Released April 17, 1989 Length 37:27 Release date 17 April 1989 Label Roadracer Records | Recorded 1988 Artist Annihilator Producer Jeff Waters Genres Thrash metal, Speed metal | |
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Studio Live West Productions
Fiasco Bros. Studios, New Westminster, B.C., Canada Alice in Hell
(1989) Never, Neverland
(1990) Similar Annihilator albums, Thrash metal albums | ||
Alice in Hell is the debut studio album by Canadian heavy metal band Annihilator, released on April 17, 1989 by Roadrunner Records. This album has sold over 250,000 copies worldwide.
Contents
- Annihilator alice in hell full album remaster hq
- Album information
- Reissues
- Reception
- Track listing
- Credits
- Equip
- Songs
- References
Annihilator alice in hell full album remaster hq
Album information
Although the album's insert lists five members, Annihilator was a three-piece (Randy Rampage, Jeff Waters and Ray Hartmann) at the time of its recording in 1988. In addition to guitar, Waters provides bass and backing vocals on the album, produced it and wrote all the songs, with the exception of "Crystal Ann". Although Anthony Brian Greenham and Wayne Darley are noted on the album's insert as playing guitar and bass respectively, this was a mistake and they did not join Annihilator until after Alice in Hell was finished; Darley does, however, provide backing vocals on the album. Waters has explained in interviews the reason Greenham and Darley were listed in the credits was at the behest of Roadrunner.
Alice in Hell was the first of six Annihilator albums to feature songwriting contributions from former singer John Bates, who was credited as the (co-)writer of the songs "Alison Hell", "W.T.Y.D.", "Burns Like a Buzzsaw Blade" and "Human Insecticide". Bates also co-wrote some songs on Never, Neverland (1990), King of the Kill (1994), Refresh the Demon (1996), Remains (1997) and Criteria for a Black Widow (1999).
To promote Alice in Hell, Annihilator supported Onslaught internationally on their In Search of Sanity tour, and Testament (along with Wrathchild America) in the United States on their Practice What You Preach tour. After the tour was over, the band began preparations for their next album Never, Neverland.
Reissues
The album was re-released twice: 1998 with 3 demo tracks as bonus tracks and again on September 9, 2003 in a two-disc compilation set along with Never, Neverland, entitled Two From The Vault. One of the demo tracks, "Powerdrain", serves as the base of the song "Sonic Homicide" on Annihilator's 1999 album Criteria for a Black Widow.
Reception
Alice in Hell has received mostly positive reviews. Allmusic's Eduardo Rivadavia gave it three stars out of five, and states that "Annihilator's brand of technical, thinking man's thrash metal garnered many fans with this fine debut, arguably the best release of the band's career."
Alice in Hell was ranked number nine in Loudwire's top ten list of "Thrash Albums NOT Released by the Big 4".
Track listing
All music composed by Jeff Waters.
Credits
Equip
Songs
1Crystal Ann1:41
2Alison Hell5:01
3WTYD3:56