate your audience. To Jeff's credit he has attempted different approaches with Annihilator to try and keep the music fresh and exciting but not always with the best results. His use of electronics for the 'Remains' album was a bad move and avoiding the 'go for the throat' tactics for 'All For You' caused a mixed reaction from the fans. Once again Jeff has changed his approach by utilising a ghetto blaster to help him write material as well as allowing guest musicians to help him record it, but does it work?
For the most part 'Metal' does work but I fear with this release Annihilator will once again split the fans. The trademark Annihilator sound is ever present with the chunky rhythm guitars and booming bass but the aspect that impressed me was the natural and tight sounding drum production. The kit sonics are crisp and to the point and help drive those double bass beat attacks which are so prevalent in their music. Jeff's guitar work is jaw dropping at times and I don't think there's anyone better in the music world at writing a guitar break and lead.
'Metal' disappoints in a couple of key areas however, the first area is the track listing because the album seems to take an age to get going. 'Clown Parade' is the weakest Annihilator opener since 'Murder' from the 'Remains' album and the Danko Jones/Angela Gossow led 'Couple Suicide' is downright laughable. Only when the disc reaches 'Army of One' does the album pick up, likewise with 'Downright Dominate' however these two tracks and the next song 'Smothered' all use that up-tempo fist punching rhythm and chugging riff which only causes the songs to lose their identity due to their familiarity with each other. Personally I found 'Metal' to be a more satisfying experience when I swapped the songs around putting the brutally fast 'Chasing the High' as an opener following it up with the quite brilliant 'Haunted'. As soon as I did this 'Metal' felt like an Annihilator record and before all you die hard fans pooh-pooh the album just try swapping the songs around into a different order and see if the whole experience makes more sense (And forgetting 'Couple Suicide' would be a good idea as well).
As you can probably tell there's a great Annihilator album in 'Metal' waiting to get out, it just needs some coercion from the listener. All of Annihilator's trademarks are on display for all to hear as well as some cracking songs and if you want to hear the band pay tribute to their earlier material then this could the release for you. The guest appearances are superfluous and add little to music making them purely a marketing tool than an asset to the music. The excellent David Padden stays on as vocalist for a 3rd album giving him the mantle of Annihilator's longest serving singer, yet I do worry, with Jeff singing on 'Operation Annihilation' and Danko Jones taking on most of the vocal work on 'Couple Suicide,' that he may get pushed out which would be a travesty. It's not the best Annihilator album, it seems like one of Jeff's personal favourites but I would go as far as saying it's one of the better ones, you just need to do a little digging.