Bag Of Tricks

Annihilator's last album on Roadrunner in the '90s, the odds and sods collection Bag of Tricks proves that the mid-'80s glory days of speed metal never really went away. Tricks combines live versions of hits from the band's first three studio albums with early demos and rarities from back in the days when frontman Jeff Waters was toiling away in his basement playing just about every instrument like a heavy metal reincarnation of Prince. There are not one but two stereo-scorching, foot-to-the-floor versions each of "Alison Hell," "Phantasmagoria," and "Gallery." Bag of Tricks is proof, also, of how seriously Waters took his image as a one-man guitar army, with mile-a-minute solos, barn-burning riffs, and everything louder than everything else. Tricks is a good showcase for the band's influences and its range: "Live Wire" wears its fondness for AC/DC on its sleeve; "Gallery" is a reminder of their early flirtation with death metal; and "Fantastic Things," with its melodic bent, is as close to spitting distance of hair metal as Annihilator ever came. The sound may be a little rough around the edges, but, with its 16 tracks of gloriously raucous, fashion-defying thrashola, Bag of Tricks is enough to make the most rabid fans forget all about how Metallica sold them short in the '90s. ~ Leslie Mathew|