Description
2010 press on black vinyl. Limited 400 copies
Another album, another new line-up. But that’s the way it is with Annihilator. For this album, Carnvial Diablos, Jeff Waters hired ex-Overkill guitarist Joe Comeau. This album is a nice, refreshing change, especially after the failed reunion with Randy Rampage and the handful of Jeff Waters ‘solo’ albums. Maybe it isn’t quite a ‘return to form’ as such, but it is probably the best disc since King Of The Kill. Comeau is one of the reasons why Carnival Diablos impresses. He really does give an excellent vocal performance. The variety of styles he sings is wide and he is simply one of the best singers Waters has ever recruited. He is also probably the only Annihilator member to have co-written some of the material since Waters tends to write quite literally everything bar drums. ‘Shallow Grave’ is the catchiest tune on here and is clearly an AC/DC tribute- Comeau sings like Bon Scott and does a fantastic job! ‘Time Bomb’ is slow and heavy and has a cheesy intro but it’s some good stuff. ‘The Rush’ impresses again, especially the vocals but the riffs are pretty cool too along with ‘Insomniac’, which sounds a lot like old school Annihilator. ‘Liquid Oval’ is a melodic instrumental. ‘Epic Of War’ and ‘Hunter Killer’ go back to the speed and intensity of Annihilator. At the end of ‘Hunter Killer’ there is a hidden joke song with Waters singing called ‘Chicken And Corn’. It was dissapointing that this and the following release, Waking The Fury were the only albums that Comeau sang on. He is actually my favourite Annihilator vocalist behind Randy Rampage. Comeau is great simply because of the amount of styles he can sing, and how he does such a great job on all of them. Generally it’s Waters’ guitar skills which stand out above most Annihilator discs, but here it isn’t. I think it’s safe to say that this is essential Annihilator, definitely one of the strongest albums Waters has made. It is easily worth your time and money along with Waking The Fury. The only other thing I can say is bring back Joe Comeau!
Track listing:
1. Denied
2. Battered
3. Hunter Killer
4. Time Bomb
5. Carnival Diablo
6. The Perfect Virus
7. The Rush
8. Insomniac
9. Epic Of War
10. Liquid Oval
11. Shallow Grave