Cheers Jeff for speaking with Raging Metal!

My pleasure bro!

The new album, Waking The Fury is great. But what made you choose such an obscure guitar sound?

Boredom. I have had an average, good and safe guitar sound for over a decade and this time around I figured I would whip a new one up real fast and commit to it! For better or for worse! HA! I like it; very agressive and a head-turner! I think I will ease off on the distortion a bit for the next one though! It seems perfect on tunes like Blackest Day and a few others but it is quite harsh on Ultra Motion and Torn! However, if you like to hear different sounds, killer drumming, vox and ear-crunching riffs, then you came to the right place, my friends!

The opening track Ultra Motion describes the style of the album perfectly. Why the step up in speed from Carnival Diablos?

Hmm; the first stage of writing for me is to get the guitar sound and then I write riffs. After seing yet another Slayer show and also having a really heavy guitar sound, I guess I was pre-destined to thrash out a bit more on this one! I am sure if I had more of a "nicer" guitar tone and had just seen a Maiden concert, things may have turned out quite different!

You kept a singer for two albums in a row! Not surprising as Joe is a damn good singer with a great range. How did you learn about his great vocal ability?

After the tour we did with Overkill in 2000, Joe secretely found my home address and, after the touring ended, flew up to Canada and sang outside my window every night at mid-night. It was really such a sweet gesture that I really couldn't say "no" to the guy. Once in the band, Joe turned out to be a really crazy and powerfully kiler singer and the rest will go down in history for Annihilator! But seriously, he audiotioned via cassette tape by singing along to a melodic tune of ours (Sounds Good To Me) and a few really heavier ones; when i got the tape, I knew he was the right guy vocally for the gig. I am still a bit worried that he will appear beneath my wife and my window at night but I will get over that!

Along with this new album, Annihilator have welcomed the arrival of Curran Murphy.

He usually arrives here by bus; Vancouver is a 4 hour bus ride from his hometown of Seattle!

What inspired you to bring him into the band?

Dave Davis, our great friend and long-time guitar buddy had a car accident a few years back and had been having a rough time on tour for a few years; it was unfortunately a change we didn't wanna make but that is life. Speaking of life, that is what the addition of crazy Curran Murphy brings into the live show as well as a few cool spooky solos on WTF.

Did he play on Waking The Fury, or did he join after the recording finished?

A few cool spooky solos; i always play all the rhythms but he is a great player!

I take it Curran’s arrival ends any possibility of Joe performing some guitar work in the future for Annihilator?

While Joe is a good axe-man, playing the riffs in Annihilator AND singing would be nearly impossible and also take away from the live performance/show! Plus, since he likes to sing to me, he prefers to be closer to me on stage! HAHAHA!

I see Annihilator are doing a European tour. Any particular dates you’re really looking forward to?

EUROPE! All of it my friend!

What bands will you be touring with?

Debase from Sweden and Jack Frosts' Seven Witches in support; I hear Joey Vera is playing bass with them; it will be an honor for me to meet him!

Any other tours on the cards after the European tour?

Maybe back to Europe at the end of July and early Aug. Possibly other stuff too!

What bands are you listening to these days?

Not many in metal; not many at all. I like some pop stuff (Alannis Morrisette/Kylie Minogue and more melodic/sappy/commercial!!) as well as Foo Fighters and others but I am mainly an 80's heavy metal freak; anything in the Bay area thrash era or the melodic stuff!

Have any bands in particular influenced they way you played on Waking The Fury?

Mainly Maiden/Priest/Slayer/ACDC/early Metallica/Exodus with a few zillion other influences thrown in for good measure!

Would you ever consider another project similar to Set The World On Fire? Although it’s different from all the other albums, I love it to bits, and I’d love it if you did something like it again :)

Hmmm; maybe! I liked that one. But you never know where Annihilator shall roam!

Speaking of that Set The World On Fire, do you know what Aaron Randall is doing now?

Daddy to a few kids; trying to get back into some music/writing but havent heard much from him in music.

What, might I ask, is the craze with TEEM? I see it all over the Annihilator forum, and I’m still quite lost!

An old friend Tim Butler from Ottawa. I lived with him and his mom in 1986-87 and wrote some of Neverland/Alice music in his basement! WE just call him TEEM.

As the old Smokie song goes, who the f**k is Alice? :D

Some little gal (true story) who had nightmares. She would run to her parents for comfort but they just ignored her. They didnt go away and this actually started making her nuts. Sad but true but that is a long time ago sice i have been asked that one! HA!

What do you do when you’re not recording or touring?

Work in my studio, write songs! Kids. Try to keep the old Annihilator boat afloat!

How often do you see the other band members?

Russ, our "hariy basser" as some euros call him; did an interview with him here in Vancouver over the weekend. He lives here in Vancouver, Canada.

Curran; the new kiddie on the Annihilator block; not often but i see him tomorrow to go over the tunes for the tour. He lives in Seattle, USA

Randy, our Goddess of the drums, is a Berlinadian; he lives with his lady in Berlin but was from Canada! I saw him last October for drum tracks and will see him in a few weeks for tour rehersals!

Joe, my fellow "partner in Burger King", the same; saw him in November for vocals on latest cd and will see him in April for rehersals!

The International Heavy Metal Band of Love!

How did you feel when you heard about the deaths of Chuck Schulinder and Paul Baloff?

Sad. They both had strong contributions in the world of metal. Didnt know them but wish I did.

Do you have any plans for tribute cover songs?

No.

Have any bonus tracks been made for the new album?

For the euros: Shallow Grave Live in Europe 2001

For the Japanese: Refresh the Demon Live Europe 2001

Both with a shortened "radio" version of the acdc-type tune "Nothing to Me". That was for the record company to use for radio but it snuck on the cds anyway!

I heard that Annihilator were approached to play at Bloodstock 2002 in Derby, England, at the end of August. Is there any substance in this?

No idea; I dont deal directly with the booking process; agents take care of that for us bands! Not sure but would love to play there!

Cheers Jeff. I hope you speak to Raging Metal again sometime. Thanks very much!

Thanks dude; hope you and your listeners/readers dig the new AnNnihilator cd Waking the Fury and see most of you on tour!

Jeff