Annihilator -

Ten albums, a million records sold worldwide - not bad for an unrepentant and purist metal band from the tall pines of Western Canada. Annihilator, for a dozen years now the loud, riff-mad baby of one Jeff Waters, has engaged the metal world with a sound that is perhaps the clearest, cleanest, most tasteful bridging of huge, steaming riffs to the idea of the perfect song, a concept that both Megadeth and Metallica forged in fire on their way to critical and commercial acclaim many metal years ago.