In a new interview with The Metal Voice, Annihilator frontman / founder Jeff Waters talks details and release date of the band's forthcoming new studio album, Canadian tour details, his vision of the Big 6 Canadian Thrash, Juno Nomination, and his past offers to join Megadeth.

On the new album:

"I am guessing late October 2017 is going to be the release date; that is what we have been talking about with the label. I'll have the album finished before the summer Canadian tour. I just finished my first song on vocals this afternoon should come out in October 2017, if everything works fine should go out on a huge tour of Europe afterwards. New record started out writing and recording it right after the 70000 Tons Metal Cruise that we did in February 2017 and it was off three days writing. For the vocals, initially the only plan I had was 'Okay, you've got to stop doing singing the Hetfield, Mustiane, Ozzy singing style..." 'cause I had too much of that style of singing on the last record. I was too much of a fanboy. It was like 65% fanboy, 35% Waters, so now I sort of leveled it off to 75% me. I wanted to do this new record and try to put more importance on the vocals but not with layering with four voices and fixing the shitty notes. I meant more like one track get back to what I did on albums like 'King of the Kill' and 'Refresh the Demon', get back to more that style. I just wanted to be able to do that once and if things don't work out, maybe I will consider someone else as a vocalist, that is always a possibility.

I am not going to worry about commercial catchy choruses on this album. Forget the formulas I have been leaning towards the last ten albums or more, just wanted to write something messed up that doesn't make sense to do. What ended up happening is, the music started sounding like the first two records (Alice In Hell, Never Neverland). I also brought in another producer, writer, co-writer of the music and I sat there with Rich Hinks (producer) from the UK, he is actually our bass player for the last year. There was something about him that I knew after I met him and spent a year on the road with him I realized this is the guy I want to come in  and kick my butt, he knows the band and he knows music and studio as well me but he knows a different way. "

 

Annihilator is getting ready to headline not only the mighty Wacken Open Air festival in Germany (August 3rd), but hit the road for their first Canadian tour since 1993.

The tour will see the band kick off their first date in Victoria, BC on June 13th and travel east wrapping up the tour in Cornwall, ON July 1st during Canada Day weekend festivities. This is very big news for Canadian metal fans, both young and “older” whom have been waiting for an Annihilator tour to return to Canadian soil for over 20 years.

Support on this tour comes from Australia's Mason, whom was Annihilator’s support in Europe last year, and from Montreal, QC thrashers Mutank, who won the acclaimed Wacken Metal Battle Canada contest in 2014 and have also performed at Wacken Open Air.

Jeff Waters was asked how it feels to be “back” touring his home country: “I have always enjoyed flying the flag for one of the nicest countries and people in the world, despite having very little support from the industry here to play and releasing CDs in Canada. It sure is an honor to be nominated for a Juno, after all these years, and to have the opportunity to tour this great and metal land! It will be some of our best-ever shows this summer. We look forward to meeting the metal fans and to show them what the rest of the world has seen us do every year for decades. It’s about time, eh?!”

Tour dates:

June
13 - Victoria, BC - Distrikt Nightclub
16 - Calgary, AB - Dickens Pub
17 - Edmonton, AB - Starlite Room
18 - Saskatoon, SK - Saskatoon Event Center
19 - Regina, SK - The Exchange
20 - Winnipeg, MB - Park Theater
23 - Waterloo, ON - Maxwells
24 - Toronto, ON - The Opera House
26 - Ottawa, ON - The Brass Monkey
28 - Quebec City, QC - L’Anti
29 - Montreal, QC - Café Campus
30 - Cornwall, ON - The House

July
1 - Cornwall, ON - The House