Annihilator’s Jeff Waters Produces Live DVD, Plays Basketball

Annihilator guitarist Jeff Waters was shooting hoops out front before our interview. But despite the athletic activity, he wasn't late. "My son's almost 15, and I got him a basketball net three years ago," Waters told Noisecreep. "I use it a thousand times more than he does. I am always in the studio and I do studio work, mixing bands and playing guitar, which makes it easy to screw up the arm, neck, hands, so I go out to loosen up the shoulders and stuff. In the studio, a lot of stuff is computer-oriented and I get cramped up playing this metal stuff with fast picking!"

Waters has also added 'producer' to his list of many impressive credits, since he produced (and mixed and mastered the audio) of Annihilator's tear-the-roof-off DVD, 'Life at Masters of Rock,' which is out now via SPV.

Regarding his hoops shooting, Waters isn't an NBA fan, but after years of abusing his body all in the name of metal, he likes a healthy exercise outlet. "I was drinking beer and smoking pot and hash was the big thing," he said. "I'm 44, so 'Back in Black' came out and I found Dio and Judas Priest, so I went from being healthy and taking guitar lessons and a polite young man to slowly going to hell, you know? I was into judo when I was young. I am talking in the 1980s, not 10 years ago. When I got into Judas Priest then to [Iron Maiden], Venom, Slayer, Metallica, Anthrax, I was all about music and the drinking and having fun and forget the health thing."

Health be damned, Annihilator's self-titled release is their thirteenth and is out now, as well.