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Band page - Annihilator
Latest news
| Wednesday, December 8, 2010 - Former Annihilator Touring Drummer Dies Of Cancer | Guitarist/mainman Jeff Waters from Annihilator has posted the following message:
"A few weeks ago (while I was touring in Europe), I got word that we lost a former member of Annihilator's touring lineup, Dave Machander. He passed away from cancer.
"Dave was a super-nice guy. I met him under stressful circumstances. In 1996, we did a record called 'Refresh The Demon'. Randy Black was our drummer then and I had bought everyone's plane tickets for our upcoming 'Refresh the Demon' Europe tour 1996.
"12 days before the tour was supposed to start, I get a call from Randy telling me that, if I did not pay him double+ the money I was to pay him for the tour that he would not come along and would join another Vancouver artist Bif Naked instead (as she apparently was offering more money). I told him that we could not afford this and that it is very, very wrong to hold us 'hostage' like this. He ended up leaving for Bif Naked (which ended up lasting one tour and he was out anyway!) but, more importantly, Randy Black left us with no drummer, a cancelled flight that I did not get my money back for and a tour in 12 days!!!
"12 days is wayyyy too short of a time to get someone to jump in and play an Annihilator set and I still had to hope I could find someone!!
"Dave Davis, our long-time guitar player, suggested his friend Dave Machander and thought he could handle the gig/pressure. I was not convinced but had no other option than to literally say 'you are in' before I even heard him play drums!
"We rehearsed on Vancouver Island, near where both Dave's lived. We had six rehearsals scheduled. Normally, for a drummer with us, headlining Europe, we would need 10 rehearsals.
"Many drummers play along with a 'click.' That is a cowbell kind of sound that keeps a time/beat in the drummer's earphones and lets him play close to perfect timing... it helps him zoom in and play tighter than without one. Well, Dave was not playing well to it. Turns out, he had never played to one before. I was in panic mode. So was everyone else. So by the fourth rehearsal of six, I was ready to cancel. Almost. Then Dave Davis said, 'Jeff, why don't we simply take Machander off the click and let him just 'feel' the music?'
"I said, 'Might as well try, Dave.'
"We did. instantly the guy played fantastic. Really good. Better than good. He then really only had two good rehearsals with us and then got on the plane with us and kicked fucking ass on that tour. The guy pulled through and stuck with it. Most guys would have quit after the first few rehearsals but he would not give up. And thanks to Dave Davis for the tour-saving suggestion!
"Anyway, I only saw/knew Dave Machander on that one tour with us. He was a biochemist, if I have my info right. A very smart guy and seemed to be a very nice guy, too!
"Send a thought out to him and his family. He was a good guy. And grab a loved one and give them a hug."
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| Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - Free Annihilator Compilation Available Online | A free compilation album from Canadian melodic thrash metal pioneers Annihilator, called "Total Annihilation", is now available to download from Earache Records in conjunction with Metal Hammer.
Earache Records is releasing six classic albums from Annihilator's back-catalogue as part of the "Total Annihilation" campaign, and to celebrate, the label is offering a completely free download-only compilation album featuring fourteen killer tracks.
Get your hands on the "Total Annihilation" compilation album for free at this location.
"Total Annihilation" features the following tracks:
01. The Trend
02. Ambush
03. Battered
04. Carnival Diablos
05. Back To The Palace
06. Nothing Left
07. Ultra-Motion
08. Ritual
09. King Of The Kill
10. Second To None
11. Ultraparanoia
12. Refresh The Demon
13. Tricks And Traps
14. Never Forget
The first three releases from the "Total Annihilation" reissue campaign, "Carnival Diablos", "Criteria For A Black Widow" and "Waking The Fury", are available now in Europe, along with Annihilator's new, self-titled album. Get them now at www.earache.com
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| Monday, January 5, 2009 - Annihilator - Set The World On Fire to be re-released | Press release from Metal Mind Productions:
For many fans Annihilator has always been the silent hero of thrash metal. They never got the same attention as Megadeth, Metallica or Slayer, but when musical critics predicted the end of thrash metal by the end of the 80's, they shut their mouths with one of the most intense thrash metal releases ever - "Alice in Hell". Annihilator's next offering, "Never, Neverland", was a proof that the greatness of their debut was not a matter of coincidence - the album delivered the same sheer thrash madness, backed up by some extremely melodic riffs and solos. Since the release of their critically acclaimed debut album, Annihilator released several other albums, "Metal" (2007) being the latest one.
On "Set The World On Fire", the Annihilator's third studio album from 1993, the band leaves some of the thrashier elements from their two first albums behind by focusing more on melodies. With the three octave range of Aaron Randal's voice and the sheer complexity of Jeff Waters' riffs they manage to create some of the most beautiful melodies. And today Metal Mind Productions presents the re-release of "Set The World On Fire". New edition of the album includes 2 bonus tracks plus an additional CD with a promotional video for "Set the World on Fire", video material featuring Jeff Waters speaking about the process of writing and recording "Set the World on Fire", touring, making of the "Set the Worls on Fire" video and more. The bonus CD also includes additional video and audio material: live clips, interviews, home video recordings and some live Annihilator videos from 1989. Digipak edition is limited to 2000 copies. Digitally remastered using 24-Bit process, released on a golden disc.
The release date is set up for 19th January in Europe and 10th March in USA (via MVD).
Tracklist:
CD1
1. Set the World on Fire
2. No Zone
3. Bats in the Belfry
4. Snake in the Grass
5. Phoenix Rising
6. Knight Jumps Queen
7. Sound Good To Me
8. The Edge
9. Don't Bother Me
10. Brain Dance
Bonus tracks:
11. Hell Bent For Leather
12. Phoenix Rising (acoustic)
CD2
1. Set the World on Fire (promotional video)
2. Jeff Waters Speaks
3. Bonus Video Footage
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| Monday, February 5, 2007 - Annihilator album news | Press release from SPV:
Anybody reading the album title of the latest Annihilator release, Metal, will know what to expect. What we have here is no pseudo-intellectual moniker, no term that suggests pensiveness or indeed ambiguity, but boldness, directness and determination. It's a title that suits Jeff Waters' dynamic guitar style down to a tee. Like few other musicians, Waters' name stands for a tough-as-nails, energetic and always brilliant metal guitar. "It may sound a little strange when I say that the new album reminds me of the first three Annihilator recordings," band leader Jeff Waters admits. "You could be tempted to think that I am looking back artistically, when the opposite happens to be the case. I always try to evolve musically. But it's a fact that I composed the new material the way I went about the early Annihilator tracks. Instead of writing them with the help of state-of-the-art studio equipment and recording them immediately, almost all of the guitar riffs were developed on a simple ghetto blaster. I only went on to find a rhythm and arrangements to suit an idea if it really floored me."
Metal will be out on April 16th, 2007 (Germany: April 13th).
The ten new tracks were recorded by Waters, playing guitar and bass and on lead vocals for one number ("Operation Annihilation"), drummer Mike Mangini and vocalist Dave Padden. A literal "army" of renowned guest musicians, whose names Waters will reveal soon, also dropped in to be a part of this. Annihilator fans had better brace themselves for a big surprise. Says Waters, making the mouths of his more curious fans water: "This is one of the coolest guitar albums of all time. And I'm saying this despite the fact that I don't happen to be a friend of exaggerated superlatives. The fact is that Metal is a dream-come-true for me, and this new Annihilator CD is going to rock and awe."
April will see Annihilator embark on a major European tour as Trivium's special guests, playing over 40 shows until early May in countries such as Germany, England, Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Italy and France. "The business side of our career rests in capable hands at last," says the musician from Canada. "We have an ambitious record label, a committed management and a concert agency that knows how to present us." And their first-rate album Metal is also waiting to be released.
More info at the official website.
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It will be possible to add comments when we have added more information. | Articles on this site
Album Review - Set The World On Fire - Re-release
(Steen)
Album Review - Set the World On Fire
(Alanna)
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