┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │■ ■│ │ .-/ .-. │ │ _.-~ / ___ | ~-._ │ │ \:/ -~| / __/| .\:/ │ │ / || (:/:| \ │ │ / /\/| |:\___\| |\ \ │ │ / /:::|.::/:::/:.|:\ \ │ │ / /:::/ \\/:::/::/:::\ \ │ │ / .::\ \-~~~~-/\/:.. \ │ │ /..:::::\ /:::::..\ │ │ /::::::::- -::::::::\ │ │ \:::::-~ ~-:::::/ │ │ \:-~ ~-:/ │ │ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ P R E S E N T S │ │ │ │ │ │ + Annihilator - Bag Of Tricks + │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Information ║ │ │╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Release Date.Feb-09-2006 Encoder......LAME 3.90 Modified ║ │ │║ Genre........Metal Graber.......EAC ║ │ │║ Year.........1994 Khz/Bitrate..44,1/ Br ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Ripper.......rainbow Songs........16 ║ │ │║ Covers.......Yes Url... www.annihilatormetal.com ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Notes ║ │ │╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Artist : Annihilator Rating : You Decide! ║ │ │║ Album : Bag Of Tricks Label : Roadrunner ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Description : ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Annihilator's last album on Roadrunner in the ║ │ │║ '90s, the odds-and-sods collection Bag of ║ │ │║ Tricks, proves that the mid-'80s glory days of ║ │ │║ speed metal never really went away. Tricks ║ │ │║ combines live versions of hits from the band's ║ │ │║ first three studio albums with early demos and ║ │ │║ rarities from back in the days when frontman ║ │ │║ Jeff Waters was toiling away in his basement ║ │ │║ playing just about every instrument like a heavy ║ │ │║ metal reincarnation of Prince. There are not one ║ │ │║ but two stereo-scorching, foot-to-the-floor ║ │ │║ versions each of "Alison Hell," ║ │ │║ "Phantasmagoria," and "Gallery." Bag of Tricks ║ │ │║ is proof, also, of how seriously Waters took his ║ │ │║ image as a one-man guitar army, with ║ │ │║ mile-a-minute solos, barnburning riffs, and ║ │ │║ everything louder than everything else. Tricks ║ │ │║ is a good showcase for the band's influences and ║ │ │║ its range: "Live Wire" wears its fondness for ║ │ │║ AC/DC on its sleeve; "Gallery" is a reminder of ║ │ │║ their early flirtation with death metal; and ║ │ │║ "Fantastic Things," with its melodic bent, is as ║ │ │║ close to spitting distance of hair metal as ║ │ │║ Annihilator ever came. The sound may be a little ║ │ │║ rough around the edges, but, with its 16 tracks ║ │ │║ of gloriously raucous, fashion-defying ║ │ │║ thrashola, Bag of Tricks is enough to make the ║ │ │║ most rabid fans forget all about how Metallica ║ │ │║ sold them short in the '90s. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Bay Area thrash metal group made popular by ║ │ │║ their 1989 debut album, 'Alice In Hell'. The ║ │ │║ band has not achieved star status since then in ║ │ │║ the States, being without a major record deal ║ │ │║ except overseas. Still quite popular in Europe ║ │ │║ and other countries, where power metal has a ║ │ │║ true home. Fronted by guitarist Jeff Waters. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Quite an appropriate title, this. The biggest ║ │ │║ trick is getting you to part with more money ║ │ │║ than it's actually worth. It's one of those ║ │ │║ "previously unreleased and rarities" type ║ │ │║ collections, and while some of this stuff might ║ │ │║ have been rare and unreleased, there was a good ║ │ │║ reason for it- it wasn't very good. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Back in 1990, Annihilator could have become one ║ │ │║ of the biggest names in Metal. The band had ║ │ │║ released the killer debut `Alice In Hell' and ║ │ │║ the reasonably solid follow up `Never, ║ │ │║ Neverland'. However, by 1994 when `Bag Of ║ │ │║ Tricks' was thrown together, the band and its ║ │ │║ reputation were in tatters. Jeff Water's ║ │ │║ revolving door policy meant the band could not ║ │ │║ cement a stable line up, and third album `Set ║ │ │║ The World On Fire' crashed and burned through a ║ │ │║ combination of poor songs, weak production and a ║ │ │║ changed musical climate. `Bag Of Tricks' could ║ │ │║ possibly have been Annihilator's swansong. We ║ │ │║ know now that it wasn't, and as an epitaph of ║ │ │║ the band's career, `Bag Of Tricks' would have ║ │ │║ been about as fitting as wearing a clown costume ║ │ │║ to a funeral. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Most of this is worthless filler. Witness "The ║ │ │║ Fun Palace (Extended Mix)". It is "extended" by ║ │ │║ 30 seconds. I'm sure Jeff Waters can hear the ║ │ │║ added parts, but I sure as hell can't, and it's ║ │ │║ not like it's a particularly strong song in the ║ │ │║ first place. Then there's the remastered version ║ │ │║ of "Alison Hell". So it's "thicker and ║ │ │║ punchier". It's still the same damn song! There ║ │ │║ are also production demos of "Phantasmagoria", ║ │ │║ "Knight Jumps Queen", "Bats In The Belfry", and ║ │ │║ "Evil Appetite", (which later became "Don't ║ │ │║ Bother Me"), which are all apparently special ║ │ │║ because they have different vocalists to the ║ │ │║ album versions. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ A little more worthwhile are the production ║ │ │║ demos of a few songs which never made it to a ║ │ │║ full album. "Back To The Crypt", "Gallery" and ║ │ │║ "Fantastic Things" were all omitted from the ║ │ │║ first three albums, and quite rightly so. There ║ │ │║ are a few familiar riffs, but the songs were ║ │ │║ poorly conceived or badly constructed. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ There is some good stuff on the album though. ║ │ │║ Four live tracks are included. "Human ║ │ │║ Insecticide (Live)" was originally released on ║ │ │║ the `Thrash The Wall' compilation, and shows ║ │ │║ Waters could actually reproduce live the insane ║ │ │║ riffing of that song. Manic renditions of ║ │ │║ "W.T.Y.D." and "Word Salad" demonstrate why ║ │ │║ Annihilator were rated so highly as a live band, ║ │ │║ while the cover of AC/DC's "Live Wire" is quite ║ │ │║ faithful and shows the song due respect. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Annihilator's 1986 demo `Phantasmagoria' was ║ │ │║ quite well sought after in underground tape ║ │ │║ trading circles, and the tracks "Gallery", ║ │ │║ Alison Hell" and "Phantasmagoria" are great. For ║ │ │║ a demo recorded in a basement (and obviously ║ │ │║ cleaned up in the studio a little), the sound ║ │ │║ quality is very clear, especially Jeff Waters' ║ │ │║ rhythm guitar. The vocals are a surprise, as ║ │ │║ Waters performed them himself. Instead of the ║ │ │║ clean, melodic sound of the singers generally ║ │ │║ employed by the band, Waters' voice is harsher, ║ │ │║ comparable to Slayer's Tom Araya. The embryonic ║ │ │║ "Alison Hell" and "Phantasmagoria" are instantly ║ │ │║ recognisable, but "Gallery" is a surprise. It ║ │ │║ was never released on an album, but much of the ║ │ │║ song is familiar, as Waters stripped the best ║ │ │║ riffs from the substandard song and used them ║ │ │║ elsewhere. Then inexplicably (or as Monte Conner ║ │ │║ says in the liner notes "because of time ║ │ │║ restraints"), the final track from the demo ║ │ │║ "Ligeia" was left off this album. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ There are some gems on this incomplete and ║ │ │║ patchy compilation, but would have been far ║ │ │║ better put together in a different format ║ │ │║ without the filler. It does have extensive liner ║ │ │║ notes, explaining the motivation and ║ │ │║ significance of the tracks included. More live ║ │ │║ tracks, the complete pre- "Alice In Hell" demos ║ │ │║ and fewer "alternative" versions of album tracks ║ │ │║ would have made this album far more appealing. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Tracklist ║ │ │╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │ │ │ │ 01 - Alison Hell (Remastered Version) [05:03] │ │ 02 - Phantasmagoria (Demo Version) [03:57] │ │ 03 - Back To The Crypt [04:08] │ │ 04 - Gallery [04:08] │ │ 05 - Human Insecticide (Live) [05:44] │ │ 06 - Fun Palace (Extended Mix) [06:22] │ │ 07 - W.T.Y.D. (Live) [04:57] │ │ 08 - Word Salad (Live) [06:36] │ │ 09 - Live Wire (Live) [05:16] │ │ 10 - Knight Jumps Queen (Demo Version) [03:45] │ │ 11 - Fantastic Things [04:27] │ │ 12 - Bats In The Belfry (Demo Version) [03:45] │ │ 13 - Evil Appetite [03:40] │ │ 14 - Gallery '86 [03:59] │ │ 15 - Alison Hell '86 [05:09] │ │ 16 - Phantasmagoria '86 [03:56] │ │ │ │ Total Length : [74:52 minn │ │ │ │ │ │ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ╔═════════════════════╗ │ │ ║ Greetings To: ║ │ │ ╚═════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ Too all people who contributes to make this │ │ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │■ ■│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘