| Alice in Hell | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 17, 1989 | |||
| Recorded | 1988 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 37:27 | |||
| Label | Roadrunner | |||
| Producer | Jeff Waters | |||
| Annihilator chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Alice in Hell | ||||
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Alice in Hell is the debut studio album by Canadian thrash metal band Annihilator, released on April 17, 1989 through Roadrunner Records. This was the only Annihilator album for ten years to feature Randy Rampage on vocals, until he returned for their seventh studio album Criteria for a Black Widow (1999).
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; [2] 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.[ citation needed ]
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. [3] After the tour was over, the band began preparations for their next album Never, Neverland .
The title track "Alison Hell" was released as part of a DLC package for Rocksmith on April 16, 2019.
The album was re-released twice: 1998 with three 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 .
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Classic Rock | [5] |
| Rock Hard | 9.0/10 [6] |
Alice in Hell has received mostly positive reviews. AllMusic's Eduardo Rivadavia stated 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." [4] Adam McCann of Metal Digest referred to Alice in Hell as "a real classic thrash metal album", and wrote, "For a debut album, Annihilator blasted it out of the park, the Canadian band hit the ground running with one of thrash metal's best albums, tracks such as 'Human Insecticide', 'W.T.Y.D. (Welcome to Your Death)' and 'Alison Hell' in particular still stand tall today as thrash metal anthems as Jeff Waters demonstrated his prowess on guitar backed up by the indomitable vocals of the late Randy Rampage which drove Alice in Hell into MTV's heavy rotation." [7]
All lyrics are written by Jeff Waters, except where noted; all music is 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" | 5:49 | |
| 7. | "Schizos (Are Never Alone) Parts I & II" | 4:32 | |
| 8. | "Ligeia" | 4:47 | |
| 9. | "Human Insecticide" | Bates, Waters | 4:50 |
| Total length: | 37:27 | ||
| 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 | ||
Annihilator
Additional personnel
Annihilator is a Canadian thrash metal band founded in Ottawa in 1984 by Jeff Waters. Waters is the band's sole constant member and has acted as its guitarist, bandleader, writer, producer, engineer, and occasional bassist and vocalist. Annihilator has released seventeen studio albums and has undergone many line-up changes, with Waters regularly assembling touring or session musicians to perform with him. Along with Sacrifice, Voivod and Razor, Annihilator is known as one of the "Big Four" of Canadian thrash metal. They are also considered to be part of the "second wave" of thrash metal bands from the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Scream Bloody Gore is the debut studio album by American death metal band Death, released on May 25, 1987, by Combat Records. It is considered by many to be "the first true death metal record". Chuck Schuldiner, the band’s founder and leader, performed guitar, bass and vocals, and composed all tracks on the album.
Never, Neverland is the second album by heavy metal band Annihilator. It was released on September 12, 1990, under the label Roadrunner. The album was re-released twice: in 1998 with three demo tracks as bonus tracks and again on September 9, 2003, in a two-disc compilation set along with Alice in Hell, entitled Alice in Hell/Never Neverland.
Morbid Tales is the debut album by Swiss extreme metal band Celtic Frost, released in November 1984. It was originally released in Europe on Noise Records as a mini-LP with six tracks, while the American release by Enigma/Metal Blade added two tracks, bringing it to the length of a regular studio LP. The band retrospectively refers to the LP release as the band's debut studio album.
Bonded by Blood is the debut studio album by American thrash metal band Exodus. Although the album was completed in the summer of 1984, it was not released until 1985 due to issues with Exodus and the record label. It is considered one of the most influential thrash metal albums of all time. This is also the only full-length studio album of Exodus to feature Paul Baloff on vocals, though he was also on their 1982 Demo and appeared on their 1997 live album Another Lesson in Violence.
Set the World on Fire is the third studio album by Canadian heavy metal band Annihilator, released on May 4, 1993 by Roadrunner and Epic Records. The album received mixed reviews, toning down the thrash elements of Alice in Hell and Never, Neverland in favor of a more radio friendly sound. The title track, "Knight Jumps Queen", and "Brain Dance" are still setlist regulars, becoming fan favourites years after the release of the album.
Bag of Tricks is a compilation album by the band Annihilator, released in 1994. The album was later reissued in 2002 under the label Roadrunner.
King of the Kill is the fourth album by Canadian heavy metal band Annihilator, released in 1994. This was the first Annihilator album not released on Roadrunner Records, and marked a return to the thrash metal sound of their earlier albums, Alice in Hell and Never, Neverland, after the commercial failure of its predecessor Set the World on Fire, while also retaining some of that album's radio-friendly sound. King of the Kill was also the first of three consecutive studio albums to feature guitarist and bandleader Jeff Waters on both lead vocals and bass.
Criteria for a Black Widow is the seventh studio album by Canadian heavy metal band Annihilator, released on June 1, 1999, by Roadrunner Records. It is the only album to feature the reunited Alice in Hell-era line-up.
Jeff Waters is a Canadian guitarist and the founder, bandleader and producer of the metal band Annihilator. He was born in Ontario and resides in the UK. Waters has owned Watersound Studios since 1994 and from 2003 until 2018, in Ottawa, Ontario, and now in the UK.
Handle with Care is the third studio album by American thrash metal band Nuclear Assault, released on October 3, 1989. This is the band's most successful and best-selling album to date, peaking at number 126 on the Billboard 200, making it their highest position so far. "Critical Mass" was released as a single to promote the album.
In Command is a live album by Canadian band Annihilator. Tracks 1-5 were recorded live on November 11, 1989, at The Ritz, in New York City. Tracks 6-14 recorded live on November 2, 1990, at The Showroom in San Antonio, Texas.
Randall Desmond Archibald, better known by his stage name Randy Rampage, was a Canadian musician and founding member, bass player and vocalist of the hardcore band D.O.A., often referred to as the "founders" of hardcore punk.
Metal is the twelfth album by Canadian heavy metal band Annihilator, released on April 16, 2007, by SPV/Steamhammer. However, it wasn't released in the United States until January 15, 2008. The album includes several special guests who each contribute to separate tracks. This includes Danko Jones, Angela Gossow, Steve "Lips" Kudlow, Alexi Laiho, Anders Björler, Michael Amott, Jesper Strömblad, Corey Beaulieu, Jacob Lynam and William Adler.
Product of Society is the debut album by the American thrash metal band Defiance. It was released in 1989 on Roadracer Records. It was the only album by Defiance to feature Ken Elkington on vocals and had cover art by Ed Repka. The first album is much more straightforward tech thrash metal style comparing to their other albums, which would have a more progressive/complex sound until The Prophecy.
D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N. is the tenth studio album by German thrash metal band Destruction. The album was released on 29 August 2008 by AFM Records worldwide and Candlelight Records in the United States.
Stress Factor 9 was a Canadian thrash metal band from Vancouver, formed in 2005. SF9's members include frontman Randy Rampage and drummer Ray Hartmann with guitarist Kick, and their most recent lineup included Frank Frightful, and Duane Chaos.
Epidemic of Violence is the second album by American thrash metal band Demolition Hammer. It was released in early 1992 to critical acclaim and is considered a cult classic in the thrash metal and death metal genres.
For the Demented is the sixteenth studio album by Canadian thrash metal band Annihilator, released on November 3, 2017.
Ballistic, Sadistic is the seventeenth studio album by Canadian thrash metal band Annihilator. It was released via Silver Lining Music and Neverland Music on January 24, 2020, and was produced by group frontman Jeff Waters.
Vancouver, Canada's Annihilator brought a high level of technical refinement to thrash metal with 1989's 'Alice in Hell,' with its metronomic instrumentation and intellectual lyrics ("Ligeia" was based on the works of Edgar Allen Poe!). None of which stopped frantic fare like the psycho-thriller "Allison Hell," "Burns Like a Buzzsaw Blade" and lightning-fast "Human Insecticide" from teetering on the edge of control with all that pent-up viciousness.
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