Since its inception, Annihilator has released fifteen studio albums and has undergone many line-up changes. Waters is the only remaining original member of the band, and sometimes assembles touring musicians to perform with him. Their latest studio album, Suicide Society, was released in 2015.
History
Early career (1984–1988)
Annihilator was formed in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada by Jeff Waters in 1984. Waters later wrote on his Facebook page that he named the band after the tank that Eddie Murphy's character rode on in the 1984 film Best Defense. Waters wrote and recorded the song Annihilator (not to be confused with the song of the same name released on the 1994 album, King of the Kill) with singer John Bates. This original version of "Annihilator" was released on the special edition of the 2005 album Schizo Deluxe.
Waters and Bates then recruited drummer Paul Malek and bassist Dave Scott. This lineup lasted a year, producing a demo titled "Welcome to Your Death" during their time together. The demo received worldwide recognition and became highly sought after. After John Bates and Dave Scott left the band before its release, citing "artistic differences" and "personality conflicts", Jeff Waters and drummer Paul Malek recorded another successful demo titled Phantasmagoria in 1986. This was said to be the third most-traded metal cassette tape in the 1980s, behind Metallica and Megadeth's demo tapes. Some songs written at this time, by Jeff Waters and John Bates, ended up on Annihilator's first two official studio albums (Alice in Hell and Never, Neverland).
A third demo was recorded by Waters and Malek in 1987 and was sent only to labels. It included more songs that would end up on the first two Annihilator studio albums. Waters relocated to Vancouver in 1987, where he assembled an entire line-up, including drummer Ray Hartmann and former D.O.A. bassist, Randy Rampage, on vocals. In 1988 and 1989, Waters was in and out of a recording studio recording guitar and bass tracks and producing what would become the band's debut album. Once the album was finished, he hired bassist Wayne Darley and guitarist Anthony Greenham.
Rise to fame (1989–1993)
The band gained more recognition within the metal community after releasing their debut album Alice in Hell, in 1989. Annihilator embarked on their first world tour, opening up for Testament along with Onslaught in the US and Canada, after which singer Randy Rampage quit the band to retain his seniority at a job on the shipping docks in North Vancouver.
Without a singer, Jeff Waters found ex-Omen singer Coburn Pharr and the band released their second album, Never, Neverland, in 1990. The album's sales surpassed Alice in Hell, becoming the band's only album to chart in the UK at No. 48. After opening up for Judas Priest, and then little-known Pantera and headline tours around the world, Hartmann and Pharr left the band and were replaced by Mike Mangini (though the band would find a more permanent replacement in Randy Black) and Aaron Randall, respectively. The band was signed to Sony USA by this point.
The band's third studio album, Set the World on Fire, distributed by Epic Records, was released in 1993 and was successful in Europe and Asia, but did poorly in the US. Bassist Wayne Darley had to leave the band in August 1993 as he was unable to enter Japan, where the band was touring in support of the album. Annihilator was among the many metal bands dropped by Roadrunner Records (and most other labels) that year.
Brief hiatus and later years (1994–1998)
The line-up then dissolved, but Jeff Waters kept the band name going when he, along with drummer Randy Black recorded and released King of the Kill in 1994. This album was more of a solo album for Waters, as it featured himself performing all instruments and writing most of the album's material apart from playing the drum tracks, which were recorded by Randy Black. Bassist Cam Dixon later joined the band followed by Lou Bujdoso from Meatwagon who went on to tour and perform during the King of the Kill and Refresh the Demon tours. Jeff Waters continued performing lead vocals until 1997. The band released Refresh the Demon, which was, for the most part, a return to the speed and technicality of the band's earlier days, in 1996 and Remains, a more industrial metal-oriented album which turned out to be the biggest flop of the band's career, in 1997.
By the time Remains was being recorded, Waters was the sole remaining band member. The album featured an electric drum machine (programmed by Jeff Waters, of course) and there was no tour in support of it.
Continued career (1999–present)
Annihilator did not play again until 1999, when Waters decided to reunite the Alice in Hell line-up to record another album. All members apart from Wayne Darley, who had health problems, agreed to reunite. Bassist Russ Bergquist joined the band in Darley's place. This lineup released Criteria for a Black Widow and toured successfully. However, Rampage was fired following the tour for his erratic and often drunken behaviour. Former Overkill guitarist and Liege Lord frontman Joe Comeau replaced him on vocals, while Curran Murphy replaced Davis on guitar and Randy Black rejoined on drums.
During the early 2000s, Annihilator released the albums Carnival Diablos (2001) and Waking the Fury (2002), both triumphant thrash metal masterpieces. After considerable success, the band's lineup once again dissolved. Following years of line-up changes, Jeff Waters decided to work with a touring-only lineup so he recruited Dave Padden as a permanent vocalist/rhythm guitarist, while Waters recruited touring bassists and drummers. Annihilator's first two albums in this three-man band format as Waters played both bass and guitar, with Padden on vocals and a hired drummer were All for You (2004) and Schizo Deluxe (2005). Mike Mangini rejoined for the former album in 2004 and Tony Chappelle was hired for the latter's recording in 2005.
In 2007, Annihilator released their twelfth album Metal. It features several guest performers, such as Corey Beaulieu (Trivium), Willie Adler (Lamb of God) and Jeff Loomis (Nevermore). The band's self-titled thirteenth album was released in 2010, coming to be in a more modern thrash metal-styled sound.
Annihilator returned to Canada for two live shows; the first time the band has played live in North America since 1993. On July 10, 2011, Annihilator headlined the Quebec City Imperial Theatre to a sold-out crowd. Annihilator played the main stage (along with KISS and Motörhead) on July 24, 2011 at Montreal's Heavy MTL Festival.
Annihilator released their fourteenth studio album entitled Feast on 23 August 2013.
In the summer of 2014, Oscar Rangel replaced Al Campuzano, their bassist since 2010. Jeff Waters said on his Facebook that he had actually contacted Wayne Darley, the bands bassist from the classic early 90's lineup, about having him rejoin, although once again he declined, in Jeff's words "Wayne wanted to do it but couldn't ... personal reasons." The band has continued their touring cycle since then.
Dave Padden left the band sometime in December of 2014, telling Jeff Waters over a telephone call that he was sick of constant touring and the lifestyle he was living in Annihilator and citing the biggest contributing factors were that he was away from his family too much and he had not been happy being in the band over the past five years, despite Waters' offers of more money after the next record was done. Waters then had to refrain from booking Padden's flight from Vancouver to Ottawa, admitting in a German radio interview he was emotionally shaken as well. After taking a couple of weeks' time and looking at various singers, Waters decided that he would handle vocals himself in addition to doing everything but play drums in the studio. The information was not made public until six months later, in June 2015, when Waters made the post on Annihilator's Facebook page, but attaching a YouTube link directly below of audio snippets from various songs on the band's then-upcoming album, Suicide Society.
Never, Neverland singer, Coburn Pharr surprised audiences when he returned for a short time on 70000 Tons of Metal concert in January 2015. Coburn will only sing, Reduced to Ash, The Fun Palace, I Am in Command, Road to Ruin and Stonewall.
By April 2015, Annihilator had begun work on their fifteenth studio album. Waters stated that the album's musical direction would be "something quite different." The album, titled Suicide Society, was released on September 18, 2015.
Discography
Alice in Hell (1989)
Never, Neverland (1990)
Set the World on Fire (1993)
King of the Kill (1994)
Refresh the Demon (1996)
Remains (1997)
Criteria for a Black Widow (1999)
Carnival Diablos (2001)
Waking the Fury (2002)
All for You (2004)
Schizo Deluxe (2005)
Metal (2007)
Annihilator (2010)
Feast (2013)
Suicide Society (2015)
Never
Annihilator Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Think that they are not only superior to other races
But the carriers of a superior morality and culture
These groups are generally composed of discontented
People who target other with racist propaganda and
Acts of violence
We are the children, we are the ones
We'll dominate, you'll beg like a dog
Mother and father follow the leader
He shall redeem, take down minority
Wipe out the weak, white is supreme
Making you suffer, making you feel disgrace
Shame on your color, shame on your creed and your race
Prey on the anger, prey on the fear
Everything is justified, bred to hate
We must never forget the goal is genocide
Sick fucking racist, you were born to be
Deceived, command of all your thoughts has
Got to be relieved, violence, greed
Bigotry, your messages are all insane
Society wonders what goes on inside your brain
Prey on the anger, everything is justified
Bred to hate, their goal is genocide
Never forget
The lyrics of Annihilator's "Never" highlights the dangerous ideology of white supremacy and racism. The song addresses the issue of how certain groups perceive themselves as superior to others and use this as an excuse to promote violence and hate crimes against those who do not share their race or culture. The song is a call to reject any form of bigotry and prejudice and to stand up against those who advocate for such hateful beliefs. The song also raises concerns about how this mindset can lead to genocide and the need to nip it in the bud before it gets out of hand.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the dangerous mindset of these racist individuals who view themselves as soldiers on a mission from God, seeking to dominate and wipe out those who do not share their race, creed or color. These individuals see minorities as weak and inferior and justify their violent actions as being born out of anger and fear. They use propaganda to spread their message of hate and shame those who do not conform to their perverse ideology.
Overall, "Never" is a powerful song against racism that calls for unity and acceptance. It highlights the dangerous effects of racism and how it has the potential to lead to genocide. The song encourages people to stand up against these ideologies that promote hate and violence and to work towards building a more tolerant and inclusive society.
Line by Line Meaning
There are those amongst us ignorant who
There are some of us who are ignorant and believe that they are superior to other races. They believe that they are carriers of a superior morality and culture.
Think that they are not only superior to other races
These ignorant people think that they are better than other races.
But the carriers of a superior morality and culture
These people think that they carry a superior form of morality and culture compared to other races.
These groups are generally composed of discontented
These groups are usually made up of dissatisfied people.
People who target other with racist propaganda and
These dissatisfied people use racist propaganda and target others with it.
Acts of violence
These dissatisfied people also resort to acts of violence.
We are the children, we are the ones
We are the ones who have been brainwashed and indoctrinated by these ignorant people.
On a mission of god, we are the soldiers
We are on a mission of hate and bigotry, and we are the enforcers of our racist beliefs.
We'll dominate, you'll beg like a dog
We will dominate those who don't share our beliefs, and they will have no choice but to submit to our superiority.
Mother and father follow the leader
Our parents and family members have also been brainwashed and therefore follow our leader and our beliefs.
He shall redeem, take down minority
Our leader will redeem us by eliminating those who belong to the minority races that we deem inferior.
Wipe out the weak, white is supreme
Our goal is to wipe out those who we consider to be weak and inferior, and establish the supremacy of our white race.
Making you suffer, making you feel disgrace
We take pleasure in making those who don't share our beliefs suffer and feel humiliated.
Shame on your color, shame on your creed and your race
We shame those who don't belong to our race or don't share our beliefs.
Prey on the anger, prey on the fear
We use the anger and fear of others to spread our hateful propaganda and recruit new members.
Everything is justified, bred to hate
We believe that everything we do is justified in our pursuit of hate and bigotry. We have been brought up and trained to hate those who are different from us.
We must never forget the goal is genocide
Our ultimate goal is to wipe out those who don't share our beliefs and belong to minority races. We should never forget this goal and we must work towards achieving it.
Sick fucking racist, you were born to be
You are a despicable and sick racist who was born to spread hate and bigotry.
Deceived, command of all your thoughts has
You have been deceived and your thoughts and beliefs are controlled by those who are ignorant and hateful.
Got to be relieved, violence, greed
You need to be freed from the control of the hateful people who have brainwashed you, and from the violence and greed that you have been taught.
Bigotry, your messages are all insane
Your messages of hate and bigotry are crazy and absurd.
Society wonders what goes on inside your brain
People wonder what drives someone like you to spread hate and bigotry.
Prey on the anger, everything is justified
You prey on people's anger and use it to justify your hateful beliefs and actions.
Bred to hate, their goal is genocide
You have been raised to hate people who don't share your beliefs and your ultimate goal is to wipe out those who belong to minority races.
Never forget
We should never forget our goal of genocide and continue to work towards it.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: LEAKEY, WATERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind