Wednesday, September 25: Annihilator, “Coward”
Although the Dave Padden years were among Annihilator’s most consistent in terms of general quality and popularity, the 10 or so years the singer worked with Jeff Waters were marked with slight but noticeable stylistic variations: Waters was unwavering in his commitment to writing tongue-twisting lyrics and shredding, but Padden’s straightforward delivery affected the overall approach. As a result, Annihilator’s self-titled record was far less thrash and much more groove-oriented and bouncy, with tunes like “Coward” having a vaguely nu metal feel (about 15 years too late, of course- this was a Jeff Waters product, after all). The track was still enjoyable, and felt aligned to what Waters and Padden had been doing since the latter joined for All for You. The riffing was hefty, Ryan Ahoff’s drums rolled and tumbled, and there was plenty of room for a noodly solo. It was a ways from “Allison Hell”, but generally on course for Annihilator.
