All Interviews
Nuclear Assault
Dan Lilker
Posted on Jan 21, 2006
by Anders
Few bands are as legendary as Nuclear Assault, though still a bit overlooked. The band's comback album "Third World Genocide" released last year through Steamhammer/SPV did get the name out to the masses, even though the album was far from their best, but I guess the demand for the old classics "Game Over", "Survive" and "Handle With Care" now is higher than ever. I hooked up with bassist Dan Lilker and got a good talk about the new album, the band and Lilker himself, a living and breathing legend.
Hi there, how are things in America in your words?
Hello. With the current administration of Bush and crew, it is quite shitty! I like America and I grew up here, but I will like it a lot more in 3 years when these dangerous and greedy religious assholes are history!
Will you please start off by introducing yourself and tell us how you have managed to keep the flame for metal burning through all these years?
I am Dan Lilker and I have played bass in Anthrax, Nuclear Assault, S.O.D., Brutal Truth, Hemlock, Crucifist, and 50 other fucking bands. It is difficult to explain why I still am as intense as ever, it's in my blood I guess. It's hard to step outside myself and analyze why...
Why did you choose to reform Nuclear Assault for real and starting to make music again, after the re-union gigs?
This was because of the enthusiasm of the metalheads. People at shows kept asking "Are you guys really back or are this just a few shows? Are you guys thinking about making another record?" So, we felt that the desire was there, and decided to go for it.
Is it fun to be back in the band and to play the old tracks again?
Definitely. When I left in '92 I was sick of thrash, but having done bands like S.O.D. (when we returned), Hemlock (black metal) and The Ravenous in the years after that, I started to enjoy it again, so now, yeah, it's really cool.
What does it give to you to be in Nuclear Assault?
Well, I've been in lots of bands, but Nuke is always special 'cos it was the band I first saw the world with, as in going to Europe and Japan, so I guess it has a special place in my heart or whatever. So, it's fun to do again because it brings back good memories.
What can you do in Nuclear Assault, that you can’t do in other bands?
Play 'Hang The Pope'.
You are now ready with your new album "Third World Genocide", how do you feel about the album?
I think it's a good record. I think next time we will write the music together more, 'cos I think it could be better, but it's still good.
How has the album so far been received by the press and have you heard from your fans yet?
There have been some good reviews and some bad ones, and some fans honestly think it's a crappy record! But that's why I say the next one will be written differently. It will need to be a little more intense, with a little less slow, funny stuff on it.
What do you expect from the new album?
That we will get to tour lots of places on it, meet cool people, and drink and smoke with them.
What do you want to accomplish with "Third World Genocide"?
Lyrically, it's still the same agenda of making people think a little about the world around them. Otherwise, we just want to play aggressive metal and hope people enjoy it.
The lyrical side of Nuclear Assault has always socially and political aware, do you think it is possible to change anything through your music and lyrics?
We know we're not gonna change the world with our lyrics, but the hope is that maybe it will make people realize how fucked up the world is, and inspire other bands to write lyrics about things that piss them off instead of writing about stuff they don't really mean. But then again I love black and death metal!
Which lyrical themes have you touched this time?
This is a better question for John, but you got me! Brutally oppressive governments, perverted priests, civil rights, rednecks, and other shit.
Do you think the modern metal fan cares to read the lyrics or use to time to reflect upon it?
That's impossible to say, but we just do our thing and hope at least some people will pick up on it. It should be stressed that it doesn't bother me at all if people just like us for the music. We're not politicians.
Have some of your fans ever come up to you and told you that the music or lyrics of Nuclear Assault have changed all for them or just made them think about things a second time?
Absolutely! A lot of people have told me how hearing our music when they were young got them into music they'd never been exposed to before, and also a lot of people have said that our lyrics really opened their eyes. It's great hearing stuff like that, it makes it all worth it.
How important is the lyrical side of the band compared to the music?
The music comes first, for sure, but the lyrics are another part of music and you might as well use them well.
Besides the serious songs, you have also joked a bit around at times, why do you do the "funny" songs?
We have never tried to be ultra-serious because that's not how we are as regular people offstage. Just because you play aggressive music doesn't mean you can't have a little fun. Just not too much or it becomes a big joke.
What does it give to you and the band to unleash something through the funny side of Nuclear Assault?
You can see that the crowd is smiling while they are thrashing around and banging. Intense music does not have to be intense lyrically all the time. We are not insecure "tough guys".
Will you pick out your 3 favourite tracks from the new album, and tell a bit about the idea behind the music, how it was created and the lyrics?
'Defiled Innonence' - I wrote this song for a black metal band I played in called Hemlock, but the band broke up in 2001 and never recorded it. I didn't want a good song to go to waste, so I presented it to the guys when it was time to write music. It is a grim, mid-speed song, and I asked John to write lyrics about the whole priest-sexual abuse scandal that exploded here in the States a couple of years ago. That way, the song would still be anti-Christian!
'Eroded Liberty' - I wrote this song to capture the feeling of thrash metal in the 80's, and John wrote lyrics about free speech and the attempt by the government to try to prohibit it.
'Exoskeletal' - John and I wrote this together, just a good old Nuclear Assault style thrash metal song just like we used to make 'em! Since it reminded us a little of Exodus, we called it 'Exoskeletal'. Sorry, I have no idea what the lyrics are!
Can you do the same as above, though with your 5 favourite tracks spanning over all the recorded Nuclear Assault material?
'Hang The Pope' - Just a "fun" song, but it became our biggest crowd pleaser! I wanted to have a really fast hardcore song on "Game Over", I wrote it myself, and the lyrics are not very serious. Still, it was controversial to some people, but it was more like an S.O.D. song. Stupid, offensive, and funny.
'Buttfuck' - Not many thrash songs have a blues part in the middle! Another "fun" song, yet also very intense and brutal. We wanted to write a song that was part hardcore, part metal and part blues, so I guess we succeeded. The
lyrics were about the fact that Vince Neil from Mötley Crüe drove drunk, had a big accident that killed his friend the drummer of Hanoi Rocks, and never went to jail just because he's famous. In the States, there's a lot of gay sex in prison, and if he went to prison like he should have, he would have been buttfucked.
'Brainwashed' - John and I wrote this song from the "Survive" record, the idea was to make a good heavy, crunchy song to follow 'Rise From The Ashes', which was really fast in places. When we write together, the music is created by John and me playing guitar with little amps, a tape recorder and beer. Lyrics are about people who get all their opinions from other people without having their own real individual thoughts.
'Critical Mass' - Another song John and I wrote together, again, it was a great second song (on "Handle With Care" this time) after 'New Song'. It is always cool to have a really fast first song and a really crunchy second song! Guitars and beer again. Lyrics were about the way mankind is destroying and polluting the world and how one day we're all gonna be fucked because of it.
'Sin' - This is a very old song, it's difficult to remember the circumstances in which it was written, but I'm sure there was beer. This is not about social issues, it was about one of the four riders of the apocalypse, so it is mythology based. Before we were exposed to hardcore our lyrics were less meaningful, but still cool.
How do you work when you make music for the band?
When we lived closer together, John and I would write together. Now, we have to travel to get together so it's different now, some songs are written alone by John and by me. Glenn writes a little too.
Where do you find inspiration for your music?
This is difficult to answer, music comes from somewhere deep inside and it's really hard to analyse what inspires me. Oh yeah, marijuana.
When you started to play bass, back in the days, what did then inspire you to pick up the 4-stringer?
Well, I'm old! And I started young, so my inspirations way back then was the classic rock guys like the bassists in Led Zeppelin, Cream, The Who and shit like that. Later, people like Lemmy and Steve Harris were influential and after that I just did my own thing.
Which musicians and bands have shaped you as the musician you are today?
The bassists I mentioned before, and Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Angelwitch, Jimi Hendrix, Napalm Death, DRI, Slayer, etc. etc.
How would you describe your musical progression throughout the years?
For a while there I kept getting faster (Anthrax-Nuclear Assault-S.O.D.-Brutal Truth). Then I relaxed. Seriously, I never really think about that shit, people have told me many times that they really respect me for doing what I want and not caring if it's popular or lucrative. With the other band I'm in now, Crucifist, we're playing the style that was extreme in the 80's (black-death-doom) so maybe I'm regressing and not progressing! Regression-progression!
You must be writing a lot of music all the time, how do you know if you have written music for e.g. Nuclear Assault or one of your other bands?
Good question. Now I only write for Nuke and Crucifist, and Crucifist riffs are too brutal or simple for Nuke songs. But sometimes I have to think about it, 'cos you can make a little adjustment to the idea you have and change the whole feel of it.
How big a priority is Nuclear Assault for the members in the band?
It is our main priority musically, so in my situation that means it comes before Crucifist. But, people have other priorities in life like family, college, and jobs, so it all has to be balanced delicately.
Will you explain the idea and thoughts behind the album title "Third World Genocide"?
If you can believe this I have not received the lyrics. I can say basically that it's from the title song, which is about some governments in this world that rule over their citizens with cruelty. There are some governments in Africa like this, also some Islamic theocracies in the Middle East, where women have no rights at all. North Korea is another good example of this.
Are we so lucky that we are going to see more albums from Nuclear Assault?
It is planned to do at least one more album, but writing is difficult since we all live so separated, so it will not be very soon.
Will you share to share your 5 all time favourite albums with the readers?
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Motörhead - Ace Of Spades
Slayer - Reign In Blood
Napalm Death - From Enslavement To Obliteration
Darkthrone - A Blaze In The Northern Sky
Thanks a ton for answering my questions, if you have anything to add, feel free to add it now!
A big fucking thank you to all the maniacs out there keeping metal alive, including the Nocturnal Horde.
Hello. With the current administration of Bush and crew, it is quite shitty! I like America and I grew up here, but I will like it a lot more in 3 years when these dangerous and greedy religious assholes are history!
Will you please start off by introducing yourself and tell us how you have managed to keep the flame for metal burning through all these years?
I am Dan Lilker and I have played bass in Anthrax, Nuclear Assault, S.O.D., Brutal Truth, Hemlock, Crucifist, and 50 other fucking bands. It is difficult to explain why I still am as intense as ever, it's in my blood I guess. It's hard to step outside myself and analyze why...
Why did you choose to reform Nuclear Assault for real and starting to make music again, after the re-union gigs?
This was because of the enthusiasm of the metalheads. People at shows kept asking "Are you guys really back or are this just a few shows? Are you guys thinking about making another record?" So, we felt that the desire was there, and decided to go for it.
Is it fun to be back in the band and to play the old tracks again?
Definitely. When I left in '92 I was sick of thrash, but having done bands like S.O.D. (when we returned), Hemlock (black metal) and The Ravenous in the years after that, I started to enjoy it again, so now, yeah, it's really cool.
What does it give to you to be in Nuclear Assault?
Well, I've been in lots of bands, but Nuke is always special 'cos it was the band I first saw the world with, as in going to Europe and Japan, so I guess it has a special place in my heart or whatever. So, it's fun to do again because it brings back good memories.
What can you do in Nuclear Assault, that you can’t do in other bands?
Play 'Hang The Pope'.
You are now ready with your new album "Third World Genocide", how do you feel about the album?
I think it's a good record. I think next time we will write the music together more, 'cos I think it could be better, but it's still good.
How has the album so far been received by the press and have you heard from your fans yet?
There have been some good reviews and some bad ones, and some fans honestly think it's a crappy record! But that's why I say the next one will be written differently. It will need to be a little more intense, with a little less slow, funny stuff on it.
What do you expect from the new album?
That we will get to tour lots of places on it, meet cool people, and drink and smoke with them.
What do you want to accomplish with "Third World Genocide"?
Lyrically, it's still the same agenda of making people think a little about the world around them. Otherwise, we just want to play aggressive metal and hope people enjoy it.
The lyrical side of Nuclear Assault has always socially and political aware, do you think it is possible to change anything through your music and lyrics?
We know we're not gonna change the world with our lyrics, but the hope is that maybe it will make people realize how fucked up the world is, and inspire other bands to write lyrics about things that piss them off instead of writing about stuff they don't really mean. But then again I love black and death metal!
Which lyrical themes have you touched this time?
This is a better question for John, but you got me! Brutally oppressive governments, perverted priests, civil rights, rednecks, and other shit.
Do you think the modern metal fan cares to read the lyrics or use to time to reflect upon it?
That's impossible to say, but we just do our thing and hope at least some people will pick up on it. It should be stressed that it doesn't bother me at all if people just like us for the music. We're not politicians.
Have some of your fans ever come up to you and told you that the music or lyrics of Nuclear Assault have changed all for them or just made them think about things a second time?
Absolutely! A lot of people have told me how hearing our music when they were young got them into music they'd never been exposed to before, and also a lot of people have said that our lyrics really opened their eyes. It's great hearing stuff like that, it makes it all worth it.
How important is the lyrical side of the band compared to the music?
The music comes first, for sure, but the lyrics are another part of music and you might as well use them well.
Besides the serious songs, you have also joked a bit around at times, why do you do the "funny" songs?
We have never tried to be ultra-serious because that's not how we are as regular people offstage. Just because you play aggressive music doesn't mean you can't have a little fun. Just not too much or it becomes a big joke.
What does it give to you and the band to unleash something through the funny side of Nuclear Assault?
You can see that the crowd is smiling while they are thrashing around and banging. Intense music does not have to be intense lyrically all the time. We are not insecure "tough guys".
Will you pick out your 3 favourite tracks from the new album, and tell a bit about the idea behind the music, how it was created and the lyrics?
'Defiled Innonence' - I wrote this song for a black metal band I played in called Hemlock, but the band broke up in 2001 and never recorded it. I didn't want a good song to go to waste, so I presented it to the guys when it was time to write music. It is a grim, mid-speed song, and I asked John to write lyrics about the whole priest-sexual abuse scandal that exploded here in the States a couple of years ago. That way, the song would still be anti-Christian!
'Eroded Liberty' - I wrote this song to capture the feeling of thrash metal in the 80's, and John wrote lyrics about free speech and the attempt by the government to try to prohibit it.
'Exoskeletal' - John and I wrote this together, just a good old Nuclear Assault style thrash metal song just like we used to make 'em! Since it reminded us a little of Exodus, we called it 'Exoskeletal'. Sorry, I have no idea what the lyrics are!
Can you do the same as above, though with your 5 favourite tracks spanning over all the recorded Nuclear Assault material?
'Hang The Pope' - Just a "fun" song, but it became our biggest crowd pleaser! I wanted to have a really fast hardcore song on "Game Over", I wrote it myself, and the lyrics are not very serious. Still, it was controversial to some people, but it was more like an S.O.D. song. Stupid, offensive, and funny.
'Buttfuck' - Not many thrash songs have a blues part in the middle! Another "fun" song, yet also very intense and brutal. We wanted to write a song that was part hardcore, part metal and part blues, so I guess we succeeded. The
lyrics were about the fact that Vince Neil from Mötley Crüe drove drunk, had a big accident that killed his friend the drummer of Hanoi Rocks, and never went to jail just because he's famous. In the States, there's a lot of gay sex in prison, and if he went to prison like he should have, he would have been buttfucked.
'Brainwashed' - John and I wrote this song from the "Survive" record, the idea was to make a good heavy, crunchy song to follow 'Rise From The Ashes', which was really fast in places. When we write together, the music is created by John and me playing guitar with little amps, a tape recorder and beer. Lyrics are about people who get all their opinions from other people without having their own real individual thoughts.
'Critical Mass' - Another song John and I wrote together, again, it was a great second song (on "Handle With Care" this time) after 'New Song'. It is always cool to have a really fast first song and a really crunchy second song! Guitars and beer again. Lyrics were about the way mankind is destroying and polluting the world and how one day we're all gonna be fucked because of it.
'Sin' - This is a very old song, it's difficult to remember the circumstances in which it was written, but I'm sure there was beer. This is not about social issues, it was about one of the four riders of the apocalypse, so it is mythology based. Before we were exposed to hardcore our lyrics were less meaningful, but still cool.
How do you work when you make music for the band?
When we lived closer together, John and I would write together. Now, we have to travel to get together so it's different now, some songs are written alone by John and by me. Glenn writes a little too.
Where do you find inspiration for your music?
This is difficult to answer, music comes from somewhere deep inside and it's really hard to analyse what inspires me. Oh yeah, marijuana.
When you started to play bass, back in the days, what did then inspire you to pick up the 4-stringer?
Well, I'm old! And I started young, so my inspirations way back then was the classic rock guys like the bassists in Led Zeppelin, Cream, The Who and shit like that. Later, people like Lemmy and Steve Harris were influential and after that I just did my own thing.
Which musicians and bands have shaped you as the musician you are today?
The bassists I mentioned before, and Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Angelwitch, Jimi Hendrix, Napalm Death, DRI, Slayer, etc. etc.
How would you describe your musical progression throughout the years?
For a while there I kept getting faster (Anthrax-Nuclear Assault-S.O.D.-Brutal Truth). Then I relaxed. Seriously, I never really think about that shit, people have told me many times that they really respect me for doing what I want and not caring if it's popular or lucrative. With the other band I'm in now, Crucifist, we're playing the style that was extreme in the 80's (black-death-doom) so maybe I'm regressing and not progressing! Regression-progression!
You must be writing a lot of music all the time, how do you know if you have written music for e.g. Nuclear Assault or one of your other bands?
Good question. Now I only write for Nuke and Crucifist, and Crucifist riffs are too brutal or simple for Nuke songs. But sometimes I have to think about it, 'cos you can make a little adjustment to the idea you have and change the whole feel of it.
How big a priority is Nuclear Assault for the members in the band?
It is our main priority musically, so in my situation that means it comes before Crucifist. But, people have other priorities in life like family, college, and jobs, so it all has to be balanced delicately.
Will you explain the idea and thoughts behind the album title "Third World Genocide"?
If you can believe this I have not received the lyrics. I can say basically that it's from the title song, which is about some governments in this world that rule over their citizens with cruelty. There are some governments in Africa like this, also some Islamic theocracies in the Middle East, where women have no rights at all. North Korea is another good example of this.
Are we so lucky that we are going to see more albums from Nuclear Assault?
It is planned to do at least one more album, but writing is difficult since we all live so separated, so it will not be very soon.
Will you share to share your 5 all time favourite albums with the readers?
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Motörhead - Ace Of Spades
Slayer - Reign In Blood
Napalm Death - From Enslavement To Obliteration
Darkthrone - A Blaze In The Northern Sky
Thanks a ton for answering my questions, if you have anything to add, feel free to add it now!
A big fucking thank you to all the maniacs out there keeping metal alive, including the Nocturnal Horde.
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