Nuclear Assault Interview

Veteran thrashers Nuclear Assault are set to tear up stages across North America as a part of the 'Metal Crusaders' tour with Vader, Kataklysm, Speed Kill Hate, Graveworm and The Absence. Set to kick off in May, it's a tour that many metalheads are looking forward to as Nuclear Assault continues to promote their 2005 SPV release "Third World Genocide." Bassist Dan Lilker checks in with all the latest info...


The Gauntlet: Well I have to say welcome back. How does it feel to finally
release your first studio album in over a decade?

Danny Lilker: It feels pretty damn good, I suppose. I had never envisioned doing Nuke again after I split in '92, but after a few reunion shows everyone was asking if we were gonna record again, so we did! It was quite flattering
seeing that there were still a lot of people into the band after all these
years.


The Gauntlet: How would you describe your fan base these days?

Danny Lilker: It's a mix of old school metalheads that grew up with us and younger kids that had heard about us from those older people and decided to see what we were about. A lot of modern bands like Shadow's Fall and The Haunted would mention us as an influence in interviews, which generated interest in the band among people who were probably toddlers when we were around in the mid to late 80s.


The Gauntlet: How would you compare the material that you are doing now to
what you have done in the past?

Danny Lilker: It can be hard to step outside the whole thing and analyse it, but I believe it's pretty much what we've done all along. I think there is more mid-tempo stuff on the new album, percentage-wise, which has seemed to put off some people, but we just write what we write and don't really make a conscious effort to make sure there's enough fast stuff on it.


The Gauntlet: What can we expect from Nuclear Assault in the near future
besides the Europe tour?

Danny Lilker: We have been confirmed for a US tour in June with Vader, Kataklysm, Speed Kill Hate and a couple of other bands.



The Gauntlet: Where is Nuclear Assault as a band?

Danny Lilker: We are taking things day by day. We are not planning to do the heavy touring we did in the 80's, we have more personal responsibilities these days, so we're just chilling out and seeing what comes our way.



The Gauntlet: Will there be any videos for this album, or DVDs released in
the future?

Danny Lilker: We have a whole shitload of footage both old and new, and once we sort through it all, we plan to release a DVD of assorted live footage.



The Gauntlet: How has touring been so far this year? Are you ready for the
2006 tour?

Danny Lilker: We actually haven't done much this year, we did some shows in Europe over the summer that included a couple of bigger festivals, and we did some weekends in the States in late summer, otherwise we were pretty much just home. The 2006 tour isn't 'til May/June, so we'll have ample time to be
ready for that!


The Gauntlet: What do you do to get ready before each show? What do you ask
for backstage on tour?

Danny Lilker: There's nothing special we do to prepare for a live show apart from the usual beer buzz and maybe a little weed smoking! Our tour rider is pretty typical, food, towels and assorted drinks (mostly water, beer and a bottle of red for Glenn).


The Gauntlet: What made you release this album so far apart from Something
Wicked? What exactly caused the hiatus?

Danny Lilker: We weren't even together for 10 years or so. I left the band in '92 due to my waning interest in the music and I believe those guys called it a day a year or 2 later. We reformed in 2002 at the urging of Eric Paone, our
biggest fan.


The Gauntlet: Do you feel you acomplished everything you wanted so far as
Nuclear Assault?

Danny Lilker: When we've been to Australia, probably. Hey, it would be great to be on one of those big summer tours with all those bands playing big sheds, but that is not a priority...


The Gauntlet: What were some of the problems you had as a band?

Danny Lilker: Finding labels and booking agents to work with that didn't drive you insane. When you start out as a band, you have no idea what type of shit you have to go through eventually in order to get to the level of releasing albums and touring, which are both obviously vital to keeping you afloat. So yes, the only real problems were dealing with the music industry! Ha!


The Gauntlet: Can you say something to upcoming bands so they wont give up
if they don't make it right away?

Danny Lilker: Be prepared to have to quit your job, ditch that clingy girlfriend and do whatever it takes to get your band out there. Stay determined in the face of adversity - That sounds like a fucking fortune cookie


The Gauntlet: Do you think today in music is all about image more than
talent?

Danny Lilker:No, not always. Depends on the genre. A band like Cannibal Corpse, who have always appeared in pictures as a bunch of guys in metal shirts and jeans just like their fans, doesn't need image to sell their music. And of course there's Marduk, who have worn corpse paint for years, but Morgan (the main guy in Marduk) is 100% about the music, and they wore the paint in a time-honored tradition. Image being prioritized over music is more common in the more commercial forms of metal, and that's how it's always been.


The Gauntlet: How do you compare the writing style of your older albums to
what you have done with Third World Genocide?

Danny Lilker: Well, it was easier back then when we all lived nearer to each other and got to interact more, but I think the new stuff still has the Nuke "stamp" on it. To be honest I think there's a little too much slow goofy stuff on this one, and I will be bringing that up when we start another album, whenever that is.


The Gauntlet: What is it that you would like to say to all of your loyal
followers?

Danny Lilker: A big fucking thank you to all the metalheads out there that have supported Nuclear, any other band I've been in and the whole underground metal scene in general. I make it a point to never forget that without the rabid maniacs out there, I would never have gotten the opportunity to do what I've done in the metal scene. Cheers!


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Tags:  Nuclear Assault  , Danny Lilker - Bass Guitar, interviews

Will O'Connor    December 31, 2005