Nuclear Assault has return ! And they're still going strong ! Anyone, who witnessed Nuke's gig at Brutal Assault can confirm- they do not take any prisoners. Setlist based on their most classical songs, aggressive riffing, and powerful vocals (John still got this!). Crew from New York gave one of the best concerts at whole festival. Personally, I've always been a big Nuclear fan, I even got a big "Survive" backpatch on my vest. That's why possibility of chatting with Danny Lilker was something, that I'll remember for a long time ! And even despite the fact, that I didn't have a long time for an interview, I menaged to ask a few questions, that you can read below:

1. Hi ! So, I guess that every metalhead here in Europe is happy, that after such a long time, there's a possibility to see you there. What are your impressions about tour so far?

I think that it's going really good- we've done a lot of festival shows, a lot of club shows. Atmosphere there is really cool. We've play before thousands of people in places like Wacken. Everything is very intense. But also faster music is made for smaller shows, with a bunch of people moshing like maniacs. And we've done both of these and I think it has been really enjoyable for us. Tonight we've seen a lot of Czech maniacs, as well as people from other countries. The pit has been really insane.

2 Yeah, I've been in this pit too! I always respected Nuclear Assault, because you had great, social-engaged lyrics. You're one of these band, that really has something to say. What caused you to took this direction ?

That's because we've been exposed to hardcore. When we've been growing up, we listened to thrash metal, like Venom, Slayer, Hellhamer etc, but also stuff like Agnostic Front or D.R.I.. Than we've checked the lyrics and thought "hey, it's cool ! You can really have a message there". So we've took it from hardcore, I guess.

3. There are a lot of rumours, that you originally wrote "Sin" for Anthrax- can you make it clear please?

Only the title. There were some songs written for Anthrax, and we were searching for the title. And I guess, that I've stayed so attached to this one, that I decided to bring it into Nuclear Assault. I'm pretty sure, that music has been written for Nuclear Assault with this one.

4. Right now you're promoting a new EP entitled "Pounder". What can you say about this material?

It's avaible now and it's an oldschool thrash metal! We focused on making the sound pure, not modern. It has been recorded in New York, and what can I say- it's oldschool thrash metal, the way it should be.

5.And this leads us to another question. We all know, that music industry changed a lot during past decades . How can you compere- the process of recording "Pounder", to process of recording the first materials?

Well, the technology has evolved, so recording is easier. Especially with drumtrucks. But generally it's the same process- you wrote songs, you record and you master them. Doesn't matter if it's done in analogue or digital way. Technology is totally different, but the process is simillar.

6. In one of your most famous songs, "Brainwashed" you attack the fact, that media makes people still more and more stupid. Do you think that nowadays it's even stronger, than it used to be?

Oh, it's much worse now because of the internet. We have a song about this one too. People just don't use their brains, they don't think and they're taking every shit, that is given. That's why we've got a line "Why don't you think for yourself?" And I think that the point is there.

7. You're thrash metal veterans, and right now we've got rebirth of thrash metal. A lot of new bands came to the stage and plays in a classic way. What do you think about these bands? Do you find some of them especially interesting?

Yeah, I think it's cool that thrash metal came back, because it prooves that it's true. You know, it's like jazz or folk music. It's a music genre, that will be in history books. It's hard to describe this feeling for me, because I've been there in the earliest years. But I feel good about it, for sure !

8.The "Final Assault" is supposed to be Nuclear Assault's final tour. Do you maybe have any plans for a DVD from this one? I think, that a lot of fans will be excited about this stuff.

We've got a lot of good video footage from festivals, it's just a matter of picking the right concert and obtaining the rights. But it's not completly final, it's just the last long one. Maybe we'll come back after this, who knows?

9. In concert album "Alive Again", under the CD there's a picture of a tombstone, saying "Here lies Nuclear Assault". Do you think, that you'll do something simillar for "The Final Assault" DVD?

Maybe. That was just a humour, we love to laugh at different stuff, and it was just funny.

10. Do you have the same setlist for every gig of the tour, or do you sometimes change some songs?

Pretty much the same. Everything depens on a lenght. If we have one hour we play more, tonight we had 45 minutes, so we shortened it a bit. But generally we play the same setlist at every gig on this tour.

11. I know that there have been a lot of controversies about "Out Of Order" and "Something Wicked" albums. What is your opinion about that materials now, after so many years?

I was on "Out Of Order", but I wasn't fully inspired, that time I was more into grindcore and death metal, so I'm not very proud of that record. I don't want to talk about "Something Wicked", as I haven't been performing on it, but I understand people saying that it's not the best Nuclear Assault record. You need to make some mistakes, if you want to learn, right?

12. I've noticed that your gig from Metal Merchant festival in Norway 2011 has been released twice- first you published it by yourself, as an independent album and then you released it by the label. Why did you decide to put this particular gig twice?

I have no fuckin idea. I'm the bassist, wrong guy to ask hahaha

13. I've read a lot of old interviews with you, from the beggining of eighties. You really often said, that you're only focused on making your own music and that you won't play any covers. My questions is- why did you recorded Led Zeppelin cover on "Survive"? What changed?

This was a stupis idea, bad influence. Sometimes you let the people to have too much influence on your ideas. We were a bit forced by a label. Well, it's not a bad cover, but for sure it wasn't a right thing to do.

14. Why did you release "Hang The Pope" single in 2013? This song has been well known since 1986, so why did you publish it again?

I don't even know about this haha. I had no idea that we've got such a release.

15. Which Nuclear Assault album is the most import_ant for you?

That's hard questions. "Game Over" is import_ant, as it's the first one, "Handle With Care" is also import_ant, because we experienced a good sound in a studio and it made everything bigger. I think those are equal import_ants, but in different ways.

16. We've got a Final Assault now, how can you conclude Nuke's career, that took place for all these years?

We'll be playing as long as we can! We're getting old, we've got our pains, but it's all about the spirit. As long as you have a spirit, it's fine. We've came here, at Brutal Assault and we didn't want to make any shit ! We're going to play for as long, as it's possible.

17.Thank for the interview, and the last word goes to you! Is there something, that you want to say to our readers?

I just want to thank everyone in the fuckin world for supporting Nuclear Assault, thrash metal, underground metal and metal at all. We have not forgotten you, we seriously realize, that if not people who cares, we wouldn't be able to do it.

Interview by Wojciech Michalak

foto Live leszek Wojnicz-Sianozęcki