Set the World on Fire

Set the World on Fire is an ambitious third album on which Annihilator, while keeping thrash-derived urgency, steps into greater melody and a cleaner, clearer construction. From the sharp, complex style of the first two albums, it steers greatly toward a more melodic, catchy direction. Welcoming the new vocalist Aaron Randall, his soaring voice gives the band a new face. Jeff Waters’s guitar deftly shifts between angular riffs and fluid leads. From the catchy drive of the opening title track “Set the World on Fire” and the aggression of “Bats in the Belfry” to the drama of “Phoenix Rising,” the songs create rich expression beyond speed alone, while cuts like “No Zone” and “Snake in the Grass” heighten the work’s appeal. The rhythm, while holding complexity, never loses the drive toward the chorus. An important turning point that melts technical playing into the whole song’s flow and proceeds between extreme aggression and accessible hooks in its own balance. A melodic side conscious of a wider audience strongly appears. Showing another appeal of Annihilator, it is a fulfilling melodic-thrash work.