Annihilation Time III – Tales of the Ancient Age (TeePee Records) Keith Boyd 7.14.08
Score one for the feral Hessians of the World! The hairy, bug-eyed freaks in Annihilation Time have dropped their new disc and they’re on tour. I say this as fair warning to all townsfolk of America. Lock up your virgins! Hide the good china! Secure your stash! These blood-thirsty “Bros” mean business.
All hyperbole aside, this album kicks ass. From the first seconds of “Splash Back” to the final thrashing stomps of “Germ Freak” the pace is breakneck and hell-bound. The overall sound of AT is a wicked mixture of influence and originality. It’s as though they’ve time traveled to the mid 80’s when Hardcore groups such as Black Flag and Bl’ast! were blueprinting the down-tuned Metal/Punk hybrid. I’ll add to that list of influences the swampy, Doom-laden syrup of St. Vitus and the Freak-out skatepunk of Drunk Injuns. However, unlike most of those bands, AT strikes a better balance between these impulses. The sound never caves-in completely to either side. Instead it rides the razor’s edge between them and in doing so maintains a powerful tension and dynamic. The doubled up guitars of Graham Clise and Wes Wilson evoke the steeplechases of Thin Lizzy or even Iron Maiden but they eschew the slick polish in favor of gut-felt emotion. Lead singer Jimmy Rose yelps and howls with best of them. His voice as well avoids some of the “cookie-monster” histrionics of many heavy bands. He also seems just insane enough to really get the party rolling live.
The band is currently based out of Oakland, Ca and the album was produced by Greg Wilkinson who also did the honors for other Bay Area crunchers as Saviours and Kalas. The cover is a hilariously scummy update of The Grateful Dead’s “Shakedown Street” “Tales of the Ancient Age” is a vomit-splattered good time. The attitude and tight as a gnat’s ass playing make for a punchy and excellent listen. In an age of so many pre-packed experiences and “Known-Knows” it’s refreshing and bracing to hear a band keeping things dangerous. Lastly, super-kudos to TeePee Records for being one of the most exciting labels going and supporting killer groups like Annihilation Time.