King of the Kill
King of the Kill is the fourth album from Canadian metal band Annihilator, released on 10 October 1994 through Hypnotic Records. It was their first record away from Roadrunner Records, and it arrived after Set the World on Fire had failed to find the audience the band hoped for.
The response was to head back towards the thrash sound of Alice in Hell and Never, Neverland, while keeping a little of the radio-friendly polish from its immediate predecessor. It is also the first of three studio albums on which Jeff Waters, the band's guitarist and leader, handles lead vocals and bass as well as guitar. For anyone tracing how Annihilator balanced speed and accessibility in the mid-1990s, this is the record where that balancing act is easiest to hear.
King of the Kill: tracklist and credits
13 tracks · 49:32Tracklist
- 1The BoxJeff Waters5:31
- 2King of the KillBig John Bates & the Voodoo Dollz and Jeff Waters3:13
- 3Hell Is a WarJeff Waters5:20
- 4BlissJeff Waters0:52
- 5Second to NoneAaron Randall and Jeff Waters5:15
- 6AnnihilatorBig John Bates & the Voodoo Dollz and Jeff Waters4:28
- 721Jeff Waters4:24
- 8In the BloodRalph Murphy and Jeff Waters4:19
- 9Fiasco (The Slate)Jeff Waters0:09
- 10FiascoJeff Waters3:56
- 11Catch the WindJeff Waters3:49
- 12SpeedJeff Waters4:36
- 13Bad ChildJeff Waters3:39
- Produced by
- Jeff Waters
- Recorded at
- Watersound Studios (Maple Ridge, Canada)
- Recorded
- 1994
- Mixed by
- Joel Van Dyke, Jeff Waters
- Mixed at
- Machine Works
- Engineered by
- Paul Blake
- Mastered by
- Eddy Schreyer
- Labels
- Hypnotic Records, Hypnotic/CMC International
- Length
- 49:32
Line-up
- Randy Black · membranophone
- Jeff Waters · guitar, bass guitar, lead vocals
From MusicBrainz and Wikipedia. Only what the sources record is shown.
Released the same week
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 10 October 1994 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 10 October 1994 | |
| Wikidata | 1994 | |
| UK / Europe release | 10 October 1994 | earliest UK or European date |
14 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | CA | Sanctuary Records | 4099964193985 | other |
| 1994 | CA | Hypnotic Records | 771356103621 | other |
| 1994 | GB | Music for Nations | 5016583117122 | other |
| 10 October 1994 | JP | Far East Metal Syndicate | 4988015053395 | original |
| 10 October 1994 | GB | Music for Nations | 5016583117122 | original |
| 2000 | US | CMC International Records | 000607686287 | other |
| 2002 | RU | Soyuz Music | 4601250314440 | other |
| 18 March 2002 | DE | Steamhammer | 4001617727027 | other |
| 21 March 2002 | JP | Steamhammer | 4988007185394 | other |
| 23 July 2002 | US | — | other | |
| 13 March 2009 | DE | Steamhammer | 693723727011 | other |
| 2010 | GB | Earache Records | 5055006539516 | other |
| 22 January 2021 | XW | earMUSIC | 4029759160946 | other |
| 2025 | DE | earMUSIC | 4029759157960 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · cropped: cropped from 1889x1881 to 1881x1881
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1889×1881 | cropped: cropped from 1889x1881 to 1881x1881 |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |