Nuclear Assault

Nuclear Assault

Nuclear Assault is a thrash metal band from Queens, United States. The group forms in New York City in 1984 and is active from 1985 to 2022. It belongs to the crossover thrash, heavy metal, metal, speed metal and thrash metal genres, and is associated with In-Effect.

Background

Nuclear Assault emerges from the mid-to-late 1980s thrash metal scene and becomes one of the better-known East Coast bands of that period, alongside Overkill, Whiplash, Toxik, Carnivore and Anthrax. Bassist Dan Lilker, who co-founds Anthrax, is part of Nuclear Assault after leaving Anthrax soon after that band’s first album.

Releases and activity

The band releases six studio albums, along with two live albums, four EPs and one compilation. Its studio albums are Game Over, Survive, Handle with Care, Out of Order, Something Wicked and Third World Genocide. Survive and Handle with Care are its most successful records, reaching No. 145 and No. 126 on the Billboard 200 respectively. After touring heavily through the 1980s and early 1990s, the group breaks up in 1995, reunites briefly in 1997, and then returns permanently in 2002.

Later years

After Third World Genocide in 2005, Nuclear Assault does not release another full-length studio album. In 2015 it issues four new songs on the EP Pounder, and it continues to perform live sporadically before ending activity in 2022.

Members

The band’s members include Dan Lilker, John Connelly, Glenn Evans, Anthony Bramante, Dave DiPietro, Erik Burke and Scott Metaxas.