The Playlist of Life --- Trollheart's resurrected Journal

Trollheart · 10-02-2013, 05:42 PM

Never, Neverland --- Annihilator --- 1990 (Roadrunner)

The second album from Canada's biggest Thrash Metal band is considered something of a classic of the genre. I'm not that familiar with Annihilator --- which is to say, not at all --- but with a name like that I think I can imagine what to expect. Perhaps I'm wrong though: has to happen sometime! So let's hit play and see what assault our ears end up enduring.

Good hard-hitting guitar intro to "The fun palace", which also looks to be the longest track on the album, just shy of six minutes. Nice sort of marching beat to it with a great little guitar solo and then the vocal is not bad at all. Glad to hear that Coburn Pharr (seriously? He couldn't get a more metal name than that? Sounds like some pop icon!) is not a growler, his voice something of a cross between David Coverdale and Sammy Hagar but a lot heavier. Great guitar work from Jeff Waters and David Scott Davis, with Pharr hitting something of a falsetto about halfway in, then a solo worthy of any southern rock band you can think of and we're heading onto "Road to ruin", which hammers along nicely and reminds me of "Two minutes to midnight" in places.

Some fine drumming from Ray Hartmann drives the song along and there are more great guitar solos, though when Pharr sings he definitely commands the attention. A nice chimy, jangly guitar starts off "Sixes and sevens", before faster harder electric kicks in and the whole thing gets really rockin'. The song runs for over five minutes and it's well into its second before Pharr comes in with the vocal, a harder, more rapid-fire delivery than he's done previously, elements of punk in the style. Kind of reminds me of Tank too. Superb solo here, just amazing. Even so, not my favourite track on the album, even so far.

"Stonewall" is more the kind of thing I like, just belting along on fast heavy guitar and surely great for headbanging to, for those of us who still have hair... Nice little introspective guitar piece before it heads back into the heavy stuff, then the title track doesn't disappoint with a real fretfest to start off with, galloping percussion and a somehow progressive metal vibe before it goes back right into a deep Thrash Metal groove, down and dirty. The song kind of wavers between the two styles, which really is quite interesting to hear. It ends on a slow chimy guitar fadeout and takes us into "Imperiled eyes" (odd title) with some more start/stop guitar that kind of reminds me of Yes (!) and some acoustic thrown in so haphazardly you almost feel your file is corrupt and you're getting music from another album sandwiched in here.

It soon sorts itself out though and heads off on a pure metal track, a gruff, powerful vocal from Pharr before the odd sensitive guitar returns for a few seconds, blown away by hard electric then it comes back again and it's almost like there's a battle going on between the two. Another superb guitar solo (well I think it's two guitars but let's still call it a solo) as the song heads into its final minute. I don't know what "Kraf dinner" means but it's another rocker, heads-down thrashfest and I think it's meant to be something of a joke song. Good and heavy though. "Phantasmagoria" has almost two minutes of power instrumental before the vocal comes in, and then it just gets better. The lyric is hilarious --- "Don't you know that ghosts never rest?" and "Phantasmagoria: sleep well! / Phantasmagoria: in Hell!"

"Reduced to ashes" is another great metal rocker with some finger-burnin' fret action and the album then closes on "I am in command", which doesn't allow the pace to slow down for a second even as we head towards the final minutes of the album. Driving, punching guitars, rattling drums and another rapid-fire vocal delivery put the finishing touches on a really great album, proving Canada can headbang with the best of them.

TRACKLISTING

1. The fun palace
2. Road to ruin
3. Sixes and sevens
4. Stonewall
5. Never, Neverland
6. Imperiled eyes
7. Kraf dinner
8. Phantasmagoria
9. Reduced to ash
10. I am in command

Yeah, I really like this! I can see how it's so highly rated. The album is in fact so revered in the band's catalogue and in Canadian Thrash Metal circles that it has been rereleased twice, once in 1993 and once in 2003. Sad to say Coburn Pharr left Annihilator after this album, so I don't know what the other albums sounded like vocally, but I definitely intend to put them on the (ever-growing) list. Who says Canadians are only good for progressive rock, huh?

Read more here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annihilator_%28band%29

10-02-2013, 05:42 PM	#11 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,996	Never, Neverland --- Annihilator --- 1990 (Roadrunner) The second album from Canada's biggest Thrash Metal band is considered something of a classic of the genre. I'm not that familiar with Annihilator --- which is to say, not at all --- but with a name like that I think I can imagine what to expect. Perhaps I'm wrong though: has to happen sometime! So let's hit play and see what assault our ears end up enduring. Good hard-hitting guitar intro to "The fun palace", which also looks to be the longest track on the album, just shy of six minutes. Nice sort of marching beat to it with a great little guitar solo and then the vocal is not bad at all. Glad to hear that Coburn Pharr (seriously? He couldn't get a more metal name than that? Sounds like some pop icon!) is not a growler, his voice something of a cross between David Coverdale and Sammy Hagar but a lot heavier. Great guitar work from Jeff Waters and David Scott Davis, with Pharr hitting something of a falsetto about halfway in, then a solo worthy of any southern rock band you can think of and we're heading onto "Road to ruin", which hammers along nicely and reminds me of "Two minutes to midnight" in places. Some fine drumming from Ray Hartmann drives the song along and there are more great guitar solos, though when Pharr sings he definitely commands the attention. A nice chimy, jangly guitar starts off "Sixes and sevens", before faster harder electric kicks in and the whole thing gets really rockin'. The song runs for over five minutes and it's well into its second before Pharr comes in with the vocal, a harder, more rapid-fire delivery than he's done previously, elements of punk in the style. Kind of reminds me of Tank too. Superb solo here, just amazing. Even so, not my favourite track on the album, even so far. "Stonewall" is more the kind of thing I like, just belting along on fast heavy guitar and surely great for headbanging to, for those of us who still have hair... Nice little introspective guitar piece before it heads back into the heavy stuff, then the title track doesn't disappoint with a real fretfest to start off with, galloping percussion and a somehow progressive metal vibe before it goes back right into a deep Thrash Metal groove, down and dirty. The song kind of wavers between the two styles, which really is quite interesting to hear. It ends on a slow chimy guitar fadeout and takes us into "Imperiled eyes" (odd title) with some more start/stop guitar that kind of reminds me of Yes (!) and some acoustic thrown in so haphazardly you almost feel your file is corrupt and you're getting music from another album sandwiched in here. It soon sorts itself out though and heads off on a pure metal track, a gruff, powerful vocal from Pharr before the odd sensitive guitar returns for a few seconds, blown away by hard electric then it comes back again and it's almost like there's a battle going on between the two. Another superb guitar solo (well I think it's two guitars but let's still call it a solo) as the song heads into its final minute. I don't know what "Kraf dinner" means but it's another rocker, heads-down thrashfest and I think it's meant to be something of a joke song. Good and heavy though. "Phantasmagoria" has almost two minutes of power instrumental before the vocal comes in, and then it just gets better. The lyric is hilarious --- "Don't you know that ghosts never rest?" and "Phantasmagoria: sleep well! / Phantasmagoria: in Hell!" "Reduced to ashes" is another great metal rocker with some finger-burnin' fret action and the album then closes on "I am in command", which doesn't allow the pace to slow down for a second even as we head towards the final minutes of the album. Driving, punching guitars, rattling drums and another rapid-fire vocal delivery put the finishing touches on a really great album, proving Canada can headbang with the best of them. TRACKLISTING 1. The fun palace 2. Road to ruin 3. Sixes and sevens 4. Stonewall 5. Never, Neverland 6. Imperiled eyes 7. Kraf dinner 8. Phantasmagoria 9. Reduced to ash 10. I am in command Yeah, I really like this! I can see how it's so highly rated. The album is in fact so revered in the band's catalogue and in Canadian Thrash Metal circles that it has been rereleased twice, once in 1993 and once in 2003. Sad to say Coburn Pharr left Annihilator after this album, so I don't know what the other albums sounded like vocally, but I definitely intend to put them on the (ever-growing) list. Who says Canadians are only good for progressive rock, huh? Read more here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annihilator_%28band%29 __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 10-22-2013 at 03:29 PM.