Customer Reviews

Criteria For A Black Widow [Explicit]

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm a big speed/thrash fan from the 80s, and somehow I missed Annihilator the first time around. But I recently picked up a used copy of "Alice In Hell," which is a thrash classic. So when I finally got a copy of "Criteria," I pretty much knew what to expect. But I was wrong! If anything, "Criteria" is better than "Alice." This album provides plenty of good, old-fashioned, straight-ahead thrash, with plenty of musical diversity. Practically all of the songs are good, and none of them sound alike.

In my opinion, this album competes with Destruction's "All Hell Breaks Loose" as Y2K's best thrash album of the year. It's great to see speed/thrash make such a strong comeback, with bands like Testament, Annihilator, Destruction, and Sodom still going strong and continuing to release some of their best material. If you're a fan of Annihilator, other bands worth checking out include Forbidden and Vio-lence.

This cut is without a doubt the most intensive guitar attack I have heard in many years. I have followed Jeff Waters & the band since Alice in Hell, I have never been let down. If you love Crunch Riffs, and a complete metal package, played with some talent and attitude, this cd, as well as the earlier cd's, are absolutely a must! ENJOY!

I RECENTLY HEARD '' ANNIHILATOR '' HAD A NEW CD OUT . SO I DECIDED TO PICK UP THEIR CD '' CRITERIA FOR A BLACK WIDOW '' TO SEE IF THEY STILL HAD IT . JEFF STILL ROCKS ! EVEN THOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS LINEUP CHANGES WITH EACH CD.EVERY SONG TAKES YOU BACK TO THE GOOD OLD DAYS ! WHEN THRASH WAS AT IT'S BEST ! EVERY SONG IS A WINNER ! LOTS TO BANG YOUR HEAD TO ! SO IF YOU WANT A CLASSIC THRASH CD - THEN LOOK NO FURTHER !'' ANNIHILATOR '' IS BACK AND AS HEAVY AS EVER !!!!!

jeff and company deliver with 'criteria' like the old days of annihilator. if old school speed, thrash metal is what you are looking for then be sure to get this cd. i was most impressed with songs bloodbath, back to the palace, and sonic homicide, but all the songs are killer.

after securing an american record deal for the first time since 1993, jeff waters rounds up most of the original lineup(minus bassist wayne darley) and after a 2 yr hiatus due to a nasty divorce battle, jeff and crue unleash the venom onto this platter. At times it seems they borrow a bit from alison hell, but there is more than enough new riffage and aggression to make this disc a must purchase for fans of 80's style straight ahead metal.

Annihilator returns with that sound that made them popular with Alice In Hell. This is the Annihilator cd you've been waiting for. Most of the songs are straight-forward thrash. Randy Rampage's vocals fit the music perfectly. At times he kind of sounds like Tesco Vee from The Meatmen, which I thought was a little weird. They even threw on a bonus track of the demo version of "Loving The Sinner" with Jeff Waters on vocals. Plus a little Jeff Waters commentary. Get this cd, especially if you liked Alice In Hell.

Haven't heard this CD in ages, as this looks to be the Canadian thrash metal band's eighth album - ? I was never aware they had so many CD's out. 'Criteria For A Black Widow' reportedly reunites most of the original line-up (always a good thing). Tunes I remember hearing (and liking) when this CD first came out were "Bloodbath", "Nothing Left", the heavy-duty "Loving Sinner" and "Sonic Homicide". Line-up: Randy Rampage-vocals, Jeff Waters-guitar & vocals, Dave Scott Davis-guitar, Russel Bergquist-bass and Ray Hartman-drums. Should do a lot for fans of Helloween, Pantera, Sacred Reich, Children Of Bodom and possibly Celtic Frost.

I listened to these guys back in the Alice In Hell days, but not much since then....

So when I got this CD, I so wanted to like it, but found it very redundant....

These guys had so much potential 10 years ago, but instead of growing, they apparently keep regurgitating the same sounds, and not much on this cd was catchy enough to get me wanting to jump in a mosh pit, bang my head, or pump my fists....

This album kicks unbelievable ass. Just when I thought Annihilator would slip into mediocrity, Jeff Waters tracks down Randy Rampage and brings him back into what could be one of the best thrash albums of the last 10 years.

Bloodbath, the first track, opens with powerful riffs and wicked vocals/solos/lyrics/everything and the album refuses to slow down. Back to the Palace is a great play on the classic Fun Palace theme, while Schizos Pt. 3 makes for a fitting continuation. Sonic Homicide reuses a sweet riff from an old 80's Annihilator demo and makes a great song out of it. And Punctured proves that the mighty Rampage can master a real singing part. The other songs on the album are solid and almost as memorable as these mentioned, with the final track, Mending, a short acoustic outro.

The synopsis of this album is this. Any Annihilator album with Randy Rampage on vocals will own. No matter how weak the lyrics, or how generic the guitarwork might be, his flair and style could save the album. I really wish his voice would have been on All for You instead of Dave Padden, who sounds like a jackass the entire time and ruins the album. Though Dave redeemed himself a little on Schizos Deluxe, imagine how amazing that album would be with Randy on it. It would have been a modern metal classic. Too bad they just don't get along anymore. Buy this album.

And they're back !
Jeff gets a band again and the energy is rekindled. Widow is different than early Annihilator but it shares it's intensity, excellent riffs and has that real metal sound.
Randy Rampage is back as well, although I couldn't care less, Jeff's vocals are just as good if not better.
Bloodbath, Punctured, Criteria, Sonic Homicide and Shizos Part III are all excellent. The other songs are all very good.
This album is a must buy and marks the start of a great run of awesome albums by this band. The next album Carnival Diablos is even better and Waking the Fury is one of the best albums EVER.