Band:	Lääz Rockit
Album:	Annihilation Principle
Style:	Bay Area thrash metal
Release date:	February 08, 1989
Guest review by:	omne metallum

01. Fire In The Hole
02. Mob Justice
03. Chain Of Fools
04. Shadow Company
05. Holiday In Cambodia [Dead Kennedys cover]
06. Bad Blood
07. Chasin' Charlie
08. Mirror To Madness
09. The Omen

Probably one of the greatest thrash bands not to be included in the big 4, California's Lääz Rockit have a strong claim to the big 4 grouping being expanded. Annihilation Principle is the album that can hold its own against most of the big 4's output; the masterpiece that went unnoticed by many.

Kicking off with one of the best songs in their catalogue, "Fire In The Hole" is a great introduction to the band, riff-laden heavy thrash with catchy choruses - a powerful sound. The band keep it up for 8 of the 9 songs of the album, reeling off track after track of some of the finest metal you will hear. The band know when to kick things into high gear but also when to ease back a bit and play in a groove that allows the weight of the music rather than its straight-up intensity be the sonic wrecking ball. "Mirror To Madness" is a song where the band shift seamlessly back and forth, yet the song never loses any power.

The album is well produced, with each instrument adding to the clean surgical strike the band call a song. The guitar work of Kettner and Jellum is razor-sharp and leads the charge; with riffs that are heavy and equally catchy, the guitar break in "Bad Blood" is superb. The drum work of Agnello supports the guitar perfectly and sits in the back of the sound, providing an anchor to the guitar attack. Coons's voice is the perfect complement to the music, a powerful voice in a similar mold to Death Angel's Osegueda but with a more biting low end. "The Omen" is a great showcase of how diverse he is a singer; trading bite for emotion, Coons carries the song while partnered with some great guitar work.

The weak point of this album has to be the Dead Kennedys cover "Holiday In Cambodia". The clean, metallic attack the band brings doesn't gel with the loose and raw nature of the song, losing the charm and impact that made the original the classic it is. Coons's approach is too serious and down-the-middle as well, turning the sarcastic swipe that was Biafra's vocals into something said with a straight face.

Annihilation Principle is a good album to add to the list alongside The Legacy, Bonded By Blood, Ignorance et al if you want to hear some of the best thrash albums outside of the big 4. Lääz Rockit never got their due in the grand scheme of things, but if you are lucky enough to come across this album, you know it's worth hunting down their whole collection.