Metal Symphony Website

Interview with Jeff Watters

M.S: Thank you very much, Jeff, for give us the opportunity to interview
you, a legend that still fight for trash metal music 16 years alter his debut.

J.W: Thanks, much appreciated!

M.S: Congratulations for your new album "Schizo Deluxe", Can we wait differents
things in this album in comparación with the last album "all for you"?

J.W: Main difference is the confidence and brilliance of singer dave padden.
On the all for you cd, he was new, in experienced and probably nervous. This
time, he came in knowing exactly what to expect and was comfortable and confident;
the way a singer must be to get the best! Also I spend 50% less time on this
cd which made it more raw. Also I had left off the usual ballad or instrumental
that usually breaks up the flow and energy of a metal cd. I love ballads and
melodic stuff but this was probably only for this cd, that I will leave off
the slower song or two… Mayeb the next cd will be all love songs! Haha

M.S:What does it mean the title and the cover artwork?

J.W: Title comes from the fact that our fans have called themselves "Schizos"
for years and that I thought this one one of the top 4 Annihlator cds ever.,
for the Schizos! Cover art is really the idea of Gyula; a brilliant Hungarian
artist. I give him the title and he does the cover concept!

M.S: About the lyrical aspect, what are the theme of the lyrics? Is a conceptual
album? Tell us please.

J.W: Lyrics are just about life and my observations… What is going on
around me, on tv, in the news, with friends, family and other things. Sometimes
in business or band. I think there is a common thread to about 4 songs that
have the common theme of the media/tv/computers/news…

M.S: For this album you have changed the line up, you play the guitars and
bass guitars, Dave Padden sing and the drummer Tony chapelle as a session musician.
what happened to the line up that recorded "All for you"?

J.W: No difference between the two lineups other than a different studio
drummer this time.

M.S: In Annihilator you have had 4 singers, 4 guitarists, 2 bass players
and 4 drummers.A total of fourteen different musicians in 16 years of existence.
Why is so difficult to maintain a constant line up?

J.W: It is 20 musicians (touring/studio) and I played bass on all the cds.
I don’t try to have a consistent linup. I try to do the opposite. I like changes
and it keeps the sound and the cd’s interesting, at least to me!

M.S: What musicians are going to play with you the following tour?

J.W: Not sure yet. I chose musicians when I confirm touring. I will do this
soon and hope to be in europe by the summer time 2006 ! ! !

M.S: In Rock Machina 2002 you signed us an autograph "to nacho waters".
He’s a guitar player that has this nickname (because of you, as you can imagine)
and now he’s recording his first album with his trash metal band. What kind
of advices would you say to a person who’s beginig in this world?

J.W: Hey, I remember that!! Very cool! Please say "hello" to him from me!
Advice?? Just to have fun but be careful! Most people in this bizness want to
own you or take from you or use you. You MUST be a musicians but you must learn
about the business… We all make mistakes when we are learning but we must
learn from the mistakes! Be careful but have fun… Creating, playing and performing
metal music is one of the best jobs you can have I think!

M.S: Recently you have mastered the album o fan Spanish band called Legen
Beltza. How this collaboration surged? Do you work producing bands apart from
your work in Annihilator?

J.W: I produce/engineer/mix some bands but none lately.. Too busy with Annihlator!
Legen ROCK…. Old school thrash a la exodus/megadeth but with their own sound!

M.S: "Set the world on fire" (1993) was the next album following "never
neverland" and many people said that was a commercial album. How did it worked?

J.W: Great. I love this cd. Annihlator’s cds are all different. Not one
sounds like the other. To like annihilator, you must have an open mind!

M.S: "Criteria for a black widow" (1999) was a kind of returning to the
Annihilator sound, with a complete line-up and the returning of your first singer
Randy Rampage. Tour with overkill, and expulsion of Randy in the midst of the
tour. Is it true that the expulsion was because he hit you or something like
that?

J.W: It was a drunken and/or drugged-out threat; 95% probable that he would
never have carried it out but some of us did not want to take the chance, let
alone be threatened like this! We were sharing a bus with Overkill so that was
doubly bad to involve them. But Randy was told to leave the tour immediately,
he got home safe and apparently is doing well. I hindsight, we should have just
tied him up; he would not have remembered the next day! Haha! I love Randy,
though; very cool guy to hang out with and we had some great times; just sometimes
things got carried too far. That’s rock n’ roll, baby!

M.S: As a result f that tour with Overkill, they lose a guitar placer and
you win a singer (J.Corneau), that recorded 2 studio albums and one live cd.
this was one of the most calmed stages in Annihilator’s history. Why he left?

J.W: Private reasons. Joe did a killer job on Carnival and the Fury cd.
Good stuff. I havent heard of him playing music at all since he left in 2003.

M.S: And after all "all for you" is released with the young Dave Padden.
How this album worked?

J.W: sales and reactions, from most in europe,rocked well! Padden ruled
considering it was his first time singing professionally on a cd. As you can
hear with schizo deluxe, he improved 300% ! ! !

M.S: Do you have dates for Europe and concretely in Spain?

J.W: No but in 2006 we should be there!

M.S: Is there something that you want us to ask you and we didn’t? And how
do you answer it?

J.W: We have a dvd coming out in a few weeks on SPV Records. Watch for it
and buy it cause it RULES. TEN YEARS IN HELL.

M.S: Well, this is the end of the interview, it’s have been a pleasure,
is there something that you want to say our readers before finish? Congratulations
for this new album and good luck in the future.

J.W: YOU ROCK! Take care and see u in beautiful Spain soon! Jeff Waters

Marcel.lí Dreamevil

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