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When most people think of the Seattle music scene, they think of grunge bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden.  However, Seattle boasts a healthy metal scene as well, laying claim to such bands as Queensryche, Metal Church, and Nevermore.  It’s the town guitarist Curran Murphy called home for 11 years before recently moving to Akron, Ohio.  During his time in Seattle, Curran was a member of the band Aggression Core, and was also a touring guitarist with Nevermore.   Recently, Curran joined the ranks of Canadian thrash metal legends Annihilator, starting with 2003’s ‘Waking the Fury’.  This year, Annihilator released their latest opus, ‘All For You’, once again featuring Curran’s guitar work, and the band earned the coveted opening slot on Judas Priest’s European tour.  As if that wasn’t enough to keep the guy busy, Curran is also working on another band of his own.   

UT:  I’m going to get to Annihilator in a second here, but first tell me how you wound up in Nevermore. 
CM:  I was hanging out with some buddies of mine, and they were friends with the Nevermore guys.  And I was dying to get into a band.  So they told me I should call Nevermore.  I called ‘em up, left a message, and didn’t hear anything for 3 weeks.   

Then Jeff Loomis, the guitar player, calls me and asks if I want to come down and audition.  I said sure.  But I had to take the bus there because I didn’t have a car.  I was living in Tacoma about an hour and a half away from where they were in Seattle.  So I said, look dude, whether it works out or not, can I stay the night?  I’ll catch the bus the next morning.   

So I came out, learned about 3 or 4 songs off the new record, just Loomis and me.  Loomis took me over to his place and we proceeded to get pissed for the next 12 hours.  And that was it.  That was the audition.  They didn’t audition anybody else.  So that was really cool that they had enough faith in me. 

I did the CD release party, did a European tour with them sharing the bill with Iced Earth.  Then they got Tim Calvert to be in the band.  I was just the temporary fill-in guy, and at least I got replaced by a really killer player, because Tim Calvert from Forbidden was one of my heroes.  At least it wasn’t some schmuck.  But then Tim didn’t pan out, he got sick of putting up with whatever, and they called me and asked me to do another full world tour with them.     

UT:  And how did you wind up joining Annihilator?
CM:  It was on the first leg of the European Dead Heart in a Dead World tour with Nevermore.  We were co-headlining with Annihilator.  Midway through the tour, Jeff Waters, who’s the main guitar player guy in Annihilator, he was like, “Hey Curran, are you actually in Nevermore?”  I think there was photo shoot where they all went off to do photos.   

I said, “I’m just the touring guy.  If I do a ‘good job’, I ‘might someday’ be in the band.  But it’s all good.”  And he’s like, “Well, how would you feel about being in Annihilator, and making some good money, and not having to put up with all the drugs and drink and stupidity?”  I was flattered beyond belief, but I had promised that I would do the whole tour with Nevermore.  So I told Jeff to call me in a year and a half if he was still interested.   

At the end of the tour, we’re playing our last show in Vancouver, which is where Waters is based out of.  We’re at the club doing sound check, and I get a phone call.  I thought it was some disaster or something.  So I pick up the phone and it’s Jeff.  He’s like, “Hey man, you want to come to the studio and hear the new record?”  That was really cool I thought, that they remembered me for a year and a half.   

After I split, there were a bunch of harsh words, but it’s all settled now.  As long as they’re cool with me, I’m cool with them.  As a matter of fact the drummer, Van, has recorded in my studio 2 times and put out two great albums.  So he and I are good friends, Loomis and I are on talking terms.  The other two guys…I’m cool as long as they are.  But it’s all good now.  

UT:  What was the first album you did with Annihilator?
CM:  The first one was ‘Waking the Fury’, which was released on SPV Europe, and I think SPV here in the states.  I did that album, did a European tour and a bunch of European festivals, and that was pretty much it for that one. 

UT:  I know the perception, at least, is that Annihilator is Jeff Water’s band.  Do you have much input, even with regards to solos and that, or do you just play what he wants you to play?
CM:  With ‘Waking the Fury’, I walked in and everything was done.  But Jeff said, “I’ve got some spots where I was going to do solos, but I want you to be in the band.  So here are your solo spots.  Come over to my studio, we’ll track ‘em out in a couple days, and then we’ll do band photos.”  So I played 3 or 4 solos on ‘Waking the Fury’, did band photos, did the tour and everything.   

But basically the way Annihilator has to work, because we’re spread out all over, is we have to email files.  It’s really cool with the computer technology.  It’s like, “Here’s the solo spots I want you to play on, Curran.”  I do my thing, email it to him, and he might say, “That’s great” or, “hey can you try this”, or “hey, I’m gonna edit this.”     

I always submit songs.  For the new album, ‘All For You’, I submitted 5 or 6 songs.  Jeff didn’t pick any, but that’s ok.  It doesn’t hurt my feelings.  I was kind of like, man I almost don’t want to give these to him because I want to keep ‘em.  Jeff’s always been real open about letting you bring whatever you want in, but ultimately the main writing decisions lie with him.  I’ve got my thing on the side, my band I’m trying to start, and I’ll probably do the same thing.  “Oh yeah, that’s a really good idea” and shuffle it on down the road.   

UT:  In the past the band has had a bit of a revolving door membership, but it looks like the current line-up for Annihilator is pretty stable.  Counting the live album, you’ve done 3 consecutive albums with all the same guys.
CM:  The biggest problems that Jeff has ever had, and this is just from the stories he’s told me, have been drugs, drinking, and heroin addicts.  That’s why there were three different singers on the first 3 albums.  3 different bass players, 3 different drummers.  Either that, or people found more lucrative avenues in the music industry.  Jeff has even said in a couple of interviews, he can’t fault any of the people who have left for better gigs or more money.  

UT:  At this point, is Annihilator’s fan base mostly European?
CM:  For the most part, yes.  I do know we have a fan base here in the states and up in Canada.  The biggest problem with the music industry nowadays, especially in the states, is that Annihilator doesn’t fit into anything except that cool nostalgia classic eighties thrash thing.  Most labels don’t want to hear it, they don’t care.   

We approached Roadrunner for the last album, and they flat out said they’re not signing anything they don’t think can sell over a quarter million units.  They were like, “we think we can do 100,000 with you guys, but we’re not going to sign you.”  We were like, “100.000!  We haven’t done over 10,000 in the states in 10 years!”  Moving 10,000 is ok, but for a band that’s been around for 17 years, labels look at that and go, “not interested.  We can’t make any money on ya’.”   

UT:  Annihilator got to open for Judas Priest on their recent European tour.  Tell me about that.
CM:  It was absolutely amazing.  It was Judas Priest with the man, Rob Halford.  I’m going to brag for a second.  We beat out 125 bands for the gig.  It was absolutely unbelievable that we got the job.   We went over there, got to play a ton of shows with them.  Huge crowds.    

It’s a little nerve racking because we’re just the lowly support act.  We walk up on stage and the crowd is chanting, “Priest, Priest”.  I’m thinking we’re doomed; they’re going to start throwing beer steins at us.  And we walk out and have a great show, and the people started cheering for us.  We had a great time, warmed up the crowd the right way.   

And the Priest guys were amazing.  Rob came in one day and did some photos with us, hung out.  K.K. Downing and Glen Tipton were nothing but gracious.  Scott Travis was cool.  Ian Hill was always in hiding, so we never got to really meet him.  They’re true metal gods.  How corny that sounds, but how true it is.  When you’re standing there watching these guys in front of 12,000 people, and all the singer has to do is wave his hand and the whole place erupts.  Off the hook. 

UT:  Are there any plans for a US tour?
CM:  I keep trying to talk Jeff into it, and I have a production company that’s really into the idea.  We’re waiting for a couple things to either happen or not happen before Jeff can give me an answer or a go ahead.  It’s always a possibility, and I really hope that on this record we do it, because I think the new record is really excellent. 

UT:  So tell me about this other band you’re putting together.
CM:  I’m trying to bridge that gap.  I want to bridge the gap between that hardcore Arch Enemy or Carcass type band, just that really heavy brutal singing.  And I also want the more melodic vocal styling, and maybe a bit more progressive guitar here and there ala Annihilator and Nevermore.  It’s unavoidable, it just rubs off.  And then there’s that Hatebreed, Pantera hardcore shit that I love. 

I’ve got the singer to do it now.  I didn’t know this guy, he was recommended by a friend.  He used to sing in a Judas Priest tribute band.  It’s not Tim Owens.  He came down, and the first thing out of his mouth was, “Dude, can you make me sound like Chuck Billy from Testament?”  We’re going to do two EPs.  One is going to be more the hardcore, and the other will be more melodic and progressive.  I haven’t figured out how to merge the two things quite perfectly yet. 

UT:  You plan to stay with Annihilator as well?
CM:  Absolutely.  I always told Jeff, as long as you want to keep me around, I’ll be here.  I’m an easy going guy.  It takes a lot for me not to be interested in something.  The Annihilator stuff is a great challenge to play, I like the music, I like all the people in the band, and it’s a lot of fun.  Hey, it’s a free trip to Europe four or five times a year.  How can you argue with that?   

I’m always looking to play.  Definitely having a band and playing live, I don’t get enough of that.  You could put me on tour for 11 months out of the year, and I’d love it.  That’s the thing about touring.  You either love it or hate it.  I’ve gone out on tour with people who just hate it.  It’s like, why are you here?  I know ten other guys who would take your job like that.  What the fuck are you doing here?  Go home.  Work for Fed Ex.   

You can always get a regular job, even when you’re 40 or 50.  But how often are you going to be able to hop in a van and tour?  How often are you going to get to go to Europe?  How many times am I going to get to play?  It’s just the way it is.  I wish I could get in a band that had that old school Black Flag kind of thing.  Get in the van!  That would be fucking perfect.

Visit the Annihilator website.