Annihilator - Schizo Deluxe

"This time around I went right for the throat: 100% thrash metal with an attitude. No ballads. No breaks in the insanity. Schizo Deluxe is what a lot of metal fans have been screaming at me to give them this time: Brutal guitar riffs and solos, second-to-none musicianship, and back-to-the-roots thrash/heavy metal songwriting." This was guitarist Jeff Water's claim when talking about Annihilator's 11th studio album, Schizo Deluxe. Was he blowing smoke, or was he for real? He was 100% honest. There are no ballads, no filler; there are brutal riffs, solos and amazing musicianship. The song writing is also a lot more consistent and focused than their other releases. This album takes the technique and quirky insanity of Alice In Hell, the grooves of King of the Kill and mixes it with the melody of All For You.

The album starts with a bunch of audio samples, then kicks in with "Maximum Satan". "Maximum Satan" is a heavy midpaced tune similar to King of the Kill's, "The Box". The first thing I noticed with Dave Padden's vocals. A lot of fans hated him on All for You. To be honest I never minded his vocals at all, but on this CD he sounds a lot better and a lot more confident. Anyways, the song has a very catchy chorus and a real cool middle section. As a whole the song is really nothing too new, but it makes a cool opener.

Next, "Drive" kicks in with a guitar riff that sounds like "King of the Kill". After that riff the song kicks in full force with brutal speed and riffs. It has some awesome guitar work, melodic hooks and a bass solo. Killer tune.

The album then swings back into the midpaced range with "Warbird". This song has some cool riffs, but is nothing too special. I see myself skipping this track when listening to the album.

"Plasma Zombie" brings Annihilator fans back to the Alice in Hell days. Fast, brutal riffs that burn through you like a buzzsaw blade. This song will thrash you back to the stone age.

The album really starts to soar at this point. "Invite it" could be one of the best Annihilator songs I have heard in a while. It reminds me of "Both of Me" from the All for You record. It has a nice groove and a schizo chorus that you have grown to expect from Waters. It also has a very melodic and badass middle section with a nice solo. Simply awesome.

Next on the lineup is "Like Father, Like Gun". Just stop and read the title. Really read it. Take it in. Jeff, you have outdone yourself with that one. This is probably the grooviest tune on the album. You can tell Dimebag really touched Jeff musically. This song screams Pantera. Good stuff.

"Pride" then kicks in with some heavy riffage that leads to a really fast "old school" lead and verse. This sounds like a mixture between Alice in Hell and All for You. The verse and riffs are very thrash, while the chorus is very melodic on the lines of "Bled" from All for You. It seems like Jeff has his formula down by this part of the album.

"Too Far Gone" kicks into Megadeth mode. It starts with a trademark Annihilator melody and Jeff Waters doing a Dave Mustaine snarl. This is the only song that has Jeff behind the mic. This is a very back to the roots metal song. It has a very simple thrash song structure and a blazing solo.

Now, what all Annihilator fans have been waiting for...another dose of Alice. That's right, Alice returns on this album. "Clare" picks up on the "Allison Hell" tradition. It uses some riffs from the original classic to remodel this new soon to be classic Annihilator tune. It starts off with the haunting bassline Annihilator fans first heard in 1989 then takes listeners to a modern journey through madness. The solo on this song is awesome.

Lastly, "Something Witchy" closes the album. The song starts off with a really awkward attempt at a hardcore verse. It is very strange and really doesn't work. It kind of sounds like Dillinger Escape Plan. Luckily, the chorus, middle section, and solo save it. This song has the best solo on the album and quite possibly one of the best Annihilator solos I have heard. This is a great way to close a great album.

Even though this album is awesome it is not perfect. There are some recycled riffs and solos here and there, but the original parts more than make up for them. Also, I would have liked the album to be more melodic. I know Jeff's intentions were to make a heavy album this time around, but I have always loved the melodies he cooks up. With that said it is safe to say that any Annihilator fan will love this album. If you liked All for You you will most likely enjoy this. If you haven't liked anything Annihilator has done since Neverland I would give this a shot you may be suprised. Lastly, if you are a fan of metal and you want some technical, progressive, schizo thrash I recommend this to you.