Having sharpened his guitar prowess by playing technically demanding songs on numerous tours as a member of Nevermore and Annihilator , Curran Murphy has now stepped out of the shadows of these acclaimed acts to form his own band, SHATTER MESSIAH . Joining Curran on his never-ending quest to blow the face off the metal world are vocalist Greg "Wags" Wagner ( H.A.T.E. ; ex-Breaker; ex- Archetype ), drummer Robert Falzano (ex-ANNIHILATOR), and guitarist Dusty Holt .
SHATTER MESSIAH's sound is a viciously intense mixture combining hardcore, classic thrash, power metal, and goth, resulting in compositions of over the top aggression and melodic skill, with a flair for dramatic song writing. These traits are prominently display on their soon to be classic debut album, "Never To Play The Servant". On such songs as "Crucify Freedom," "Frailty," and the blistering title track, SHATTER MESSIAH throw down the gauntlet with an uncompromising ferocity and technical virtuosity that few bands can match. Praise from all corners of the globe has been streaming in since the release of "Never To Play The Servant".
Here are some excerpts:
"The carrying forces of Shatter Messiah, are undoubtedly Curran Murphy and his brilliant, ass-kicking guitar work in the band, and the band's vocalist Greg Wagner whose true skills as one of the most powerful, wide-ranging metal vocalists are unquestionable. As for the band's skin pounder Robert Falzano, he has earned his most known spurs in Annihilator, and damn he's very good behind his drumkit, too. Every fill, beat, etc. finds its target perfectly and yet somehow so easily - just like assassin's bullet finds its victim's heart.
"Never To Play The Servant" truly serves its listeners by all the 14 metal songs on it that scream for all those quality elements that are meant to be stamped as "instant classic" tag right after first listen already. It's a safe bet we'll hear a lot of more from them in the future".
( METALRULES.COM )
"Vocalist Greg Wagner doesn't confine himself to the Dane/Halford school of shrieking bloody murder, going for the more brutal thrash vocals just as often ('Hatred Divine', 'Inflicted', 'Disillusion'). He doesn't shy away from clean vocals or vocal harmonies either ('Deny God', 'All Sainted Sinners', 'Drinking Joy'), making for an unexpectedly well-rounded listen for something this bloody heavy. Musically the album is a guitar-happy shredfest, much more thrash-oriented than Nevermore or Annihilator (Murphy's other pit stop along the way) and focusing as much on groove as on technical flash (and there's plenty of both). Murphy proves to be a monster both as a guitarist and songwriter on "Never To Play The Servant"".
( BRAVE WORDS & BLOODY KNUCKLES )
"But it's not only Curran Murphy's guitar work that makes this album outstanding, the vocals of Greg "Wags" Wagner are pure insanity. I never would have believed this guy being capable of such a wide vocal range. On one hand he shouts very aggressively ("Fear To Succeed") while on the other ("All Sainted Sinners"; just one song later) he resembles David Wayne (Metal Church, Reverend)".
( WWW.METAL-RULES.DE )
"Thick and dark moods take their forms under the skin of "Fear To Succeed" and "Drinking Joy", voted to slow down power goth. But the trip into the bends of conscious mental derangement has stops also into supersonic hardcore with "Inflicted" and in technologic delirium with "Bleed To Shadows". More proof of versatility are "Blasphemy Feeder" and "New Kleen Killing Machine", where they experiment to add something new to the awesome technique they have."
( METAL HAMMER ITALY )
Jason Chamberlain took the low end job for Shatter Messiah 2006 tour after Ron Boisvert had to bow out for personal reasons.
The band recently announced the release date of their 2nd album "God Burns Like Flesh", set for October 29th 2007.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
