Following is a preview from the forthcoming BraveWords feature story on Annihilator and the band's new album, Ballistic, Sadistic: 

Being forced to postpone the 2018 European tour - due to transplanting himself from Canada to the UK - gave frontman / founder Jeff Waters the opportunity to build and nurture a new personal life, as well as rebuild Watersound Studios. All of this had a profound effect on how Ballistic, Sadistic turned out, although Waters didn't see it at first.   

"Somebody said to me a while ago that this record 'seems to have some inpiration to it.' I thought that was kind of weird and I wondered what he was trying to say. It sounds simple and stupid, but he tried to explain to me that the music sounds like there was a reason why I wanted to make this album as opposed to doing it as part of the (album / tour / album / tour) cycle. And he was right. There were certain Annihilator eras or years in the past where the album had to be done by a certain time because I had bills to pay. And when you have a label and distributors, there are deadlines that we have to follow. I think the inspiration for Ballistic, Sadistic came from moving over to the UK, figuring I could deal with everything... and there was one additional thing that was happening to the family from outside. Let's say there was someone from the past and in the present causing fear and stress to my wife and her kids, which eventually moved the target to me. I knew I didn't have anything to worry about, but some people are good at making people worry. I helped clean up the mess being fired into the family unit, all while I was trying to build the studio, have a new marriage, be a stepdad."

And that became the seed that spawned some of the most aggressive music to come out of Waters in years.

"You know why? It's a form of therapy for me. I was happy to get rid of the problem and the threat to my family, but music is a healthy way to get my aggressions out. I don't just go into the studio, do my parts and leave everything to the engineer and the producer. I'm involved in the making from start to finish, so there was always something to do for seven months, from writing to recording to photos to video shoots. Everybody has their stories of shitty things happening in their lives. I'm just able to write about it, and it came out of this new album. This is an honest form of music. I've had my hits and misses with songwriting like everyone does, but sometimes you get lucky."

Watch for the feature story, coming soon.

Produced, engineered, and mixed by Jeff Waters, Ballistic, Sadistic was recorded at the brand new, state of the art Watersound Studios UK, in Durham earlier this year with additional engineering and editing by bassist Rich Hinks and mastering by Maor Appelbaum at Maor Appelbaum Mastering in California.

Ballistic, Sadistic is available in limited-edition digipak, vinyl, and digital formats. For pre-orders, head here.

A name that should need no introduction in the metal world, Annihilator was forged in Canada in late 1984. Since then, the band has been touring and releasing records, selling millions of albums to date, nonstop, for over thirty years. Cited by bands like Megadeth, Pantera, Dream Theater, Children Of Bodom, Lamb Of God, Opeth, Trivium, and so many more as having influence on their music, Jeff Waters and Annihilator have continued to tour the world, year after year, whilst consistently putting out high-quality true-metal music. It takes a long time to reach legendary status, and no one can dispute that Annihilator are inspirations, teachers, legends, and a force demonstrating what hard work and love of your craft can bring to the world.

Tracklisting:

"Armed To The Teeth"
"The Attitude"
"Psycho Ward"
"I Am Warfare"
"Out With The Garbage"
"Dressed Up For Evil"
"Riot"
"One Wrong Move"
"Lip Service"
"The End Of The Lie"

"Dressed Up For Evil" lyric video:

"Armed To The Teeth" video:

"Psycho Ward" video:

"I Am Warfare" lyric video:

Annihilator lineup:

Jeff Waters - vocals, guitar
Rich Hinks - bass
Aaron Homma - guitar
Fabio Alessandrini - drums