Schizo Deluxe

by

Annihilator

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This is a killer album. I LOVE it! No sell out, no market-driven shift. Simply pure thrashy good-ol' Annihilator stuff, just with a more modern production. These songs remind me the "Never Neverland" era with a slight twist for "Set the World on Fire". Jeff Waters' riffs are as tighter as ever and Dave Padden delivers a hell of a vocal performance. "Drive", "Plasma Zombies", "Invite It" and "Weapon X" (bonus track) bring the classic Annihilator sound back -- though also pushing some borders at the same time.

On the other hand Waters also gave himself some room for bolder experimentation. Every song starts or ends with weird sounds or loops -- and I think it was a great idea. He also uses a wide palette of stylish moves without compromising attitude. For example, "Claire" (an explicit quote to the past?) and "Something Witchy" are peppered with some "grungish" parts which, far from spoiling them, give them a daring progressive edge. Other places on the album sometimes go more hard rock, sometimes go heavier, but definitively they never go to the wrong place. Of course, Padden's vocal capabilities were of a big help with this. His versatility is awesome!

So, this is definitively an amazing release that will please to old fans (the so-called Jeff's "schizos" ;-)) while attracting new ones to the Annihilator world -- well, I sincerely hope so. I almost dare to place this album up there with both the sacred "Alice In Hell" and the "proggish" "Never Neverland". I like the riffs, the overall pace, the concise-but-explosive guitar solos, the smart lyrics and even the booklet. I strongly recommend "Schizos Deluxe" as an example of what guitar-driven thrash metal should be in the 21st Century. I don't think it gets much better than this, really. Unarguably a five stars release. Thanks, Jeff!