«Alice in Hell» is Annihilator’s first album and it came out in 1989 on Roadrunner Records. The band from Canada was built around guitarist Jeff Waters, who wrote almost all of the music. The album is based on the story of Alison Hell, a girl who gave her name to several songs and whose face appears on the cover. The vocals are by Randy Rampage.
“`Country: Canada
Style: Thrash Metal
For fans of: Metallica, Megadeth, Testament
The record is fast, technical thrash with plenty of riffs and solos, in the vein of early Metallica. Waters plays both rhythm and lead guitar, while Randy Rampage’s vocals have a chaotic, screaming edge that suits the overall mood.
«Crystal Ann» is a short acoustic instrumental that opens the album, before «Alison Hell» kicks in. «W.T.Y.D.» (Welcome to Your Death), «Wicked Mystic», «Word Salad» and the very fast «Human Insecticide» also stand out. Between them sit two instrumentals, «Schizos (Are Never Alone)».
The album pulled off something few debuts manage: from the very first listen it shows what it can do, with songs that combine speed and melody. Waters made sure to put in solos that take your breath away without breaking the flow of the tracks, and the early Metallica influence is everywhere, but with his own signature — the same ground covered in our piece on the old school thrash albums that laid the foundations of the genre.
«Alice in Hell» gave Annihilator the reputation of «Canada’s answer to Metallica» and is considered one of the best debuts in thrash metal. Jeff Waters quickly became known for his technique, and the band still plays songs from this record to this day.
See also: Slayer: the story of the band that shaped the sound of thrash metal and The old school thrash albums that laid the foundations of the genre.
