annihilator live

"We're the luckiest band alive!!"

So said the man in an internet chatroom, following the potentially disasterous events after Annihilator's show in Nottingham. A raging fire had broken out in a neighbouring building to the Rescue Rooms, resulting in a widespread evacuation of all surrounding buildings... the band were lucky to escape with all thier gear intact.

You've got to hand it to Jeff Waters... in a career that spans a quarter century, this exceptionally gifted guitarist and his band have weathered many a storm, from numerous line-up changes to vicious record company fall-outs, and once again, in the light of tonight's dramatic episode, you've got to admire the guy's resilience. This resilience is reflected in tonight's performance in spades. The healthy Nottingham turnout witnessed a string of well chosen corkers from Annihilator's lengthy back catalogue, all delivered with trademark lightning precision. As the band thunder into set opener Ambush, from the self titled current platter, it is clear that that no punches were gonna be pulled this evening. Even songs such as Plasma Zombies sound crushing in a live setting, and upon the arrival of King of the Kill the band are simply flying.

They spread out the brand new material such as Betrayed with earlier material such as The Box and Hell is a War, outlining the consistancy of thier output admirably. I was particularly impressed by the precise delivery the current line-up - the rhythm section comprising of brothers Carlos and Al Campuzano were astonishingly tight, providing a solid backbone for Jeff Waters' sickeningly sharp chops. But even more compelling was the versatility of vocalist Dave Padden. As classics such as Set the World on Fire (apt for this evening!) and WTYD swept by, coupled with newer slabs such as Ultra Motion, it becomes clear that this man can tackle perfectly Annihilator material from any era, or vocal style. He's no slouch on guitar either, backing up Jeff's every guitar harmony and rythm perfectly.

Fun Palace heralds the beginning of a whole slew of bona fide classics, and the audience goes suitably bananas. The inclusion of ballads Phoenix Rising and Sounds Good to Me may have been seen as a loss of momentum for some here tonight, but these songs are so well written and well executed, and provides a well placed dramatic lull for what was to follow. 21 slowly builds up the tension, and to my ears benefits much more in a live setting, and a perfect foil for the behemoth that is Phantasmagoria. Hell, this sounds just as monstrous as it did twenty years ago, and this is reflected in the ecstatic reaction from the nottingham hordes... but of course, Jeff and the boys had left the most potent salvo for last.

As the acoustic strains of Crystal Ann float from the PA, the rescue rooms are at fever pitch for the arrival of arguably Annihilator's most famous song. Alison Hell as expected, has everybody singing, and the band a clearly enjoying every minute of it. If there is ever such a thing as leaving the stage on a 'high', this is it.

Subsequent events aside, even a nearby burning building would struggle to match the 'fire' witnessed on stage this evening. Here's to an imminent return.

by Rod Boston