Annihilator's brand of technical, thinking man's thrash metal garnered many fans with this fine debut, arguably the best release of the band's career.
A brief acoustic guitar piece called "Crystal Ann" introduces the excellent title track: a psychological murder thriller supposedly based on a disturbed young girl's true story.
Leader Jeff Waters takes himself a little too seriously at times (see the Edgar Allan Poe-influenced "Ligeia" and his ridiculously erudite commentary on each song's lyrics), but he is equally prone to refreshing flashes of humor on "Word Salad" and "Schizos Are Never Alone." The spectacularly named Randy Rampage proves himself to be a versatile vocalist on "Wicked Mystic" and "Burns Like a Buzzsaw Blade" (seriously).
The careening closer "Human Insecticide" is magnificent for its sheer speed.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crystal AnnJeff Waters | Annihilator | Play | 01:41 | 3 MB | 11 MB |
| 2 | Alison HellJon Bates, Jeff Waters | Annihilator | Play | 05:00 | 11 MB | 36 MB |
| 3 | W.T.Y.D.Jon Bates, Jeff Waters | Annihilator | Play | 03:54 | 8 MB | 28 MB |
| 4 | Wicked MysticJeff Waters | Annihilator | Play | 03:34 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 5 | Burns Like a Buzzsaw BladeJon Bates, Jeff Waters | Annihilator | Play | 03:31 | 8 MB | 26 MB |
| 6 | LigeiaJeff Waters | Annihilator | Play | 04:46 | 10 MB | 34 MB |
| 7 | Human InsecticideJon Bates, Jeff Waters | Annihilator | Play | 04:50 | 11 MB | 34 MB |
| 8 | LigeiaJeff Waters | Annihilator | Play | 04:46 | 10 MB | 34 MB |
| 9 | Word Salad | Annihilator | Play | 05:48 | 13 MB | 40 MB |
| 10 | Schizos Are Never Alone (Parts I&II) | Annihilator | Play | 04:30 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 42 mins | 97 MB | |||||
| 42 mins | 302 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Annihilator | Primary Artist |
| 2 | Jon Bates | Composer |
| 3 | Paul Blake | Engineer |
| 4 | Wayne Darley | Bass, Vocals (Background) |
| 5 | Victor Dezso | Photography |
| 6 | Frank Donofrio | Engineer |
| 7 | Dennis Dubeau | Vocals (Background) |
| 8 | Chris Gehringer | Remastering |
| 9 | Anthony Brian Greenham | Guitar |
| 10 | Ray Hartmann | Drums |
| 11 | Jeff Kitts | Liner Notes |
| 12 | Satoshi Kobayashi | Reissue Design |
| 13 | Marie Nishimori | Liner Notes |
| 14 | Randy Rampage | Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 15 | Len Rooney | Cover Art, Logo |
| 16 | Jeff Waters | Bass, Composer, Cover Art Concept, Guitar, Guitar (Classical), Guitar (Rhythm), Mixing, Producer, Vocals (Background) |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |