NUCLEAR ASSAULT's DAN LILKER Slams BLABBERMOUTH.NET 'Sh*t-Talkers'

Cameron Edney of Australia's Inside_Out666 recently conducted an interview with bassist Dan Lilker (NUCLEAR ASSAULT, BRUTAL TRUTH, CRUCIFIST, ANTHRAX, S.O.D.). A few excerpts from the chat follow:

Inside_Out666: Were you happy with the outcome of NUCLEAR ASSAULT's latest album, "Third World Genocide"?

Dan Lilker: "Yeah, pretty much. Being the first album in such a long time of course we had to make sure that we were going to like it. I would have liked to have done the mix a little more like we did it in the old days, where we were all in the same room but now with technology once we did the recording the record company would mix it then send us links to stuff on servers. Everybody would email in and say well it's got enough of this or it could use a little more of that. I guess it was kind of convenient to do it that way."

Inside_Out666: So far, have the media and fans responses been positive towards the latest album and the shows you guys have played thus far?

Dan Lilker: "The kids I've spoken seem to like the album a lot. I suppose you could say it's gotten some mixed reviews in the media. Some of the criticism over here in the States could be considered fair because more people think there should be more of a percentage of thrashier tracks on the record. We tried to write what we did naturally, there is some intense stuff on the album & maybe the critics are right. There's more fast material on 'Game Over' but then again with 'Handle With Care' we wrote more pretty mid-speed songs. Some people aren't crazy about the production but we were going for more of an Eighties production. I think that a lot of people that grew up with triggers and ProTools might be a bit thrown by it because it's just good old warm analog production. As far as the shows that we've been doing, the response has been positive. We've been sticking to a lot of the old stuff at the shows because we've had what you would call a revolving door of guitar players and the guy who has been playing guitar with us lately, Karl Cochran, is a very busy guy and he hasn't really learnt any of the new stuff. At the moment we're doin' one new song, 'Taste of Freedom' and mostly just sticking to the older goodies."

Inside_Out666: Going way back to when you started out in the business, If someone had come up to you and told you that you would still be doing this all these years later would you have believed them?

Dan Lilker: "Probably, 'cause there's not much else that I can do really well [laughs]. Oh, that would be really hard to say when you're 22 and you think that when you're 41, like I am now, that you're old. You think that you can't do it because your fuckin' body's gonna fall apart [laughs]. Obviously music is very important to me I've always been passionate about it. I'd probably say yes, I couldn't say what I'd be doin. Back in 1993 I never thought there would be NUCLEAR ASSAULT again."

Inside_Out666: What's the biggest differences you notice these days in the business compared to when you were starting out?

Dan Lilker: "Well, the Internet's made it easier for smaller bands and labels to promote themselves, which is a positive thing. On the other hand, you have message boards and shit like Blabbermouth where people can talk a bunch of shit and never have to own up to it, which is annoying. Otherwise, some things haven't changed. All these labels start signing bands whether they're good or not then it wears itself out and something else starts. Those things never seems to change everything goes in cycles."

Inside_Out666: What comes to mind when you look back on those early experiences with ANTHRAX?

Dan Lilker: "Oh, that was just a really exciting time. It was really cool being on the cusp of the new music movement. We were pretty early in on that. We were young and just caught up in something we thought was really cool. I was thrown through a loop then thrown out two days before the first album came out but then we ended up doing S.O.D. the next year with Scott and Charlie. I've had my differences with those guys over the years for various reasons but it was a very fun time and I wouldn't trade it for anything."

Inside_Out666: As you mentioned, after your departure from ANTHRAX you continued to do work with both Scott and Charlie in S.O.D. Do you keep in contact with the guys these days?

Dan Lilker: "Oh, yeah, just here and there. We played the same festival with ANTHRAX in Germany not long ago and we saw each other backstage. John Connolly and Charlie hadn't seen each other in years so they went off to have a beer and catch up. Certain things over the history of our careers have been a little questionable and those guys are aware of that but we all get along, I drop them a line from time to time just to say 'Hi, how's it going?' or 'Happy fuckin Thanksgiving.'"

Inside_Out666: Given the number of bands you have been in, what is the one album you are most proud of making and why? Is it even possible to narrow it down to one?

Dan Lilker: "Oh that's pretty difficult man. If you had to narrow it down to a few then there would be the first BRUTAL TRUTH album, 'Speak English or Die' with S.O.D., 'Game Over' with NUCLEAR ASSAULT. There's other records too but those ones stand out for different reasons. The S.O.D. album made such an impact for something that was just a joke. The first BRUTAL TRUTH album was very memorable and was still fresh at the time, it just fuckin freaked people out. 'Game Over' because that was the band that I was doing hard time with then. S.O.D. was just a project so to get that album out then your first album with a band that you have been working for is a very satisfying milestone. I can't get it down to one, but I can get it down to three [laughs]."

Read the entire interview at Inside_Out666.