Review by Felix on October 14, 2024.

The Annihilator album from 1993 is a shame. One song is called "Don't Bother Me" and this title makes me angry because this is exactly what this commercial product itself does: it bothers me. I am not speaking about the fact that the third album of the band brought us its third lead vocalist, although such unstable conditions kill the identity of each and every formation. It's the discouraged and embarrassing direction that the full-length takes which was crucial for my decision to ignore further releases of the band.

The album starts more or less acceptably, even though the opening title track lacks speed and offers soft sections that prevent a punchy beginning. Aaron Randall, the aforementioned new singer, is part of the problem because he avoids any form of aggression. He is a rock singer, but absolutely clueless when it comes to harsher forms of musical expression. Thank God, Waters hasn't written very hard songs. Everything is smoothly designed, even comparatively hard tracks like "Bats in the Belfry" present melodic vocals and indulgent guitar lines. Don't overstrain the new target group, it is not used to heavy sounds! The kitschy campfire romanticism of "Snake in the Grass" is what the girls and dudes of the mainstream are asking for. But don't forget: they are not very intelligent and it requires an optical impulse that they understand: I must buy this album. That's why the more or less sexy lady sits on the cover and stares sensually into emptiness. Aggravating the situation, the most useless tracks are yet to come. Two saccharine ballads flatter the ears of the North American housewives and make me puke. I don't hate each and every ballad, nevertheless, here we have 0% depth and 100% schmaltz. Totally miserable.

But I don't want to give a false impression. Two ballads for the bin would have been acceptable, if one does not make high demands on an album. The problem is that there is absolutely no song that features the traits of the first two works. No speed, no twilight, no aggression. Instead, the protagonists deliver a kind of comedy (the closer) and many light rockers that nobody ever wanted to listen to. It is an impertinence that someone whispers "Alice in hell" at the end of the closer - the reputation of the great debut should not be destroyed by connecting the here reviewed and the first album.

Of course, the booklet shows some guys who are well-styled and it also goes without saying that the production is clinically clean, powerless, and without any edges. I always thought that (real) metal came from the margins of society, but here we see a completely different picture. Jeff Waters has not been willing to deliver at least one sharp riff. He can do whatever he wants, but I have a simple question: was it worthwhile to look for new friends with fat purses? Annihilator's first two works have a more or less legendary status until today, every other album fell into oblivion. Well done, Waters. It's simply a shame. Even Flotsam's "When the Storm Comes Down" is better than "Set the World on Fire" - and that is saying something.

Rating: 1.3 out of 10