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Annihilator - The One review



Reviewer:
5.5

24 users:
7.38
Band: Annihilator
Album: The One
Release date: April 2004


01. All For You
02. Weapon X
03. The One
04. All For You
05. Never, Neverland [Live Video]
06. Refresh The Demon [Live Video]
07. Alison Hell [Live Video]

Annihilator's sound is revamped in this EP. A band that had been very much Thrash Metal since its inception has changed. Annihilator had for a long time held their sound and the fans were loyal; this was a new step for their career. This was an experimental EP used to define their future sound. My opinion of it is this; it answered a question the band wanted to pose. It offered good music, mixed with mostly questionable music. Mainly I am speaking of the opening track "All For You". The music is not what you would expect from the band and Jeff Waters' voice is what poses the biggest casualty to the music. His voice sounds so different on this song that it catches you completely off guard. The music itself is also less than impressive. If you are not a fan of Nu-Metal, it may be best to ignore this track. "Weapon X" is not much different. The music is more traditional, but the voice is still there. Though not quite as bad as "All for You", it is still not what you would expect from a thrash metal outfit. On a positive note; the title track, "The One" is different in many ways. Slow, melodic, lyrical - brilliant. It's a refreshing change of pace for all kinds of metal lovers. Headbangers who remember "Snake In The Grass" from "Set The World On Fire" should be curious about this track. You have never heard Annihilator like this before, but it's an excellent sound for them. It is by far the best song on the EP.

Waters' Nu-Metal singing is a foreshadowing of what is to come on "Schizo Deluxe", but is at a much higher, more intense level. (If you did not like "Schizo", you will NOT appreciate this EP). The music is not quite what you would have expected from the aged band, and the singing leaves much to be desired. He simply takes the vocals too far. Annihilator has since moved on and eliminated most of their Nu-Metal sound, returning them in many ways to their roots. Because this EP was experimental, it is essential for any Annihilator fan to keep it in consideration. However; for the typical metal fan, it is indeed quite average.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 7
Songwriting: 5
Originality: 6
Production: 7

Written by un4givendemon | 10.07.2007




Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.


Comments

Comments: 2   Visited by: 21 users
14.08.2007 - 22:04
JaymZ
Account deleted
Just a couple notes. First, its not Jeff singing on this release, its Dave Padden, same as All For You and Schizo Deluxe. Also, I believe the song you meant to acknowledge in regards to "The One" was "Phoenix Rising", not "Snake In The Grass". Other than that, I completely agree with your review, very appropriate rating.
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28.08.2007 - 22:48
Rating: 5
un4givendemon

On this release Dave Padden and Jeff Waters sang vocals, sometimes its hard to tell the difference but your right...and both of their voices had the same issue so maybe I should have mentioned Dave in addition. Also I did indeed mean "Snake in the Grass" but again good observation, "Phoenix Rising" works too. It depends on what part of the music you are referring to. Thank you JaymZ for your feedback, i'll watch that next time.
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