Published on Jan 25, 2000
My previous experience with the Canadian heavy metal band
Annihilator has been brief. I remember when their album
Alice In Hell came out, and that the metal DJs at the radio
station I worked at absolutely freaked over the disc. About two
years later, I came across a used copy of the record, plunked down
my money… and wasn’t as impressed.
Fast forward to 2000. Our hero (now older and wiser) receives
Criteria For A Black Widow, Annihilator’s latest disc, in
the mail. The disc is groundbreaking in that it’s not only a
reunion of most of the original band, but it’s Jeff Waters and
crew’s first release in the States in over five years. Most
importantly, it left me wondering why Annihilator never made it to
the upper echelon of the metal world.
Annihilator could be rightfully compared to bands such as
Overkill and Testament, groups who aren’t afraid to break from
normal rhythm patterns to make a point in their music. Annihilator
– guitarist/vocalist Waters, vocalist Randy Rampage, guitarist Dave
Scott Davis, bassist Russell Bergquist and drummer Ray Hartmann –
is no exception to this, though I also would dare to say that you
can hear a bit of modern-day Megadeth in their sound as well.
Criteria For A Black Widow seems to try and tie up some
loose ends with songs like “Back To The Palace” – suggesting there
were some recurring themes from albums like
Alice In Hell and
Never Neverland laying around. In a way, I don’t know if
this was the best move for Annihilator, but at least they get these
flashbacks out of the way quickly and continue to look into the
future. (Those paying close attention to detail will note that
“Schizos (Are Never Left Alone) Part III” also could fall in the
“flashback” category, but it’s such a powerful instrumental that
I’d argue it holds its own very well.)
Musically, Annihilator are just as brutally melodic as some of
the older-school metalheads will remember them to be. Tracks like
“Punctured,” “Bloodbath” and “Loving The Sinner” all make it sound
like the band has been putting out this kind of quality material
all along with the same line-up. And while it may have been some
time since some of the members performed with each other, there is
a tightness to the music that suggests otherwise – and makes you
wonder what ever happened to cause rifts in the first place. For
the band’s sake, here’s hoping this lineup stays together for some
time.
The only weakness with
Criteria For A Black Widow is that the pattern starts to
fray near the end. “Double Dare” doesn’t seem to be of the same
mold as the more solid songs on the disc, while “Mending” doesn’t
do much to separate itself from its albummates. Some may question
the inclusion of a second version of “Loving The Sinner” featuring
Waters on vocals, but as Waters explains, he wanted this bonus
track to give the listener an idea of how the song developed.
The final ten minutes or so features Waters talking to the fans
explaining how
Criteria For A Black Widow came to be, as well as a
track-by-track explanation of the album. Waters is able to make
this engrossing, and one almost wishes that this special inclusion
had been longer. In fact, Waters comes off sounding like someone
you could easily sit down and have a beer with.
Criteria For A Black Widow is the kind of album that should
please the long-standing fans of Annihilator as well as win them a
whole new legion of fans. There is very little rust contained
within this disc, and even the one or two weak moments are covered
by strong songwriting and performances. This is the kind of disc
that makes you wish that you had the band’s entire backcatalog
crammed into your multi-disc player.
Criteria For A Black Widow is a return to form, as well as
to the music bins, for Annihilator, and is welcomed with open
arms.
2000 Christopher Thelen and “The Daily Vault”. All rights
reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without
written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of CMC
International Records, and is used for information purposes
only.