Music / Annihilator

Ah, yes, the one and only Annihilator. One of underground metal's most influential and beloved Thrash Metal bands, Annihilator was formed in 1984, going through several vocalists before finally releasing their debut album Alice in Hell in 1989, which is considered a thrash metal classic even to this day. Guitarist Jeff Waters is the only constant member of the band, as well as the band's main songwriter. Waters is hailed as a very admirable and influential guitar player, with metal artists such as Lamb of God and even non-metal acts like Nickelback (no, really, you did read that right) cite him as an influence, or are at least a fan of him.

Annihilator has had quite a history. Since the band's inception, they have had a whopping 26 former members as of 2012, including 6 different vocalists. To date, they have released a total of 16 studio albums, making them one of thrash metal's longest running bands. They have also gone through a couple stylistic changes since their formation, while still being rooted in thrash.

Studio Discography:

• Alice in Hell (1989)
• Never, Neverland (1990)
• Set the World on Fire (1993)
• King of the Kill (1994)
• Refresh the Demon (1996)
• Remains (1997)
• Criteria for a Black Widow (1999)
• Carnival Diablos (2001)
• Waking the Fury (2002)
• All for You (2004)
• Schizo Deluxe (2005)
• Metal (2007)
• Annihilator (2010)
• Feast (2013)
• Suicide Society (2015)
• For the Demented (2017)
• Ballistic, Sadistic (2020)

---

Oh ALISON!! Show us what tropes appear in this band!

• Based on a True Story: The title tracks to Alison Hell (a girl who was so afraid of the boogeyman, she went insane because her parents thought it was just a phase) and Never Neverland (a girl gets locked in a room because she looked at a boy). Lampshaded in the Alison Hell music video where it explains the influence behind the song.
• Fun with Acronyms: W.T.Y.D. (Welcome To Your Death)
• Groove Metal: For most of the Nineties and various albums since then.
• I Am the Band: Lampshaded in some interviews, but made most obvious in Remains; he was the only band member in Annihilator.
• Insufferable Genius: Jeff Waters is very, very good at guitar, and if you didn't figure that out immediately, he'll be glad to tell you all about it.
• Older Than They Look: Dave Padden, (the one with the beard for those unfamiliar◊), still looks like he just graduated college. He's actually in his forties.
• My God, What Have I Done?: "The Fun Palace", a song about a man haunted by nightmares for years after committing a horrible crime.
• Religion Rant Song: "I Am In Command" is told from the point of view of a religious megalomaniac.
• Revolving Door Band: Jeff does not seem to be capable of keeping a stable lineup, though Padden has managed to stick around for quite a while.
• Word Salad Lyrics:
  • "Word Salad"
  Closets of my mind destroyed, as I enter outward from a void
  Corpses white have strapped me down, I rise above then fall
  Tactual hallucination, cockroaches infest the wall
  • Given the weirdness of the band, this trope is a familiarity among some songs. But Brain Dance takes the cake for this passage...
  Rubber shoes, a dirty sock
  Plastic toes and it's my pet rock!!
  And this song is very silly and it makes no sense at all because

---

it's weird!