Annihilator Album: “Waking the Fury”

Jeff Water and the band have completed this album with the same line-up as Carnival Diablos. This is a first for the band and their many linup changes! It took me forever to find out about the album release due to the band not scoring a major record deal like last time. So no major advertising was done for the record mind the bands web site and word of mouth/magazine, etc. (ANNIHILATORMETAL)

The record has "incredibly"...there's that word again....fast clean picking from the axman Jeff, and the tracks are all incredibly....uhhh...good Annihilator classic metal, but the fuzz guitar has a little annoyance to it til' you become oblivious to the new sound. Don't get me wrong, if you are an ANNIHILATOR fan....ya need to atleast let it pound on your brain for a once over! It is DEF...definetly a good addition to Annihilator's arsenal! I thought hopefully they would have the same sound as before since Carnival Diablos was heavy, but "HEY", every band makes and takes changes now and then!

I am sure that you will develop your own opinion, but if you know past albums you should find this album to your tastes! MMMMMMmmmmmm.....M E T A L! EXCELLENT!

A slightly different sound, an added distortion that has a distinctive modern feel to this caught me off-guard when I first heard it, but it soon grew on me and there is no mistaking it, THIS IS THE BEST ANNIHILATOR ALBUM EVER. Joes' vocals pick it up a notch and Jeff goes wild. The songs have more energy, more range, more killer riffs, more speed than any other album Jeff has done before. It is simply mind blowing.

It's hard to nail down favorites (IT'S THAT GOOD) but if I had to pick, Ultra-motion, Striker, The Blackest Day and Cold Blooded are the songs that stick with me the most.

The bonus songs on this release show Joe's growth as a singer as Shallow Grave sounds a whole lot better on here than on Carnival Diablos.

Simply put, if you don't have this album, GET IT NOW. If you don't have any money, sell something, anything. GET THIS ALBUM NOW. You will not be disapointed.

I have to agree with the other reviewer, this album is mechanized almost robotic, with not much heart. This style does work sometimes as Jeff Waters excels in almost any 'Metal' environment. But a major con for me on this album and lately Annihilator in general is those pesky tracks that stick out like a sore thumbs, not sounding like there from the same album much less the same band. Waters has done it before starting with "Set the World on Fire" including a track out of nowhere ballad. This time around it sounds like Waters invites the actual AC/DC band to supply some tracks. You can appreciate Waters appreciation of a great band, but to copy almost exactly that trade mark 'AC/DC' sound breaks up the albums continuity. Plus AC/DC really is hard rock and not remotely metal. If Jeff Waters could have learned a basic rule early on of how to make a album, of congruent material, his career might be further along. Slayer seems to be a favorite of Jeff's. Don't think they did ballads or AC'DC clones. It's really irritating only because Annihilator's trade mark sound is exhilarating tech speed metal (Showcased here), then here comes the ballad or stupid silly song, or blues rock song etc, etc etc... Sure glad Waters never got into rap, or here comes a rap-metal song outta nowhere on the album...etc...

i've been meaning to buy this cd for some time now and i finally broke down and bought it, at first i couldn't believe the buzzing sound in the backround, some of the other reviews were correct. but after about my 2nd trip thru the entire cd, I barely even notice there was any backround buzzing cuz this cd is so awesome u just eventually forget about the buzzing and are banging your head to about every song on the cd. I loved the last cd , this one is a bit fast then it but ok in my book. I listen to this cd alot right now and loud people always complain about cd's not sounding like there first cd's, that's cuz people and people in the band change, me personally, i have alice in hell and never never land i think they both are ok but love this one and there previous one , and just got the newest one all for you which is fine to, just trying to get used to the new dudes' vocals, lol. all i all i highly recommend this cd if u have been putting it off like i did. don't u r missing out on a great great cd.