Fifteen years (!) since the release of Metal in 2007, Jeff Waters and his merry band revisit the release with a couple of changes. Drum tracks have been taken over by some guy called Dave Lombardo, and vocal duties are now the province of Stu Block (Into Eternity). In addition, the track order has been juggled and a bonus cover song (Van Halen’s “Romeo Delight”) dropped into the middle of proceedings. All the previous guest appearances have been left untouched.
And… I can’t really tell the difference. Block’s vocals are a tad more guttural than Padden’s on the older release, and I’m sure there are some subtle changes to the drumming if you listen closely. Otherwise, this is pretty much the same (very enjoyable) collection that came out a year before my son was born. OK, so some of the differences are fairly obvious. “Couple Suicide” originally had drums kicking in right at the start, whereas now it seems to have a more relaxed beginning. It’s obvious Lombardo hasn’t just been given the sheet music and told to copy it, he’s adding his own interpretation. But still, you pretty much have to listen to the tracks side by side and play spot the difference.
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For those who haven’t heard the original, it’s pretty much par for the course for Annihilator around 2007 with what was a stable (for Annihilator) lineup at the time. The addition of the guests was a nice one, and it made for some novelty value but the songs (and guitars) were clearly Jeff Waters creations. The typical variety in the tracks is in place, from the thrash metal madness of “Chasing The High” and “Heavy Metal Maniac” to the… erm… thrash metal madness of “Detonation” and “Haunted” (that has a new, brief atmospheric intro). OK, so there’s nothing on here akin to “Phoenix Rising” or “Crystal Ann”, which is a bit of a shame but that’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with a 100% metal release.
In short, it’s a decent release with some good songs. I just don’t see the point of it, the changes being so minor compared to the original. Both releases have excellent production, and the major differences are in the drum fills. I’d have to say that this is one for the completist, or for someone who doesn’t already have Metal already. A curiosity rather than a necessity.
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Metal II is out on February 18th
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