Jeff Waters

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Jeff Waters bigraphy, stories - Canadian musician

Jeff Waters : biography

February 13, 1966 –

Jeff Waters (born February 13, 1966) is a Canadian guitarist and founder of the metal band Annihilator. He was born in and resides in Ottawa, Canada. Waters has owned Watersound Studios Inc. since 1994 (where it was in Maple Ridge, BC) and recently, since 2003, in Ottawa, Canada.

Guest appearances

Year Artist Album Song/s
1989 Defiance Product of Society Lead Guitar on "Deadly Intentions"
2003 Merendine Atomiche Walk Across Fire Game Over
Soulscar Python Anti-Faith
2005 Roadrunner United The All-Star Sessions The Dagger and Independent (Voice of the Voiceless)
2005 Reckless Tide Repent Or Seal Your Fate Self Destruct and Misery
2006 Legen Beltza Dimension of Pain War of Wars
Memorain Reduced to Ashes TV War
2007 After Forever After Forever De-Energized
Reckless Tide Helleraser Vicious Circle
2007 Dew-Scented Incinerate Perdition for All
2008 Destruction D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N. Urge (The Greed of Gain)
Heavenwood Redemption Bridge to Neverland
Outcast Self-Injected Reality Autonomy In Progress
Bob Katsionis Noemon Athenian Light
2009 Winters Dawn The Winter Is Dawning Raptors
2010 Fozzy Chasing the Grail Martyr No More and God Pounds His Nails
2010 Lord Volture Beast of Thunder Pure Evil (Hides in the Dark)
2010 Rhemorha I Сжигая Дни
2011 Hell:on TBA My Doll
2011 Boarders R-Existence 4th Reich
2013 Children Of Bodom Halo of Blood Bodom Blue Moon

Legacy

Waters has been cited by many metal musicians worldwide as an influence on their own music. Artists from bands as diverse as 3 Doors Down, Slipknot, Nickelback, Megadeth, Killswitch Engage, Lamb of God, In Flames, Danko Jones, H.I.M., Children Of Bodom, Johannes "Axeman" Losbäck of WOLF Trivium are either influenced by Waters’ writing and guitar playing or have revealed themselves as a fan of Annihilator or his guitar playing.

Music writer Joel McIver identified Waters as the third best metal guitar player in his 2008 book The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists. Waters is also commonly described on the internet as the most under-rated guitar player and metal songwriter of all time. He is also often compared to Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters, due to being a multi-instrumentalist.

Waters is reported to have ghost-written many successful country/pop balled songs for other artists.

Watersound Studios Inc. has been Waters’ studio since 1994, and in 2003, relocated from Maple Ridge, BC to Ottawa, ON, and is a well-known and sought-after mixing/mastering engineer and producer.

Equipment

In the early stages of his career Waters used a Hamer Flying V. Around 1994, he began to experiment with other guitars and over the next few years used classic models such as a Gibson SG and Gibson Les Paul to achieve the diversity of sounds in Annihilator’s music during this time period. He would also use a Fender Stratocaster from time to time in the studio and a Gibson Flying V Gothic in live stage. Waters has been known to use an ESP Dave Mustaine signature Flying V that he owns and it was this guitar that he used to record Schizo Deluxe as mentioned in the video section of annihilatormetal.com. Waters currently plays Epiphone Annihilation-V Guitars (his own model, available in Red or Black, with custom pickups, kill switch and other modifications), previously endorsing Ran Guitars. On a tour in Europe in November 2009, Waters used a prototype of the Epiphone Annihilation-V Flying V, which is now for sale. The new Annihilation-V shape is very similar to the original flying V, but has a smaller body and four cosmetic lines cut into the center of the V. It comes in "Annihilator Red" and Pitch black. For amplification, he used the Hughes and Kettner Coreblade head and is now using the EVH 5150III amplifier. He also has his own signature overdrive pedal called the Jeff Waters Devil Drive by SolidGoldFX.