Mark Dean from My Global Mind recently interviewed Jeff Waters of ANNIHILATOR, an excerpt follows:

What are the best and worst aspects of being a working and touring musician in the Internet age?

"Well I guess in my particular case it's just a typical thing. If you have a nine to five job, sometimes you have job security, something that you can rely on. You have a pay check that you know that you are getting every two weeks or every month. At the same time you know people lose their jobs. It’s not really all security. The thing with the music business is that you just never know. You could come up with the best record that you think that you have ever come up with or best songs. A label can totally destroy it, and the potential for it. Or it may be the album that you look back and think man that was not maybe the best album at all and people really like it. If you want control over things, you can't control the outcome of what people think; the press or the fans."

"You can't control what the record company will do no matter what your contract says and they tell you. That part sucks that you can't really write some of your best music and get it really appreciated. Sometimes you write your best stuff and the press slam it. Or sometimes you write stuff that is not so good, and they will love it. That’s a tough one because remember that if they like it and it sells it means that you have way less stress. Now you have a job for the next couple of years. Meaning that you have a record deal that they want another record, and you get paid to do the record. When that happens you are all happy, because phew I have survived for another couple of years with Annihilator at least. The best feelings in the world are when you write a song, and the second best feeling is when people appreciate the song. Number one is that you have got to like it first. You just have to take care of the business, if I was starting up now it would be very difficult, for a musician to start now because the record companies want more and more of a piece of you. In Annihilator’s case it is much easier because we have a track record of selling records for a couple of decades. They can rely on us putting out at least a good album if not hopefully something better."

To read the interview in its entirety, visit this location.

Catch Annihilator live at the following shows:

June

6 - Sölvesborg, Sweden - Sweden Rock Festival
8 - Gelsenkirchen, Germany - Rock Hard Festival
14 - Weismain, Germany - Legacy Open Air
20 - Dokkum, Netherlands - Dokkem Open Air
22 - Clisson, France - Hellfest
27 - Dessel, Belgium - Graspop Metal Meeting
28 - Spálené Porici, Czech Republic - Basin Fire Fest

July

18 - Neukirchen-Vluyn - Dong Open Air
20 - Bari, Italy - Total Metalfest

August

8 - Villena, Spain - Leyendas del Rock Festival
9 - Vagos, Portugal - Vagos Open Air