(Bilingual review - English Version below)
Une des caractéristiques des chansons d'Annihilator (et de nombreux morceaux de Metal) est de soigner les introductions. Set The World on Fire commence presque comme un morceau de Jazz nonchalant.
Le chanteur Aaron Randall possède un bon groove punk (un zozotement ?), son chant est cependant produit de façon un peu FM (1). Étrangement, le style du groupe sur l'ensemble de l'album est plus hard rock années 80' que thrash (2). Il y a ici comme un mélange des Ramones en plus lent et de Skid Row. Les fans et critiques de l'époque ont dû être quelques peu désappointés (voire dégoutés) par ce changement. Si je rangeais les disques par affinités d'ambiances je mettrais Set The World on Fire entre le III Sides To Every Story d'Extreme et Use Your Illusions II des Guns n' Roses ; pas très loin d'un As Ugly As They Wanna Be d'Ugly Kid Joe (en plus sérieux).
Les prouesses guitaristiques de Jeff Waters sont ici atténuées par un jeu classique taillé pour les radios et la route. L'album propose de nombreux passages ballades (ou power ballad) métalliques. Le monde légèrement inquiétant de Waters transparait tout de même par ci par là. La photo au dos du disque (un pur régal d'époque) est dans le ton : le groupe de chevelus pose assis sur un canapé défoncé près d'une ligne à haute tension sous un ciel aux tons violets. Qu'on ne s'y trompe pas tout un pan de la musique d'Annihilator est bien là. Et il suffit de chausser ses patins à roulettes et descendre le boulevard avec son walkman dans le soleil couchant en chantant Sound Good To Me pour se sentir communier avec le monde. Un monde entre Stephen King, les X-Files et Twin Peaks.
Écouter Set The World on Fire ce peut-être comme parcourir un vieux magazine ou un zapping TV d'il y a un quart de siècle et le parfum des années 90 qui se penche sur les années 80 n'est pas désagréable en ce nouveau millénaire.
(1) on pourra se demander si sur le refrain de Phoenix Rising le chanteur ne chante pas, en fait, Like a Penis rising.
(2) les deux premiers albums Alice in Hell et Never, nevererland étaient résolument thrash.
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One of the characteristics of Annihilator songs (and many Metal tracks) is that : take care of the introductions. Set The World on Fire begins almost like a nonchalant Jazz piece.
Singer Aaron Randall has a good punk groove (a lisp?), but his singing is produced in a slightly FM way. Strangely, the band's style on the whole album is more 80's hard rock than thrash. It's like a mix of the slower Ramones and Skid Row. Fans and critics at the time must have been somewhat disappointed (or even disgusted) by this change. If I ranked the records by ambience affinities I would put Set The World on Fire between Extreme's III Sides To Every Story and Use Your Illusions II by Guns n' Roses ; not very far from As Ugly As They Wanna Be by Ugly Kid Joe (but more serious).
The guitar prowess of Jeff Waters is here mitigated by a classic playing made for radios and the road. The album offers many ballads (or power ballad) passages. Waters' slightly disturbing world still shines through this. The photo on the back of the disc keeps us in the tone: the hairy group poses seated on a battered sofa near a high-voltage line under a purple-toned sky. Make no mistake, a whole section of Annihilator's music is there. And you just have to put on your roller skates and run down the boulevard with your walkman in the setting sun singing Sound Good To Me to feel you communing with the world. A world between Stephen King, the X-Files and Twin Peaks.
(2) les deux premiers albums Alice in Hell et Never, nevererland étaient résolument thrash.
_____________________
One of the characteristics of Annihilator songs (and many Metal tracks) is that : take care of the introductions. Set The World on Fire begins almost like a nonchalant Jazz piece.
Singer Aaron Randall has a good punk groove (a lisp?), but his singing is produced in a slightly FM way. Strangely, the band's style on the whole album is more 80's hard rock than thrash. It's like a mix of the slower Ramones and Skid Row. Fans and critics at the time must have been somewhat disappointed (or even disgusted) by this change. If I ranked the records by ambience affinities I would put Set The World on Fire between Extreme's III Sides To Every Story and Use Your Illusions II by Guns n' Roses ; not very far from As Ugly As They Wanna Be by Ugly Kid Joe (but more serious).
The guitar prowess of Jeff Waters is here mitigated by a classic playing made for radios and the road. The album offers many ballads (or power ballad) passages. Waters' slightly disturbing world still shines through this. The photo on the back of the disc keeps us in the tone: the hairy group poses seated on a battered sofa near a high-voltage line under a purple-toned sky. Make no mistake, a whole section of Annihilator's music is there. And you just have to put on your roller skates and run down the boulevard with your walkman in the setting sun singing Sound Good To Me to feel you communing with the world. A world between Stephen King, the X-Files and Twin Peaks.
Listening to Set The World on Fire may be like browsing an old magazine or watching TV from a quarter of a century ago with the smell of the 90s leaning into the 80s. Not unpleasant in the new millenium.
Emeric Cloche