Annihilator - a name that should not need an introduction in the metal world but, for those who need one: this is a METAL band that started in Canada in late 1984 and since then, Annihilator has been touring and releasing records (selling millions of albums to date), non-stop, for 30 years. January 24, 2020 marks the release of their 17th studio album, Ballistic, Sadistic via Silver Lining Music. A lyric video for the song "I Am Warfare" can be found below.

Cited by bands in the likes of Megadeth, Pantera, Dream Theater, Children Of Bodom, Lamb Of God, Opeth, Trivium and many, many more as having some influence on their music, guitarist/vocalist Jeff Waters (Annihilator’s founder, producer and songwriter) and Annihilator have continued to tour the world, year after year, whilst consistently putting out high-quality true-metal music.

Written, performed, engineered and produced by none other than Waters himself, Ballistic, Sadistic was recorded at the brand new, state of the art, Watersound Studios UK, in Durham earlier this year.

Says Waters: “Almost every artist, initially, loves the songs they create. They are like your babies! In my case, it is difficult to be the main writer/producer and stay fresh, come up with new ideas or make old one’s better and I am well aware of that. Since “we” love what we do, we can be blinded to just how good or bad a song or record really is. Time will tell. Press, fans, band members, label, etc… They ALL will tell you what they think and, in their own ways, they are usually right!”

Jeff continues: “In this case, I throw that nonsense in the garbage and can tell you that we have made a record that is angry, technical, back to the first 3 records vibes and it is going to be difficult to continue writing another record after releasing this one!! Best record I’ve made since 2005’s Schizo Deluxe and I think many will argue that this new one is in the top 3. From the ‘Stonewall-esque’ track “Psycho Ward” to the haunting “I Am Warfare”, the pissed-off “The Attitude” to the aggression and old-school technicality of “Out With The Garbage”, the record is like this: take the Alice, Neverland and Set The World On Fire records, make them angry, combine the old-school production with modern hi-tech studio gear, then add the best guitar work I didn’t know I still had in me, and you’ve got the best we could possibly offer. I honestly cannot wait for everyone to hear this.”

It takes a long time to reach legendary status, and no one can dispute that Annihilator and Jeff Waters are inspirations, teachers, legends and a force showing what hard work and love of your craft can bring to the world. It’s about the music. Nothing else.

Ballistic, Sadistic will be available as a Limited Edition Digipak, Coloured Vinyl and Digital formats and will be available to pre-order from October 11.

Unstoppable and relentless, Annihilator will now embark on a 43-date, 18-country, European Tour, which will kick-off at Newcastle’s Riverside on October 12.

Tour dates:

October
12 - Riverside - Newcastle, UK
13 - Slay - Glasgow, UK
15 - Rebellion - Manchester, UK
16 - Steelmill - Wolverhampton, UK
18 - Pumpe - Kiel, Germany
19 - Tivoli - Bremen, Germany
20 - Zeche - Bochum, Germany
22 - Luxor - Köln, Germany
23 - Victorie - Alkmaar, Netherlands
24 - Hedon - Zwolle, Netherlands
25 - Biebob - Vosselaar, Belgium
26 - Underworld - London, UK
27 - Le Petit Bain - Paris, France
29 - Illyade - Grenoble, France
30 - Le Metronum - Toulouse, France
31 - Santana 27 - Bilbao, Spain

November
1 - Sala Mon - Madrid, Spain
2 - Rock City - Valencia, Spain
3 - Razzmatazz 2 - Barcelona, Spain
5 - Locomotiv - Bologna, Italy
6 - Legend Club - Milan, Italy
7 - Kofmehl - Solothurn, Switzerland
8 - Kaminwerk - Memmingen, Germany
9 - Explosiv - Graz, Austria
10 - Boogaloo - Zagreb, Croatia
11 - SKC Fabrika - Novi Sad, Serbia
13 - Havana Club - Tel Aviv, Israel
15 - Fuzz Club - Athens, Greece
16 - Principal Club - Thessaloniki, Greece
17 - Joy Station - Sofia, Bulgaria
19 - Quantic Club - Bucharest, Romania
20 - Form Space - Cluj-Napoca, Romania
21 - Barba Negra - Budapest, Hungary
22 - Szene - Wien, Austria
23 - Kwadrat - Krakow, Poland
24 - Proxima - Warsaw, Poland
26 - Lido - Berlin, Germany
27 - Colos Saal - Aschaffenburg, Germany
28 - Hirsch - Nürnberg, Germany
29 - F-Haus - Jena, Germany
30 - Substage - Karlsruhe, Germany
02 - Red Club - Moscow, Russia
03 - Club Zal - Sankt Petersburg, Russia

For tickets, visit Annihilatormetal.com.

Lineup:

Jeff Waters (vocals/guitar)
Rich Hinks (bass)
Aaron Homma (guitar)
Fabio Alessandrini (drums)