Anihilator: Suicide Society (2015)

Anihilator: Suicide Society (2015)

“There is but one truly serious philosophical problem and that is suicide.”

Albert Camus

By: Ghost Writer

Sad moment, after another mass shooting in the U.S. to recognize that something is wrong with our northern neighbor, something is wrong when a young man can gather so much guns and no one in his home took notice, something is wrong when this shootings happen more and more often.

Sucide Society is Canada's thrash metal kings Anihilator newest record, more of a personal effort by the band's leader Jeff Waters, who handle all instruments and voice here except for the drums, I must add that this new "version" of the "band" features a really intense new sound showing some interesting new features, a more aggressive and melodically direction with Waters snarling coming really close to Megadeth's Dave Mustaine, and including some powerful contorted riffing, little bits of the ultra-modern metal of bands like Prong which is a clear influence here, although the influence of fellow Canadian's Voivod twisted melodies is also omnipresent.

The fact that such amazing bands like Rush and D.O.A. seems to be an important factor for the development the amazing sound of this band, who goes really to its thrash roots with the title track and almost hypnotic piece that quickly evolves into a fast paced thrashing riff feast that reminds early bay area giants like Metallica or Exodus.

The principal attribute of this Suicide Society is how immediate it sounds, almost in your face, one can only praise such red got production and mix fueling amazing cuts like My Revenge with its multiplicity of tempos and quick changes, with the undeniable powerful influence of the Kill Em All era Metallica crossed with Slayer slashing bloody screaming leads.

But Snap really put things upside down with almost waltz like cadence, sir of the sound Metallica would get playing on Broadway, here we get the Annihilator dudes or dude giving us an amazingly entertaining musical piece that really defies easy categorization, one that transcends thrash and goes into really interesting places, and although Creepin' Again is way more generic it possesses some really adventurous riffing and drum arrangements that mutates it into the sort of stuff that Voivod or Megadeth would kill for, and is precisely that astonishing riffing the one that again goes really out there on the incredible Narcotic Avenue.

While reading Dave's Mustaine bio recently I went on a trip to listen again must of all Megadeth records, and by listening to The One You Serve I can't help but remember Mustaine troops while listening to Break, Enter, a really mind expanding tune, cataleptic twerking for the brain, yes it could be, although I'm not too fond of the heavy menacing but totally expected Death Scent

After Metallica's Fade to Black and Testament's The Ballad, slow numbers became less weird between the Thrash genre, and the fact that Annihilator includes one as the last number in this high energy record is not exactly a fortunate decision, but is a different way of ending a chapter, but I'm not sure what's the book is really about.