ANNIHILATOR - Carnival Diablos
December 21, 2000, 24 years ago
(Metal-Is)
Rampage out, ex-Overkill guitarist Joe Comeau in, and what you get is one of the best Annihilator albums ever made. Maybe I'm pushing it in some people's eyes, but the fact is that no matter how much the diehard fans liked the idea of an Alice In Hell reunion for Criteria, you can't deny that Comeau kicks Randy's rampaging butt all over the map. The man writes his own stuff, he growls and sings with the best of 'em, coming off as a perfect foil to ringmaster Jeff Waters' axe-killing performance which is, as always, top notch. Sure, Waters does rip himself off on occasion (shades of Refresh The Demon), but there's more than enough originality in Canada's Hands of Steel to keep jaws dropped to the floor. Carnival Diablos is exactly that, spewing out a few welcome speedsters in 'Denied', 'Battered' and the roaring 'Hunter Killer'. As well, there's a tribute to AC/DC on 'Shallow Grave' - Brian Johnson better watch his job 'cuz Comeau has his number - and the title track is Waters at his best in every respect. There are a startling number of slower, hard-edged chuggers on this platter, but not to worry as the edge has been kept razor-sharp and brutally heavy. The Carnival leaves town with Waters singing the praises of Canadian cuisine with the short but sweet 'Chicken 'N Corn', one of only two light-hearted moments on the album, the other being the instrumental 'Liquid Oval'.
