Alice in Hell
| Alice in Hell | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Annihilator | ||||
| Released | April 17, 1989 | |||
| Recorded |
1988–1989 Live West Productions, Fiasco Bros. Studios, New Westminster, B.C., Canada | |||
| Genre | Technical Thrash Metal | |||
| Length | 37:27 | |||
| Label | Roadrunner | |||
| Producer | Jeff Waters | |||
| Annihilator chronology | ||||
| ||||
Alice in Hell is the debut studio album by Canadian heavy metal band Annihilator, released on April 17, 1989 by Roadrunner Records.
Album information
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).
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.
To promote Alice in Hell, Annihilator supported Onslaught internationally on their In Search of Sanity tour,[1] 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.
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
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."[2]
Alice in Hell was ranked number nine in Loudwire's top ten list of "Thrash Albums NOT Released by the Big 4".[3]
Track listing
All music composed by Jeff Waters.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Crystal Ann" | instrumental | 1:40 |
| 2. | "Alison Hell" | John Bates, Waters | 5:00 |
| 3. | "W.T.Y.D." (Welcome to Your Death) | Bates, Waters | 3:56 |
| 4. | "Wicked Mystic" | Waters, Jody Weil | 3:38 |
| 5. | "Burns Like a Buzzsaw Blade" | Waters, Bates, Weil | 3:33 |
| 6. | "Word Salad" | Waters | 5:49 |
| 7. | "Schizos (Are Never Alone) Parts I & II" | Waters | 4:32 |
| 8. | "Ligeia" | Waters | 4:47 |
| 9. | "Human Insecticide" | Bates, Waters | 4:50 |
Total length: |
37:27 | ||
| Bonus tracks - 1998 re-release | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
| 10. | "Powerdrain" (Demo) | Waters | 2:49 |
| 11. | "Schizos (Are Never Alone), Parts I & II" (Demo) | Waters | 4:18 |
| 12. | "Ligeia" (Demo) | Waters | 4:56 |
Total length: |
49:53 | ||
Credits
- Jeff Waters – Guitar, Bass, Guitar (Rhythm), Vocals (background), Producer, Guitar (Classical), Mixing, Cover Art Concept, Lyrics
- Randy Rampage – Vocals, Vocals (background)
- Dennis Dubeau – Vocals (background & bridge on track 2)
- Anthony Brian Greenham – Guitar (credited, but does not perform)
- Wayne Darley – Bass (credited, but does not perform), Vocals (background)
- Ray Hartmann – Drums
Equip
- Paul Blake – Engineer
- Frank Donofrio – Engineer
- Victor Dezso – Photography
- Chris Gehringer – Remastering
- Jeff Kitts – Liner Notes
- Marie Nishimori – Liner Notes
- Satoshi Kobayashi – Reissue Design
- Len Rooney – Logo, Cover Art
- Recorded and mixed at Live West Productions, Fiasco Bros. Studios, New Westminster, B.C., Canada
References
- ↑ http://www.metallipromo.com/on.html
- 1 2 http://www.allmusic.com/album/r740
- ↑ "Top 10 Thrash Albums NOT Released by the Big 4". Loudwire.com. October 8, 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||