REVIEW: ANNIHILATOR - CARNIVAL DIABLOS

 

ANNIHILATOR - CARNIVAL DIABLOS (Century Media Records, 2001)

Produced by Jeff Waters

Recorded at Watersound Studios

Cover Art by Joachim Luetke

Tracks: 1- Denied, 2- The Perfect Virus, 3- Battered, 4- Carnival Diablos, 5-Shallow Grave, 6- Time Bomb, 7- The Rush, 8- Insomniac, 9- Liquid Oval, 10- Epic of War, 11- Hunter Killer

Annihilator is back and heavier than ever. Two things add a lot of heaviness to the music: 1- The guitar riffs are more devastating (while technical as always) and faster and they have a bigger sound than in all the previous albums; 2- Joe Comeau´s vocals are really powerful and they make the songs more raw and heavy. The drums sound strangely a bit raw (specially the cymbals and hihat) and this adds also to the heavier result. Annihilator has taken the elments of their first two albums, have modernized and accelerated them and add a much better sound in all the instruments and then they have come with this "Carnival Diablos". I think this is the direction which I like in Annihilator´s music: Their combination of heaviness with melodies and interesting arrangements. A lot of riffs reminded me of eighties thrash metal and I like this element to reappear in Annihilator´s music. Great heavy recording!!!!

Favorite tracks: "Battered", "Time Bomb" and "The Rush"

Contact: www.centurymedia.com  or www.centurymedia.de (Century Media Europe)