Annihilator - Re-Kill (2013)

Continuing the zombie artwork theme of the last two releases, Jeff Waters and company decided to raise from the dead a bunch of their past tracks and bring them up to the production standards of the album that this one accompanies (Feast). This sort of practice always feels obligatory for bands that have been around decades, and it happens quite often in this particular genre. Something like Destruction's Thrash Anthems, where the band really wanted to bring their classics up to date with what the fans would expect from newer studio albums or live shows, and if you take it for what it is, I don't have much of a problem of it. Once upon a time, I might, but in reality nobody is taking Alice in Hell or Never, Neverland away from me, I can always go and listen through those versions, and I do.

The reason it works on Re-Kill is because the band is already on a roll, has obviously improved their new material after decades of neglect, knows what the audience probably wants, and remains impeccably loyal to the source material, especially on the hits like "Alison Hell". Dave Padden had by this point gone from a questionable choice in replacement for Joe Comeau to an actual asset for Annihilator, and even though he's not going to match the distinction of some of his predecessors, he does them a service with his performances throughout this track list, and he brings back a little of that smoothness to which works rather well in places on a tune like "Stonewall". I don't know that I'd call any of these de facto versions of the tracks, except some of the ones I didn't care for to begin with, but I don't at all mind listening through his versions. The mix of the album is super slick and 2013 ready, nearly identical to Feast, but it fortunately doesn't hinder the emotional power invested into any of the more memorable tracks in the lineup.

And that's maybe the one weakness of Re-Kill, not all the tunes are created equally, and I find myself drawn naturally more towards the classics, but even something like "Set the World on Fire" or "Ultra Motion" feels like its gotten a bit more pep and energy from this re-recording process. The drums are definitely better, the leads sound recharged, it's a pretty good time and if you can get this alongside Feast (I think they are included with the Digibook of the CD), I'd say it's worth it. If you're stubborn about this sort of compilation of re-recordings, then avoid at all cost, but if you enjoyed Thrash Anthems or maybe Voivod's recent Morgoth Tales, and you're already into Annihilator then I can't imagine you'd turn your nose up at this one.

Verdict: Win [7.25/10]

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