Annihilator

The self-titled Annihilator is a work concentrating sharp thrash riffs, complex, precise rhythm and the guitar flashes particular to Jeff Waters. Bearing the band’s name, it again powerfully presents their musical core. While firmly keeping hard, sturdy aggression, the songs hold sure hooks and surprising developments, never falling into monotony. The more you follow Jeff Waters’s guitar — its fine, rich nuance and the tension that deftly changes from song to song — the more its interest grows. Fast piling speed and mid-tempo songs that let you listen carefully are placed in good balance, and the album’s rise and fall is ample. Technical guitar work is in sharp form throughout. Its appeal is that, rather than merely showing off flashy technique, it values the songs’ own powerful appeal. Even as veterans, Annihilator’s sharp thrash spirit and outstanding playing have not dimmed in the least. Again showing the band’s sure ability, it is a powerful, fulfilling technical-thrash work — a record where Waters’s character shines.