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)
No Way Out
Annihilator Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What did I see?
A selfish evil psychopath
Blackened eyes looking at me
On trial fight for your life
One big waste of time
A shot to the head sliced throat
Testified, crucified
There is no way out
Suicide, suicide
There is no way out for you
Lies lies manipulation
Too many stories to keep
But this time it's bit you in the ass
You're in too deep
Arrogant, self-loving bitch
The center of the world
Into the pits of hell girl
Testified, crucified
There is no way out
Suicide, suicide
There is no way out for you
Blacken the name of your victim
And drag his name through the mud
No regret for your actions (no regret)
And no remorse for the blood (blood)
So tragic we wonder why
You sentenced a man to die (die)
Pre-meditation
You tried to cover your tracks
Without hesitation
Clean up the scene of attack
Convenient memory loss
Acting like this is fun
Can't seem to remember
What the hell have you done
Testified, crucified
There is no way out
Suicide, suicide
There is no way out
Testified, crucified
There is no way out
Suicide, suicide
There is no way out
For you
(For you)
The song "No Way Out" by Annihilator tells the story of a person who turns on the television and sees a selfish and evil psychopath on trial for committing a heinous crime. The song talks about the trial being a waste of time and how the person deserves to be crucified and subjected to suicide for what they have done. The lyrics also talk about how the psychopath has lied and manipulated their way through life, and how they have no regret for their actions.
The song has a very dark and somber tone with the lyrics painting a picture of a world where justice is scarce and the wicked thrive. The verses of the song focus on the psychopath and their actions while the chorus talks about how there is no way out for them. The lyrics are very impactful and speak to the audience about how the world can be cruel and unjust.
Line by Line Meaning
Turned on the television
I switched on the TV
What did I see?
I saw something that caught my attention
A selfish evil psychopath
Someone who possesses a self-centered character and malice towards others
Blackened eyes looking at me
Eyes that appear dark and cold, signifying a sense of malevolence
On trial fight for your life
The legal battle for survival
One big waste of time
The court case was a pointless ordeal
A shot to the head sliced throat
The murder was committed by a firearm shot to the head and a slit throat
A stab in the back the crime
The crime was backstabbing someone
Testified, crucified
The witness whose testimony led to the defendant's conviction symbolically 'crucified' them
There is no way out
No escape from the consequences of the actions taken
Suicide, suicide
One may even contemplate suicide instead of facing their wrongdoing
Lies lies manipulation
The use of deceitful tactics and lies for personal gain
Too many stories to keep
The storyteller has told too many lies to keep track of
But this time it's bit you in the ass
The conniving Plan hadn't succeeded this time and had consequent effects
You're in too deep
You're too involved, and can no longer turn back
Arrogant, self-loving bitch
A proud, self-centered and hateful individual
The center of the world
Believing to be the center of everything, with no regard for those around them
Into the pits of hell girl
You are bound for punishment in the underworld for your sins
Blacken the name of your victim
Slander the name of the victim to justify the wrongdoing
And drag his name through the mud
Destroy the reputation of the deceased
No regret for your actions (no regret)
No remorse or guilt felt for the wrongdoing committed
And no remorse for the blood (blood)
No sympathy or concern for the harm caused
So tragic we wonder why
The cruelty and crime committed are heart-wrenching and leaves one questioning their cause
You sentenced a man to die (die)
The offender was responsible for the death of an innocent man
Pre-meditation
The initial planning of the premeditated crime
You tried to cover your tracks
The perpetrator made an effort to hide the wrongdoing
Without hesitation
Lacking any sense of guilt or reluctance
Clean up the scene of attack
Erasing traces of the crime to avoid blame and gain impunity
Convenient memory loss
Pretending to forget important details to evade responsibility
Acting like this is fun
Showing no reflection or guilt for the crime
Can't seem to remember
Acting forgetful or having amnesia
What the hell have you done
Realizing the enormity of the wrongdoing done
For you
The consequences of the crime are forever linked to the perpetrator, and no escape or relief from guilt is possible
Contributed by Ella J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.