Canadian thrash mainstay Annihilator's reputation is founded on their early Roadrunner catalog, and as The Best of Annihilator shows, it's with good reason.
Drawing from their first three albums, Alice in Hell (1989), Never Neverland (1990), and Set the World On Fire (1993), The Best of Annihilator highlights guitarist and group mastermind Jeff Waters' eclectic tastes and massive chops.
From the precise acoustic picking of "Crystal Ann" and its natural follower, the over the top electric histrionics of "Alison Hell," to Annihilator riff classics "Phantasmagoria" and "Set the World On Fire," Waters steers the band on a course between the thrash metal in his hands and the power metal in his head.
The two styles don't always sit well together, but few could make them sound as bonded as Annihilator on this classic material.
There are two live cuts thrown in as well, "Human Insecticide," taken from 1994's outtakes collection Bag of Tricks, and "I Am in Command," from the live collection In Command, proving that Waters could pull off his guitar antics outside the safety of the studio.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crystal AnnJeff Waters | Annihilator | Play | 01:41 | 3 MB | 10 MB |
| 2 | Alison HellJeff Waters | Annihilator | Play | 05:00 | 11 MB | 35 MB |
| 3 | W.T.Y.D.Jon Bates, Jeff Waters | Annihilator | Play | 03:54 | 8 MB | 28 MB |
| 4 | Wicked MysticJeff Waters | Annihilator | Play | 03:36 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 5 | Word SaladJeff Waters | Annihilator | Play | 05:48 | 13 MB | 40 MB |
| 6 | PhantasmagoriaJeff Waters | Annihilator | Play | 03:56 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 7 | Road to RuinJeff Waters | Annihilator | Play | 03:41 | 8 MB | 27 MB |
| 8 | StonewallJeff Waters | Annihilator | Play | 04:50 | 11 MB | 34 MB |
| 9 | Never, NeverlandCoburn Pharr, Jeff Waters | Annihilator | Play | 05:29 | 12 MB | 37 MB |
| 10 | Imperiled EyesJeff Waters | Annihilator | Play | 05:25 | 12 MB | 38 MB |
| 11 | Set the World On FireCoburn Pharr, Jeff Waters | Annihilator | Play | 04:29 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 12 | No ZoneWayne Darley, Ray Hartmann, Jeff Waters | Annihilator | Play | 02:47 | 6 MB | 20 MB |
| 13 | Phoenix RisingRalph Murphy | Annihilator | Play | 03:48 | 8 MB | 26 MB |
| 14 | Brain DanceCoburn Pharr, Jeff Waters | Annihilator | Play | 04:52 | 11 MB | 34 MB |
| 15 | Human Insecticide (Live) | Annihilator | Play | 05:44 | 13 MB | 41 MB |
| 16 | Fun Palace | Annihilator | Play | 05:49 | 13 MB | 42 MB |
| 17 | I Am In Command (Live) | Annihilator | Play | 03:46 | 8 MB | 26 MB |
| 74 mins | 171 MB | |||||
| 74 mins | 529 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Annihilator | Primary Artist |
| 2 | Jon Bates | Composer |
| 3 | Tom Burleigh | Compilation Producer |
| 4 | Monte Conner | Compilation Producer |
| 5 | Wayne Darley | Bass, Composer, Group Member, Guitar (Bass), Member of Attributed Artist |
| 6 | David Scott Davis | Group Member, Guitar, Member of Attributed Artist |
| 7 | Victor Dezso | Photography |
| 8 | Rick Fedyk | Additional Personnel, Drums |
| 9 | Neil Goldberg | Group Member, Guitar, Member of Attributed Artist |
| 10 | Ray Hartmann | Composer, Drums, Group Member, Member of Attributed Artist |
| 11 | Dee Lippingwell | Photography |
| 12 | Mike Mangini | Drums, Group Member, Member of Attributed Artist |
| 13 | Ralph Murphy | Composer |
| 14 | Coburn Pharr | Composer, Group Member, Vocals |
| 15 | Randy Rampage | Group Member, Member of Attributed Artist, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 16 | Aaron Randall | Additional Personnel, Drums, Group Member, Vocals |
| 17 | Glen Robinson | Audio Production, Mixing, Producer |
| 18 | Adam Shadbolt | Photography |
| 19 | Ryan Smith | Assembly |
| 20 | Randy Staub | Mixing |
| 21 | Jeff Waters | Audio Production, Composer, Group Member, Guitar, Guitar (Bass), Guitar (Classical), Guitar (Rhythm), Member of Attributed Artist, Mixing, Producer, Vocals (Background) |
| 22 | John Webster | Keyboards |
| 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). |