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* Fiasco Bros. Studios, [[New Westminster]], Canada
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| genre = [[Thrash metal]]<ref, name="allmusic"/>[[speed metal]]
| length = 37:27
| label = [[Roadrunner Records|Roadrunner]]
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'''''Alice in Hell''''' is the debut studio album by Canadian [[thrash metal]] band [[Annihilator (band)|Annihilator]], released on April 17, 1989 through [[Roadrunner Records]]. This was the only Annihilator album for ten years to feature [[Randy Rampage]] on vocals, until he returned for their seventh studio album ''[[Criteria for a Black Widow]]'' (1999).
 
==Album information==
Although the album's insert lists five members, Annihilator was a three-piece ([[Randy Rampage]], [[Jeff Waters]] and Ray Hartmann) at the time of its recording in 1988. In addition to guitar, Waters provides bass and backing vocals on the album, produced it and wrote all the songs, with the exception of "Crystal Ann". Although Anthony Brian Greenham and Wayne Darley are noted on the album's insert as playing guitar and bass respectively, this was a mistake and they did not join Annihilator until after ''Alice in Hell'' was finished;<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.rockdetector.com/artist/canada/british+columbia/vancouver/annihilator |title=ArchivedMusicMight copy:: Artists :: ANNIHILATOR |access-date=2016-06-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160709163316/http://www.rockdetector.com/artist/canada/british+columbia/vancouver/annihilator |archive-date=2016-07-09 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Darley does, however, provide backing vocals on the album. Waters has explained in interviews the reason Greenham and Darley were listed in the credits was at the behest of Roadrunner.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}
 
''Alice in Hell'' was the first of six Annihilator albums to feature songwriting contributions from former singer [[Big John Bates|John Bates]], who was credited as the (co-)writer of the songs "Alison Hell", "W.T.Y.D.", "Burns Like a Buzzsaw Blade" and "Human Insecticide". Bates also co-wrote some songs on ''[[Never, Neverland]]'' (1990), ''[[King of the Kill]]'' (1994), ''[[Refresh the Demon]]'' (1996), ''[[Remains (Annihilator album)|Remains]]'' (1997) and ''[[Criteria for a Black Widow]]'' (1999).
 
To promote ''Alice in Hell'', Annihilator supported [[Onslaught (band)|Onslaught]] internationally on their ''[[In Search of Sanity]]'' tour, and [[Testament (band)|Testament]] (along with [[Wrathchild America]]) in the United States on their ''[[Practice What You Preach]]'' tour.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metallipromo.com/on.html |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2012-10-13 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.istoday/20130128170555/http://www.metallipromo.com/on.html |archivedate=2013-01-28 }}</ref> and [[Testament (band)|Testament]] (along with [[Wrathchild America]]) in the United States on their ''[[Practice What You Preach]]'' tour. After the tour was over, the band began preparations for their next album ''[[Never, Neverland]]''.
 
The title track "Alison Hell" was released as part of a [[List of downloadable songs for Rocksmith|DLC]] package for ''[[Rocksmith]]'' on April 16, 2019.
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The album was re-released twice: 1998 with three demo tracks as bonus tracks and again on September 9, 2003, in a two-disc [[compilation album|compilation]] set along with ''[[Never, Neverland]]'', entitled ''Two from the Vault''. One of the demo tracks, "Powerdrain", serves as the base of the song "Sonic Homicide" on Annihilator's 1999 album ''[[Criteria for a Black Widow]]''.
 
==Reception and legacy==
{{Album ratings
| rev1 = [[Allmusic]]
| rev1Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web | url = {{AllMusic|class=album|id=alice-in-hell-mw0000204025|pure_url=yes}}| title = Review of ''Alice in Hell'' | work = [[AllMusic]] | publisher = [[All Media Network]] | first = Eduardo | last = Rivadavia | accessdate = February 23, 2018}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Classic Rock Hard (magazine)|Classic Rock Hard]]''
| rev2Scorerev2score = 9.0/10{{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="ClassicRock">{{Cite journalmagazine |last=StratmannEwing |first=HolgerJerry |titledate=ReviewJuly Album: Annihilator2000 |title=Déjà AliceVu in Hell |url=https://www.rockhard.de/megazine/reviewarchiv/review-anzeigen/6259-alice-in-hell.html|journal=[[RockClassic HardRock (magazine)|RockClassic HardRock]]|language=German |yearpublisher=1989[[Future plc]] |issue=3116 |access-datepage=February 23, 201878}}</ref>
| rev3 = [[Rock Hard (magazine)|Rock Hard]]
| rev3Score = 9.0/10<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Stratmann |first=Holger |title=Review Album: Annihilator — Alice in Hell |url=https://www.rockhard.de/megazine/reviewarchiv/review-anzeigen/6259-alice-in-hell.html|journal=[[Rock Hard (magazine)|Rock Hard]]|language=German |year=1989 |issue=31|access-date=February 23, 2018}}</ref>
}}
''Alice in Hell'' has received mostly positive reviews. [[Allmusic]]'s Eduardo Rivadavia gave it three stars out of five, and states that "Annihilator's brand of technical, thinking man's thrash metal garnered many fans with this fine debut, arguably the best release of the band's career."<ref name="allmusic"/> Adam McCann of Metal Digest referred to ''Alice in Hell'' as "a real classic thrash metal album", and wrote, "For a debut album, Annihilator blasted it out of the park, the Canadian band hit the ground running with one of thrash metal's best albums, tracks such as 'Human Insecticide', 'W.T.Y.D. (Welcome to Your Death)' and 'Alison Hell' in particular still stand tall today as thrash metal anthems as Jeff Waters demonstrated his prowess on guitar backed up by the indomitable vocals of the late Randy Rampage which drove ''Alice in Hell'' into [[MTV]]'s heavy rotation."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://metal-digest.com/2022/04/17/annihilator-alice-in-hell/|title=Annihilator – 'Alice in Hell' – Metal Digest – The Normless Magazine|publisher=metal-digest.com|access-date=April 23, 2022}}</ref>
 
===Accolades===
*In 2014, [[Loudwire]] ranked the album the 9th best thrash album not released by the Big Four.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rivadavia|first=Eduardo|url=https://loudwire.com/best-thrash-albums-not-released-by-big-4/|title=10 Best Thrash Albums NOT Released by the Big 4|website=[[Loudwire]]|date=May 15, 2014|access-date=March 16, 2022}}</ref>
*In 2015, [[VH1]] listed the album as one of the greatest thrash debuts.<ref>{{cite web|last=McPadden|first=Mike|url=https://www.vh1.com/news/9waw2w/10-greatest-thrash-metal-debut-albums|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220624192054/https://www.vh1.com/news/9waw2w/10-greatest-thrash-metal-debut-albums|url-status=live|archive-date=June 24, 2022|title=10 Greatest Thrash Metal Debut Albums|website=[[VH1]]|date=June 11, 2015|access-date=March 16, 2022}}</ref>
*In 2017, Loudwire also listed the album as the 30th best thrash metal album of all time.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rivadavia|first=Eduardo|url=https://loudwire.com/top-thrash-metal-albums-all-time/|title=Top 50 Thrash Metal Albums of All Time|website=[[Loudwire]]|date=August 30, 2017|access-date=March 16, 2022}}</ref>
*In 2020, [[Revolver (magazine)|Revolver]] placed it on their list of "10 Criminally Underrated 80s Thrash Albums."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Bennet|first=J.|url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/10-criminally-underrated-80s-thrash-albums#slaughter-strappado|title=10 Criminally Underrated 80s Thrash Albums|magazine=[[Revolver (magazine)|Revolver]]|date=December 4, 2020|access-date=March 16, 2022}}</ref>
*The same year, Loudwire included the album on their list of the best debut thrash albums of all time.<ref>{{cite web|last=DiVita|first=Joe|url=https://loudwire.com/best-debut-thrash-metal-albums/|title=The 40 Best Debut Thrash Albums of All Time|website=[[Loudwire]]|date=June 3, 2020|access-date=March 16, 2022}}</ref>
 
==Track listing==
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| total_length = 37:27
| title1 = Crystal Ann
| lyrics1note1 = ''instrumental''
| length1 = 1:40
| title2 = Alison Hell
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{{tracklist
| collapsed = yes
| headline = Bonus tracks - 1998 re-release
| total_length = 49:53
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*Len Rooney&nbsp;– logo, cover art
* Recorded and mixed at Live West Productions, Fiasco Bros. Studios, [[New Westminster]], Canada
 
==Cover versions==
* [[Cradle of Filth]] covered the song on their 2017 album ''[[Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay]]''.
 
==References==