Jeff Waters : biography
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.