Annihilator

Ballistic, Sadistic

BY Max MorinPublished Jan 21, 2020

8
If Annihilator don't get your heart pumping, call a doctor. Few bands sound this pumped on their first album, let alone their 16th, but these mugs come off as wild and dedicated as they did on Alice in Hell in 1989. Seriously, listen to "I Am Warfare" and see if you can guess which decade it came out in. Impossible.
 
Annihilator's career puts them in the pedigree category of thrash metal royalty. Like their comrades at the top, they figured out the formula sometime between 1986 and 1991. They've improved rapidly since frontman Jeff Waters took over lead vocals in 2016 and Ballistic, Sadistic is another fearsome entry into the catalogue. It falls on the heavier Slayer / Death Angel side of thrash, evil with just the right hint of cheese.
 
But behind the flashy is true talent. Annihilator have always been underappreciated as technical musicians, and it's hard to argue with riffs like those in "Out With the Garbage," "Lip Service" and "Psycho Ward." It's the sort of thing you play your little relatives when they ask you what metal is.
 
Annihilator are one of Canada's hidden treasures. You can hear how happy they are in every note on this record. It's enough to make any red-blooded Canadian metalhead smile.
(Silver Lining Music)

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