Metal
Nuclear Assault are done for good. The New York thrash band announced it on Thursday in a statement addressed to “our fans worldwide”: “We want to make it absolutely clear that Nuclear Assault has officially come to an end. There will be no reunions, no farewell tours, no future live performances, and no new studio recordings. This chapter of our lives is permanently closed.”
The band had split and reformed several times before: in 1995, after a final stretch with a reshuffled line-up; in 1998, after three reunion shows; in 2008; and in November 2022, when they announced on social media that they were calling it quits after a few years of sporadic gigs, mostly in South America and the US.
Dan Lilker formed the band in 1984 with singer and guitarist John Connelly, having been fired from Anthrax, the band he had co-founded, just after its debut. “Game Over” (1986), “Survive” (1988) and “Handle with Care” (1989) put them on the map of East Coast thrash. The last two made the Billboard 200, at Nos. 145 and 126.
Their last full-length is “Third World Genocide”, from 2005. After that came only the four songs on the “Pounder” EP, released on 1 June 2015. The statement says the records, remastered releases and videos “will remain”.
Text by Roger Estivill