In the coming months, earMUSIC will re-release almost all Annihilator albums in special editions with bonus material, unreleased songs, etc. beginning with “Metal” of 2007, which is now upgraded to “Metal II” with guests Dave Lombardo and Stu Block planned for release on February 18, 2022.

The original album already featured a galaxy of stars (Willie Adler (Lamb Of God), Alexi Laiho (Children Of Bodom), Steve “Lips” Kudlow (Anvil), Dan Beehler (Exciter), Jesper Strömblad (In Flames), Angela Gossow ( Arch Enemy), Jeff Loomis (Arch Enemy, Nevermore), Anders Björler (The Haunted, At The Gates) and Corey Beaulieu (Trivium), to which two more are added, the former Iced Earth singer, who reinterprets songs in his own way and the legendary Slayer drummer sitting behind the kit.

“Dave was in my favorite band ever (Slayer),” Waters says, “and continues to evolve and play in many diverse bands, like Misfits, Suicidal Tendencies, Dead Cross, Mr. Bungle and many other projects. It was an honor to be on the same record as Lombardo. And he uses the ‘Reign In Blood’ ride cymbal!! Yes! The ACTUAL ride cymbal we hear on that classic record.”

Waters reveals that “Stu has been the vocalist that I have (publicly) wanted to be Annihilator’s singer, ever since I heard him in the Canadian band Into Eternity, but I never got the opportunity to get him! He is the next generation of amazing vocalists that is grabbing the microphone from such icons as [Bruce] Dickinson and [Rob] Halford. And our paths should have crossed a long time ago, but we are here now!

“So I got a hold of them both,” Waters continues, “and they both loved the tunes and both said ‘FUCK YES’! And I said to Stu, ‘You’ve got three takes’, so there’s blemishes and warts and fuck-ups everywhere. And I said the same to Dave, ‘get it done’. And watching pros do this is mind-blowing because you don’t have the best sounds, but you have the best players.”

“Metal II” is dedicated to the memory of Eddie Van Halen and Alexi Laiho.

01. Chasing The High (ft. Willie Adler)
02. Downright Dominate (ft. Alexi Laiho)
03. Army Of One (ft. Steve “Lips” Kudlow)
04. Couple Suicide (ft. Danko Jones and Angela Gossow)

05. Heavy Metal Maniac (ft. Dan Beehler and Allan Johnson)
06. Haunted (ft. Jesper Strömblad)
07. Romeo Delight
08. Detonation (ft. Jacob Lynam)
09. Clown Parade (ft. Jeff Loomis)
10. Smothered (ft. Anders Björler)
11. Kicked (ft. Corey Beaulieu)