ANNHILATOR
***BRAND NEW STAR STUDDED ‘METAL’ STUDIO ALBUM RELEASED APRIL 13TH ON SPV / SPECIAL GUESTS ON TRIVIUM TOUR IN APRIL***

Annihilator, the seminal Canadian thrash metal band who have sold millions of records since their debut in 1989, release their storming new studio album, ‘Metal’ on April 13th on SPV through RSK Entertainment.

Main man Jeff Waters states “‘Metal’ is one of the best-written records in my career; something that you can never achieve if you try…it just happens!” Waters spent over a year writing ‘Metal’, a period during which he was forced to straighten out some serious business problems and he vented his pent-up frustration by channelling it into new musical ideas. “Instead of going public with the issues I was having with some former “crooks” that I had deals with, I decided to shut up, get rid of them and do what I do best: forge ahead and make the best damn metal record I could make.”

And even better, ‘Metal’ features a host of stellar guest appearances. While writing ‘Metal’, Jeff was invited to an American record company’s party, where a host of contemporary musicians confessed their love of Annihilator’s music. Encouraged, Jeff nervously asked if members of bands like Trivium, In Flames, Anvil, The Haunted, Children of Bodom, Lamb Of God, Arch Enemy, Danko Jones, Nevermore, and others might play on a track on the upcoming album... “There were not enough songs on the CD to accommodate all the great players I’d asked!” recalls Jeff now.

Trivium guitarist Corey Beaulieu states that "Being invited to participate with Jeff as a guest guitarist on Annihilators’ upcoming release “Metal” was truly a great thing; not only was it my first “guest appearance” which was cool but to be asked by Jeff Waters and a band that I respect so much and love like Annihilator makes for some great fucking memories. Jeff is a FANTASTIC guitarist, and to be able to play and create along side him for the amount of time I did was great, I feel honored to be a part of it, it is such a great CD with lots of amazing people and great players on it. Anyone who is a true fan of “METAL” really should check it out – if not then you can burn in HELL with Alice haha."

Trivium have subsequently invited Annihilator to play as special guests on their entire European tour, taking in the following UK and Irish shows:-

8th April Dublin - Ambassador
9th April Dublin - Ambassador
11th April Bradford - St. Georges Hall
12th April Manchester - Apollo
13th April Glasgow - The Academy
14th April Newcastle - City Hall
15th April Liverpool - University
17th April Nottingham - Rock City
18th April Cambridge - Corn Exchange
19th April Portsmouth - Guild Hall
20th April Plymouth - Pavilions
22nd April Newport - Newport Centre
23rd April Wolverhampton - Civic Hall
24th April Ipswich - Regent
25th April London - Hammersmith Apollo

The ten tracks on ‘Metal’ were recorded by Waters, who played guitar and bass on all numbers and sang on one (‘Operation Annihilation’), legendary drummer Mike Mangini and long-time vocalist (and touring guitarist / vocalist) Dave Padden, plus, of course, a host of guest musicians.

The full tracklisting is:-

1. Clown Parade – feat. Jeff Loomis (Nevermore)
2. Couple Suicide – feat. Danko Jones (Danko Jones) & Angela Gossow (Arch Enemy)
3. Army Of One – feat. Steve ´Lips` Kudlow (Anvil)
4. Downright Dominate – feat. Alexi Laiho (Children Of Bodom)
5. Smothered – feat. Anders Bjørler (The Haunted)
6. Operation Annihilation – feat. Michael Amott (Arch Enemy)
7. Haunted – feat. Jesper Strømblad (In Flames)
8. Kicked – feat. Corey Beaulieu (Trivium)
9 . Detonation – feat. Jacob Lynam (Lynam)
10. Chasing The High – feat. Willie Adler (Lamb Of God)

“It may sound a little strange when I say that ‘Metal’ reminds me of the first four Annihilator recordings,” Jeff Waters admits. “You could be tempted to think that I am looking back artistically, when the opposite happens to be the case. I always try to evolve musically. But it’s a fact that I composed the new material the same way I went about the early Annihilator tracks. Instead of writing them with the usual help of my state-of-the-art studio equipment and recording them immediately, almost all of the guitar riffs were developed on a simple ghetto blaster. I only went on to put it all together if it really floored me.”

‘Metal’, Annihilator’s 12th Studio album, is the latest in a long line of hard driving, riff laden, inventive metal albums. Jeff says that “When people ask me what kind of heavy metal we play, I can only say: all kinds, from thrash, speed and death through jazz and blues to ballads. There’s no limit for us.”

And there is absolutely no doubt that ‘Metal’ is ‘exactly what it says on the tin’ – an unashamedly heavy, loud, dynamic, intricate, riff laden monstrous thrash metal album that will go down in history as a major landmark on Annihilator’s path to worldwide domination of the metal world.