Nuclear Assault
Formed: 1984
From:
New York City,
NY,
United States
Last Known Status: Active
Latest Nuclear Assault News
Below is our complete Nuclear Assault news coverage, including columns and articles pertaining to the band. Some articles listed may be indirectly related, such as side projects of the band members, etc.
Note: We began associating news directly with bands in late 2003. Therefore, earlier band news may not be listed on this page.
Displaying records 1 - 20 of 44 1 2 3 Last
Anthrax Taps Ex Bassist Danny Lilker For Shows
Today, Anthrax announces that, due to personal reasons, bassist Frank Bello will not be able to accompany the band on its upcoming South American tour, set to kick off April 13 at MXMF the Metal Fest. Filling in on those dates, as well as two U.S. festival shows in May, will be Anthrax founding member and original bassist Dan Lilker, marking his first appearance with the band in 40 years. Lilker, who co-wrote and played on Anthrax’s debut album "Fistful Of Metal," was also a member of Stormtroopers of Death with Charlie Benante and Scott Ian.
"I'm really looking forward to jamming with Anthrax again," said Lilker. "When we parted ways back in 1984, they told me to stick around because they might need me in 40 years."
Added the band, "We’re all very excited about with playing with Danny again, and we really appreciate his filling in for Frank. It’s been way too long since we played South America, so you don’t want to miss these shows, they’re going to be insane."
Lilker has not been idle over the past four decades, having played in a wide variety of bands. He was the bassist for the thrash/metal band Nuclear Assault and the grindcore band Brutal Truth. He also plays bass for Exit-13, Malformed Earthborn, The Ravenous, Overlord Exterminator, Venomous Concept, and more.
With Lilker on bass, dates for Anthrax’s upcoming tour are as follows: More...
Headline News
Brujeria Drummer Diagnosed With Kidney Failure
British metal drumming legend Nick Barker, known as the drummer of Brujeria and Shining and formerly of Dimmu Borgir, Cradle Of Filth and Lock Up, has been diagnosed with kidney failure. A crowdfunder has been launched to help the musician, which can be found here. Brandi Campanile, who is handling the GoFundMe campaign, revealed his condition thusly:
"As many noticed, back in 2022, Nick was hospitalized several times… a couple of these times while on tour. During these visits, it was discovered that he was losing kidney function. With determination, he tried to continue caring for himself while maintaining the tours and his musical career. His life has been dedicated to it along with his daughters. Both of which are his life blood.
"Unfortunately, it has all taken its toll and the kidneys are in full failure. With all things, he has been going through this the best he can, on his own. After giving so much of himself to his music, to us, his friends and fans. He now needs us as he cannot currently work due to the dialysis schedule and focusing on his health."
Barker is perhaps Britain's most in demand metal drummer, having not only recorded albums with Brujeria, Cradle Of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, Lock Up and Monolith, as well as the new, eponymous album from Shining which will be released in September, but has also performed as a live drummer for such bands as Exodus, Testament, Anaal Nathrakh, Possessed, Nuclear Assault and Venom Inc. among many others. More...
Ex-Anthrax, Ex-Grave Members Premiere New Song
Singer Jörgen Sandström (The Project Hate MCMXCIX, ex-Grave, ex-Entombed), guitarist Scott Sargeant (ex-Skinlab, ex-L??z Rockit), bassist Danny Lilker (Nuclear Assault, ex-Anthrax), and drummer Will Carroll (Death Angel, Scarecrow) have joined forces for a new track called "This Means You Die". The song was mixed and mastered by Juan Urteaga (Testament, Exodus, Machine Head).
Explains Scott Sargeant: More...
Tronos (Napalm Death, Etc.) Premiere “Premonition”
Tronos, the new project lead by Shame Embury (Napalm Death, Brujeria, etc.) and producer Russ Russell (At The Gates, Napalm Death), premiere another new song titled “Premonition“ taken from the band's upcoming debut album, “Celestial Mechanics“, which will land in stores April 12th through Century Media. Many guest musicians - among them Megadeth‘s Dirk Verbeuren, Faith No More‘s Billy Gould, Mastodon‘s Troy Sanders, Nuclear Assault bassist Dan Lilker and more - lent their talents to that effort.
Comments Shame Embury regarding this latest single: More...
Column
Thrashback Thursday: Hang The Pope
Old columns die hard. In this case, they rock hard too. Thrashback Thursday is back again and this week we're taking a look at one of the most beloved (and short) songs from one of the East Coast's favourite names in thrash metal, Nuclear Assault. The song? "Hang The Pope."
Nuclear Assault may not have hit the commercial highs of some of their peers such as Anthrax or Megadeth, but when discussing classic thrash metal, Nuclear Assault always get brought up very quickly. With good reason too. They were one of the more aggressive sounding bands in a sub-genre which wasn't exactly known for being soft, taking the sounds of the New York hardcore scene and blending them with thrash metal, before the term "crossover" was invented. They released their first album, "Game Over" in 1986 and the record is still considered a must have for any thrash fan today. Over the course of their career, they released five more studio albums, five EPs, two live albums, three home videos/DVDs and toured the world numerous times.
It's from the beginning that we'll be looking at today though, with one of the most controversial songs in thrash metal (that wasn't written by Slayer,) entitled, "Hang The Pope," from the "Game Over" album. The song begins with a Discharge inspired bass line which opens the track in the most ferocious of ways. It's soon followed by an onslaught of noise, which was almost certainly an influence on the tiny grindcore scene at the time, then the rapid fire verse of "Hang the pope, hang the pope, hang the pope, hang the pope, hang him with a fucking rope." Somehow, the song still manages to have a catchy chourus without slowing down for an instant, as the sing along refrain goes, "Let's go to the Vatican, get him out of bed. Put the noose around his neck and hang him till he's dead." As if this wasn't enough, this is all repeated and in a song which is only forty six seconds long. Wasn't thrash a wonderful invention? More...
Blurring Premieres Pre-Release Full-Album Stream
Rochester, New York-based technical grindcore act Blurring premieres the pre-release full-album stream of the band's upcoming five-song EP "Cloud Burner", which will be released on April 28th via Bandcamp. Blurring features legendary bassist Dan Lilker (Brutal Truth, Nuclear Assault, Anthrax, etc.) and Erik Burke (Sulaco, ex-Kalibas) on drums.
Check out now "Cloud Burner" in its entirety below.
Stench Price Premieres New Music Video "Pressure"
New grindcore supergroup Stench Price - involving members of Brutal Truth, Necrophagist, ex-Monument Of Misanthropy, Cynic, Hail of Bullets, Benediction, Bolt Thrower, The Grotesquery etc. - premieres a new music video for "Pressure", taken from the upcoming self-titled EP, which will be out in stores November 30th through Transcending Obscurity Productions.
Check out now "Pressure" below.
The band consists of: More...
Eindhoven Reveals Full 2015 Festival Lineup
With the addition of Nuclear Assault, Craft, Gama Bomb, Angelus Apatrida, Aeternus, and Incantation, the lineup for Eindhoven Metal Meeting 2015 is now complete.
The seventh edition of the annual metal meeting is set to take place December 11th & 12th, 2015 at the Effenaar venue in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. In total 36 bands will make their appearance at the festival. The lineup will be as follows: More...
Maryland Deathfest Names 45 More Acts For 2016
Promoters for Maryland Deathfest have announced 45 more acts for the 2016 edition of the annual Memorial Day festival bash. Among the list - U.K. doom metal legends Paradise Lost, U.S. doom metal upstarts Crypt Sermon, the reformed Swedish death act Centinex, U.K. legends Discharge, U.S. thrash legends Hirax, soon to be defunct legends Nuclear Blast, U.K. classic metal legends Satan and the mighty Bay Area thrash act Testament.
Tickets for the event will be available soon. Head over to this location for more information.
The freshly named act list is:
The Afternoon Gentlemen (UK)
Buzzov*en
Centinex (Sweden)
Claudio Simonetti's Goblin (Italy)
Crypt Sermon
Dehumanized
Demonical (Sweden)
Demonic Christ
Deranged (Sweden)
Discharge (UK)
DOOM (UK)
Dopethrone (Canada)
Dragged into Sunlight (UK)
Gets Worse (UK)
Ground More...
Nuclear Assault Premieres New Lyric Video
Nuclear Assault premieres the lyric video for the song titled "Analog Man In A Digital World" taken from the upcoming new EP "Pounder" which is out now via Dry Heave Records as digital release. The vinyl release is set for June 22nd 2015.
Check out now the new track below.
Ten More Bands Added To Bloodstock
The organizers of this year's Bloodstock Festival have issued the following announcement about adding more bands to the August lineup:
"With 2015’s festival season officially underway, here at Bloodstock HQ we still have plenty to reveal about the summer’s premiere metal weekender. Ten more bands, to start with…
"Joining the Sophie Lancaster Stage line-up on Friday are Messiah's Kiss featuring former session musicians for Tony Iommi and Saxon. Saturday sees the addition of old school thrashers Annihilated, as well as death metal band Ageless Oblivion.
"Digital tech metal act The Izuna Drop, featuring Jamie from UK Subs, are all set to perform on Sunday, alongside female-fronted, classic doomsters Alunah.
"Bloodstock is also pleased to announce five bands for the Jagermeister Stage. On Friday, if you’re a fan of bands like Karnivool and Tesseract, head over to check out progsters The Parallax Method. Female-fronted, dark melodic metallers Winter Storm also nab a Friday slot. Former Status Quo support band Knock Out Kaine bring their brand of ballsy rock ‘n’ roll to the Jager stage on Saturday.
"Inspired by heavy metal Gods of the late 70's/early 80's such as Budgie, Tank, Venom, and Motorhead, Blind Haze steamroll in on Sunday, joined by Irish progressive trio Snowblind - definitely one to see if you like your time changes and musical curveballs!"
The currently announced lineup consists of: More...
Nuclear Assault Posts New EP Teaser
Nuclear Assault is teasing a trailer for the upcoming EP "Pounder" which will be released on CD and as a digital download on June 1 via drummer Glenn Evans's own label Sidipus Records, with a deluxe vinyl version to follow on June 29 via Dry Heave Records.
Check out now the preview teaser for the upcoming EP below.
"Pounder" EP track listing: More...
Bloodstock Adds A New Slew Of Bands
The Sun is shining and Bloodstock is excited to announce seven more of metal’s finest for the UK’s heaviest weekender, including a clutch of bands from the farthest flung corners of the globe.
Friday’s line up will now include extreme prog metal Aussies, Ne Obliviscaris. The band proclaims, “UK, here we come! 2015 is the year we are finally going to reach your shores and we couldn’t be more excited to announce that it will be as part of the enormous Bloodstodck festival. We’re looking forward to playing alongside many of the best and biggest heavy acts from across the world!”
Saturday’s bill sees two bands who’ve jetted in from Indonesia, a hotbed of metal and one of the planet’s most burgeoning heavy music scenes. Burgerkill and Jasad are two of the country’s biggest metal acts, even counting the country’s metal-loving prime minister, Joko Widodo among their fans.
Sunday’s line-up sees a very special solo set from ex-Evile shredsman, Ol Drake to accompany his upcoming solo album, "Old Rake" which is out in June via Earache. Ol comments "I'm very excited to be returning to Bloodstock in a musical capacity. The weekend is fully booked off work (I was going anyway) and we're rehearsing right now. It’ll be a very special show, so don’t miss it. I’ll no doubt be having my fair share of drinks and Jagermeister afterwards and no doubt be returning to work feeling buzzed yet terrible. This is probably the only show I'll be doing to promote the album. Hope to see you there!" More...
Bloodstock Confirms New 2015 Bands
While everyone’s talking about Christmas approaching, the Bloodstock festival organizer's sights are firmly fixed on next August. What better way to roll into the festive season than to announce three more crackin’ bands for 2015’s premier heavy metal event?
First up is thrash outfit Overkill. Front man Bobby ‘Blitz’ Ellsworth says: “We are loading the BIG guns and setting sail for the UK this summer! Be warned! The island is in danger, it's a White Devil Army....Lets make Bloodstock 2015 a bloodbath!”
Folk metal Finns Ensiferum are also joining the party, having recently wrapped recording on brand new album, "One Man Army," set for release on February 23rd.
Austrian blackened death metal overlords Belphegor will also make a return to Catton Park in 2015. Frontman/guitarist and founder Helmuth Lehner comments: “Belphegor returns to the ingenious Bloodstock Open Air! We will play at the main stage and promote our latest offering ‘Conjuring The Dead.’ Belphegor will bring you the most intense ritual possible. Join the pit and prepare for Diabolical Death Metal chaos.” More...
1349 And Armored Saint Playing Bloodstock
The organizers of the Bloodstock 2015 festival have issued the following announcement about new band confirmations:
"Bloodstock early bird tickets are flying out the door in the wake of Halloween’s Rob Zombie headline announcement, but here at festival HQ we aren’t resting on our laurels, we’ve got even more bands ready to add on to the bill!
"British stoner/doom overlords, Orange Goblin are set for a main stage slot in 2015. Having recently unleashed their eighth studio album, 'Back From The Abyss' via Candlelight Records, the band are currently laying waste to Europe on tour with the mighty St Vitus. Check out the brand new video for ‘Sabbath Hex’ from the new release here.
?Norwegian black metallers 1349 also sign up. With latest studio album ‘Massive Cauldron Of Chaos’ recently hitting the racks, the band have also found time to collaborate with Minnesota’s Surly Brewing Company and launch their own ‘1349 Black Ale’. Check out this informative video clip featuring drummer Frost and vocalist Ravn explaining how the whole thing came about over here. More...
Rob Zombie To Play Bloodstock
This Halloween, Bloodstock has some howlingly good news to share! Are you a fan of the undead? Love zombies? The fiendishly brilliant Rob Zombie is confirmed as Sunday’s 2015 main stage headliner, bringing his full production to Catton Park.
Rob Zombie exclaims, "I am so ready to get on a plane, and get my ass over to merry ol' England for Bloodstock. We've had some of the best shows of our lives over there and can't wait to add this to the list. Besides, it's called ‘Bloodstock' so how could it not be bloody fucking fun?”
Expect to witness a spectacular range of Rob Zombie classics as well as choice cuts from the band’s most recent studio album "Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor." Check out this cut below of "Superbeast" from last year’s "The Zombie Horror Picture Show" DVD, which captured Rob and his zombie bandmates John 5, Piggy D, and Ginger Fish on the road.
Other bands confirmed for the 2015 festival include Within Temptation, Opeth, Cannibal Corpse, Sepultura, Death DTA, Dark Angel, Ihsahn, and Nuclear Assault. More...
Column
Pit Stories: The Pit Pileup
Each week we check in with musicians to get their favorite stories from live shows. This week vocalist/guitarist Cregg Rondell of Boy Hits Car shares a tale of holding up a pit pileup from the bottom at a Nuclear Assault performance. Check out Cregg's story below:
1989, the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium: while slamming during a Nuclear Assault set, I felt a body go down behind me, and fall on my right foot. As the rest of the pit piled up and on top of the person who went down, my leg got wedged between the floor and the quickly accumulating body's falling on top of the poor dude who initially fell. I began to panic, feeling that if I go down I'll be at the bottom of this mass of sweaty, hairy, heshers. So I quickly grabbed my leg just above the knee, and with all my will pulled myself loose. As I moved away, and back into the hectic circle, I felt and heard the whole pile up slam to the floor, as I was inadvertently holding the whole thing up...
For more info on Boy Hits Car, head over to the band's Facebook profile. Be sure to also check back in next Tuesday for more Pit Stories.
Column
Sunday Old School: Nuclear Assault
It seems to be a fairly regular start to the story of many metal bands: "It began with a firing…" In this week’s case, the story of Nuclear Assault began when New York thrash giants Anthrax fired their bass player, Danny Lilker, who decided to form a new band with a more aggressive approach. His first recruitment into the band that would become Nuclear Assault was vocalist John Connelly, who had previously been a roadie with Anthrax, before rounding out the lineup with guitarist Mike Bogush and drummer Scott Duboys. With the group now complete, they soon recorded a demo which featured some of the songs that would become staples of their future live shows such as, "Hang the Pope" and "Stranded in Hell." They followed the demo with their first live show at the Union Jack in South River, New Jersey, before deciding that Bogush should be replaced, with his position being taken by Anthony Bramante, who made his debut with the band at the legendary L’Amour club in Brooklyn. Nuclear Assault made another change after this performance, when drummer Scott Duboys left the group and was replaced by Glenn Evans, formerly of TT Quick. This new incarnation of the band recorded a second demo entitled, "Live Suffer Die" and increased their profile by performing across the United States.
Their hard work paid off and the quartet signed a multi-album deal with Combat Records, who had previously released the debut album from Megadeth, as well as several records from European bands such as Celtic Frost, Venom and Raven. The first of these albums came in April 1986 under the title, "Game Over." The record was a hit among thrash fans and it earned the group a spot supporting speed metal act Agent Steel and British outfit Atomkraft in Europe, garnering them attention across the Atlantic. Despite their deal with Combat, Nuclear Assault felt that their contract with the label was very constrictive and they left to sign with I.R.S. Records, releasing their sophomore album, and their first for their new label, "Survive" in 1988. The record was a success, reaching number 145 in the Billboard Album Chart and spawning two singles in the form of "Fight to be Free" and the Led Zeppelin cover, "Good Times Bad Times." The commercial success of "Survive" led to the group touring extensively, including performing as the opening act for Californian thrash kings, Slayer, and their own headlining tour of Europe, where they were supported by British thrashers, Acid Reign. More...
Municipal Waste Reveals New Album Title
American crossover thrash outfit Municipal Waste has announced that they have completed work on their fifth studio album, which will be released next year through Nuclear Blast Records under the title "The Fatal Feast." A message from frontman Tony Foresta reads as follows:
"We're calling the record The Fatal Feast, and are expecting it to come out early next year along with a healthy dose of touring. The record is also going to feature some guest spots from John Connelly (guitarist, vocalist for Nuclear Assault), Steve Moore (who plays bass and synthesizers for Zombi), and vocalist Tim Barry (ex-Avail). The Waste is really looking forward to providing you with the soundtrack to the end of the world in 2012. See you there!"
Report
Maryland Death Fest IX Day Four
Fatigue had definitely begun to set in by Day Four. Through the beer belly, muscle ache (everyone’s hotel was up the hill), blown-out senses, and heat I thought could only happen in the south, I persevered though badly worn. The venue was getting pretty rough also. Everyone was tired, but still partying hard. Inside it was sticky and stinky like it had not been before. But that didn’t stop anyone from enjoying the rest of the great lineup on the last day of the mighty MDF.
Bright and early in the afternoon (although it seemed like night in the main room), hometown boys Visceral Disgorge began the festivities. They brought to mind the early works of death metal. Trauma and gore galore, this band encompassed the snarl inhaled low growls, din-destroying high tuned snare, gallop picking guitar done by Eric.
Bad acid Trip’s singer Dirk Rogers opening question to us was, “Is everyone drunk?,” and by just the sight of the crowd through the hours it was obvious that we all were. Crazed rock riffage and grindcore led this band to a energetic frenzy. Dirk was like Ian Curtis and Johnny Rotten; a twisted love child onstage. This band had true dynamic ranging from guttural blasts to hardcore breakdowns to strange, psychotic circus dementia. More...