Search - Annihilator :: Set the World on Fire

Is this a thrash album? No. Is it good? Hell Yes!

Hugo Guiral | France | 03/25/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It was bound to happen. In the wake of "The Black Album", thrash acts were either falling apart or streamlining their sound to make it more accessible to the radical changes in the public's taste. Annihilator also made an attempt at commercial success with their third album, and as it would happen they failed miserably in that respect. However, despite this territory being almost universally a disaster zone, Jeff Waters pulled it off safely.



Its schizophrenic design looks horrendously bad on paper and shouldn?t work at all. But strangely, Jeff Waters (plus new line-up) found ways to make this machine work. Not that I would ever suggest that this compares to the first two classic albums, for how could this endeavour possibly hope to beat them. It mingles songs which polish the surface of the established Annihilator sound, with self confident roadside hard rockers and some surprisingly competent power ballads. I can't believe I'm actually listening to Annihilator sometimes while listening to this.



"Phoenix Rising" and "Sounds Good To Me" are alike in quality to some of the amazing Skid Row ballads: fluid and unforced. The title cut partnered with "Brain Dance" throw the clearest nods to the old Annihilator sound and technicality, with a poppier sheen glistening on the rampaging "Bats in the Belfry" and "Knight Jumps Queen". The new vocalist has a kind of sneering lisp or maybe it is just the production, but is fairly tolerable and adapts well to fit the various styles of songs.



Not the sort of follow up I really wanted for "Never, Neverland", but it doesn't warp the band's framework so much trying to appeal to a different audience. Some bands were slow to pick up that a more pop approach to their material just wouldn?t cut it in the early 90s. It's still a nice departure for Jeff Waters, who would rebound to the style of old shortly."