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Interview: Dan Lilker

Dan Lilker has been involved with heavy metal for many years. Whether you spotted him in his first "real" band nuclear assault, or followed his career from NYC speed metal band Anthrax to his work in Brutal Truth, you probably recognize something he's touched in the past decade and a half. We caught up with Dan after spotting him goofing off on the internet, and he was kind enough to answer some quick and obscure questions.
1. some people would accuse you of trend-jumping in that you've covered the spectrum of genres from speed metal to grindcore to black metal and now to whatever the ravenous is.
nuclear assault was part of the original new york speed metal movement and remains one of the few credible listens from this genre today; dan lilker played bass in nuclear assault while wanting to move from speed metal to a more grindcore-influenced soundLet's do a quick overview of my history in metal. Formed Anthrax, got tossed 'cos Neil Turbin was a prick. Formed N.A. ('84). Played faster, more hardcore-tinged thrash than Anthrax. So far, no trend-jumping, lol. Was invited to do S.O.D., accepted.

Side note: All this time I still treasured my Hellhammer and Fate collection!

OK, after 8 years of N.A., I grew tired of thrash and wanted to play much more extreme shit, hence B.T. Was that trend jumping, or merely doing what I really wanted to do, rather than stagnating and not enjoying myself? Hmmmm...

In '96 I also joined Hemlock, 'cos I enjoyed a lot of 90's b.m. and I still held the old bands close to my heart. Perhaps some cynically-minded people might see that as bandwagon-jumping, but I was just enjoying myself...

Almost done! B.T. broke up for personal reasons in '98, not 'cos I was tired of not playing "popular" music, hehe.

In early 2000 I received a call inviting me to jam with Chris fuckin' Reifert, whaddaya THINK I'm gonna say to that???

2. are you saying people talk a lot of shit about metal musicians in public? thanks for the history of your involvement with metal.
Consider this: When I talk shit and get aggressive, well, everyone knows who I am , right, and they could find me at a Metalfest and get in my face, but I have no idea what all those other people look like...
3. Nuclear Assault... let's talk more about this, if possible. What were your influences then? Who wrote most of the material? Why the switch to longer song formats almost exclusively (excepting great stuff like F# wake up) after the first two eps?
We were into a lot of HC and thrash metal, I guess, Celtic Frost, Adrenalin O.D., etc.John and I were the main songwriters. Longer songs? Well, the first release we ever put out, Braindeath, had a 9-minute title track! I guess we "matured", I don't know...
mr. softee theme pictorial allusion because dan lilker and john connelly and glen evans and anthony bramante saw fit to include mr. softee theme on early nuclear assault releases4. And for kicks: who came up with mr softee theme? I've driven away neighbors with that one. ICE CREAM!
Ha! John always played that dumb riff at rehearsal, and it blossomed from there!
5. SOD came after the DRI/MDC expansion perhaps, but seemed like an extension of what Anthrax and Agnostic Front were doing rolled into one.
Well, you'll notice that I never said we created crossover, I just said we made it trendy, lol! But it's true. Metal kids started getting more into HC after "Speak..." came out, no doubt about it.
6. I thought Brutal Truth was one of the hopeful lights for the grindcore genre since the rest of it just seemed to slide into fucking turd...I don't blame you for jumping out of the grindcore style when you did whether people call it trend hopping or not.
Well, it's the semantics of trend jumping that bothers me, as it would seem to connote someone making a conscious and deliberate effort to play whatever's popular at the time, regardless of whether that person really likes the genre in question. And that has NEVER EVER been the case with me, but I can't help it if people come to their own conclusions. I just do what I wanna do, play what I wanna play, and that's it, end of story.
7. Interesting. Black Metal seems like hardcore an ideologically-based genre (of some sort) so people take its boundaries more seriously. So far we're at four genres in which you've participated, and I can see why others might see that as bandwagon jumping, but my opinion is neutral as of now. Who started hemlock and what 90s BM do you enjoy? Or rather, since you put that in the past tense, what 90s BM did you enjoy?
I have always noticed that HC and b.m. have the same type of narrow-minded, snobby, (un)holier than thou attitude. And it always seems that the people who have got into it the most recently talk the most shit, lol! Hemlock was started by Lino (D777). I still enjoy 90's b.m. like Nazxul, Darkthrone, Immortal, blah,blah,blah.
8. Although it always sucks when a useful band breaks up, sometimes it's unavoidable. Besides, Brutal Truth was one of the top acts on relapse, right?
Yeah, we were definitely a big priority for Relapse and they were crushed when we split up, but there was no other way, so, oh well!
9. Pretty cool that for a dude over 30 you're able to keep up the lifestyle. Speaking of which, mind a few more questions? Bongs or pipes? Hashish or vegetable matter? Constant or intensity ingestion? Most profound statement of relevance of THC to your lifestyle and ideas?
Pipes. I'm too lazy to keep re-loading! Just stuff that fucker and smoke! I enjoy hash and herb equally, but hash is a nice treat since it's rarer here. In March, me and my wife are going to London and AMSTERDAM for our first anniversary, so..........yeah.
brutal truth took grindcore to new extremes of speed and eventually, pop-progressive noise-rock sensibilities from japan; dan lilker played bass in brutal truth
10. Grindcore is by nature an ideological genre, but once you're in the general area of protest music style lyrics, most of which are what we could call "leftist" or "anarchist," you're part of the club. It seems to me that to many musicians, lyrics are mostly irrelevant. How does this fit into your worldview?
Well, Brutal Truth had socially conscious lyrics, but it would certainly be a stretch to say we were anarchists or anything. Our lyrics were not really outright political as opposed to your DRI's and COC's. Once Kevin took over singing in '91 all the lyrics got really interpretive and indirect anyway. As for me, I am a bassist and musician first; lyrics will always be secondary to music to me. That doesn't mean I would play songs like "Kill The Niggers" or "Vegan For Life", hehe. My worldview? I'm basically a laid-back, tolerant person, and I don't really attempt to inject these views into the music I play.
11. When you were making music with Brutal Truth, there is a shift in style on Need to Control that marks a departure toward depth in harmony and texture in music that on the first album was direct, straight ahead blasting chaotic grind. What inspired this shift? If you could do it again, would you still?
Drugs. Or, specifically, marijuana. Well, that's generalizing. Our first drummer, Scott, who didn't get high, left the band 'cos he was sick of playing drums and touring, he really just wanted to sprawl on the couch with remote in hand. So, we got Rich, a big pothead, like us, and it made the music a lot more in-depth. It also had to do with the fact that a lot of the songs from the first one were written solely by me, where as NTC was more of a group effort.
12. Need to Control is one of my favorite grindcore albums. Was it intended as a whole, or was it collected songs? Where and when was most of it written, and how much embellishment occurred in the studio?
With hindsight I dislike the production, but the songs are good. I wouldn't say it was written as a whole, although we wrote them all in a house by the lake in New Hampshire in the dead of winter, which (to me) gives all the songs a unifying theme. The noise songs were tracked there on my old analog Tascam 8-track cassette board (RIP). I wasn't there for the mix, Earache wouldn't pay for all 4 band members to chill in Liverpool where itwas mixed, so I couldn't tell you much about any embellishment, but let's say it didn't sound incredibly different than the raw tracks.
13. Did Nuclear Assault ever get in any flack from censoring or album stickering problems in the 1980s and 1990s?
Nah. I don't think we attained the level of popularity where those assholes noticed us.
14. Are there any current bands to which you listen?
Terror Of The Trees.
dan lilker with dimmu borgir who at least used to produce great albums, despite their recent more popular stuff. dan is the one in the middle.15. What are your responses to the following: Burzum, Beherit, Sarcofago, Krieg, Kult ov Azazel, Averse Sefira, Slayer, Repulsion, Napalm Death, Carcass, Graveland, Antaeus, Demoncy?
Burzum: Great music from an idiot. Beherit: All Beherit is cool by me, from that pile of crap (Oath) to the electronica shit. Sarcofago: Beautiful raw primitive. Krieg: My homeboy Imperial. Krieg is good shit and this guy always supported Hemlock. Kult ov Azazel: I haven't heard them, but Black Witchery says they're good. Averse Sefira: Haven't heard them either. Saw one of them fighting with D77 from Hemlock on the FMP board, much to my amusement. Slayer: They ain't what they used to be, but still great live. Repulsion: Ah yes, classic and revolutionary death-grind. Napalm Death: Love all the old shit. Carcass: Ditto. Graveland: I certainly don't agree with Darken's views... and their drummer is so crap that their music isn't very good either. Antaeus: Never heard 'em, but I've heard good things. Demoncy: Played with 'em in NYC. Cool guys, good band.
16. You're married. Is your lady a metal woman?
Oh yeah! We met at the 2000 March Metal Meltdown, as a matter of fact. You should see our apartment!
17. What do you like most about living in New York?
Convenience.
18. What do you dislike most about living in the USA?
Knowing that most Europeans think we're all fat, loud, know-it-alls.
19. Have you had any ideological conflicts with black metal?
Only with what's commonly known as NSBM. Call me a purist, but I think bm should not be diluted with social commentary. Not to mention that talking shit about blacks and Jews, etc., puts these people in the same category of thinking as diehard God-fearing Christians like the KKK, for instance. Anybody who has anything in common with those dirtbags should not be playing a genre of music that rejects commonplace religious views.
20. I understand you are recovering from a childhood in a middle eastern religion (all major Western religions originate in the middle east). Can you explain what factors have helped and hindered your recovery, and what started you on the path away from judeo-christianity?
Heh heh. I was never a religious person, religion has never meant anything to me, I've been as atheist as long as I remember, ever since I was old enough to understand the concept of deities. My parents never attempted to coerce me to embrace religion 'cos they are not that religious themselves. I suppose the fact that I simply never bought into the concept of the existence of a God in the first place started me down the path... But it wasn't until Sabbath and Venom that it had a focus.
dan lilker with previous band SOD and headman billy milano during the time of his nuclear assault presence21. Do you prefer indica or sativa? What is your favorite strain of sinsemilla?
Oh please, I'm not some High Times-style aficianado. I prefer strong, skunky weed to regs but I'll smoke whatever does the trick! I enjoy smoking in quantity, or should I say always having a fat bag nearby, so I'm not gonna regularly drop $50 for something that'll last 2 days.
22. What instruments besides bass do you play?
Guitar, keyboard, and half-assed drums.
23. You were one of the first bassists to embrace playing with distortion. What engendered this decision?
Discharge, I think. Specifically the "Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing" LP. I had a Peaver Mark4 bass head that distorted if you tweaked it and that was it. I never went back.
24. What other musicians have influenced your technique, and what is your opinion on technique playing?
To be honest I don't really seek inspiration from anyone nowadays, I was never one of those bassists who practiced constantly or anything. My original inspirations way back when were people like the guys from Cream, Zeppelin, Sabbath, and then later Steve Harris from Maiden. Fancy technical playing isn't my thing, however, I certainly wouldn't bash people who do that shit.
25. when you played that show at the anti-club in los angeles that i saw years ago, with brutal truth, your response after the cover of "lord of this world" was to give a middle finger to the heavens. how do you feel about god? you clearly make the distinction between tolerating religious beliefs of others, and insisting on those freedoms (in lyrics of some bands), but also having a personal stance on religion. how do you feel about everyday religions and how they differ from, say, the beliefs of the church of the creator or the KKK?
I was probably just drunk'n'stoned and being silly. As far as everyday religions go, I pretty much ignore them. If people need that kind of spiritual structure in their lives, that's on them. I think the extremists are actually more honest in their outright hatred. I don't need any of that shit.
26. it seems to me black metal was founded on these beliefs, and on a renaissance retro-fascination with classical and european culture. do you think there's room for people with more leftist and tolerant beliefs, like yours, in black metal or do you think it would be like a nazi grindcore band, an anomaly?
I disagree with you. Black metal originally had no political leanings. All this fascination with cultural origins, etc., came about in the 90's.
27. this is an interesting line of questioning for me, as the u.s.a. is about to go under police state precautions while engaging in a christian activity to save a jewish state and ally in the middle east. how do you feel about this entire chaotic terrorist situation, and do you see it as odd that leftists are encouraging what many would call "fascist" reforms? i'm speaking of the justification of women's freedom and music and freedom of speech in afghanistan, and other rhetoric from president bush in this war against an "axis of evil." do you see this situation as positive, negative or of mixed qualities?
Oh, it's all a big fucking mess. I would agree that the Israelis are no better than all the other scumbags out there, with the notable exception that when they retaliate, they don't kill innocents in marketplaces. It's very hard to say what's right or wrong in that part of the world, some people see the USA as imperialistic meddlers, others see the Middle East as a huge shitpit full of psychotic fundamentalists. Me? I say that not all Muslims are terrorists, but the reverse DOES seem to apply...
28. If you could play in a band with one other metal musician of note, who would it be and why?
It would be interesting to jam with Trey Azagthoth, he seems to be a very focused, intense musician. I already jam with Reifert!
What the Gospels make instinctive is precisely the reverse of all heroic struggle, of all taste for conflict: the very incapacity for resistance is here converted into something moral: ("resist not evil !"--the most profound sentence in the Gospels, perhaps the true key to them), to wit, the blessedness of peace, of gentleness, the inability to be an enemy. What is the meaning of "glad tidings"?--The true life, the life eternal has been found--it is not merely promised, it is here, it is in you; it is the life that lies in love free from all retreats and exclusions, from all keeping of distances. Every one is the child of God--Jesus claims nothing for himself alone--as the child of God each man is the equal of every other man. . . .Imagine making Jesus a hero! - F.W. Nietzsche, "The Antichrist"
Death Metal and Black Metal Search Engine

The Metal Basement

30 07 12 - 14:32

New radio program DJ'd in part by one of our users:

The Metal Basement with Maniacal Michael & the Basement Bunch.

It airs every Tuesday night from 10-12 PM PST.

 

Metal Rising Worldwide

30 06 12 - 08:34

 

Beherit - "Celebrate the Dead"

18 06 12 - 19:34

Black metal + dubstep



Numen - intention = essence
 

Why this blog has been silent

31 03 12 - 05:58

We've moved it.

 

Impiety - Ravage and Conquer

03 03 12 - 06:07

Impiety - Ravage and Conquer



This album is thoroughly enjoyable energetic and simple death metal which incorporates enough hints of melody and harmony to give the songs memorability. However, on the whole it belongs to that category of bands which are guilty pleasure bands by design. They do not aim for profundity, but rather intensity. We might list Vader and Angelcorpse as well, or maybe early Grave, because they have a similar low-tech approach. There is not much that is musical about this release. It is pure rhythm, with the aforementioned musical elements tacked on to keep your interest. But as rhythm, it has the intensity of later Angelcorpse and the raging power of broad basic statements that propelled early Grave. Its songs are not as memorably constructed as those on Exterminate or Into the Grave, have more the intensity of mid-period Vader, but in a time of feeble self-pitying rock bands trying to be hipster "metal," it's gratifying to find something with heart. You will tap your feet to these energetic, propulsive tunes and appreciate the sheer violence out of which they are created. Unlike many recent albums which drag you along for the ride, Ravage and Conquer drops you into the middle of it and makes you fight your way out.

 

Imprecation - Angel of Salvation's Doom (2012)

29 02 12 - 19:08



From their new blasphemous album. Sounds good, with a few nods to 1980s mainstream technical metal, pissing all over 2010s technical metal.
 

DEAD CAN DANCE tour dates announced

29 02 12 - 05:21

SEPTEMBER

19th - HCTAT, Istanbul, Turkey
21st - Earth Theatre, Thessaloniki, Greece
23rd - Lycabetus Theatre, Athens, Greece
25th - MCV, Utrecht, Holland
27th - Grand Rex, Paris, France
29th - Cirque Royal, Brussels, Belgium

OCTOBER

1st - Alte Oper, Frankfurt, Germany
3rd - Tempodrom, Berlin, Germany
5th - CCH, Hamburg, Germany
7th - Philharmonie, Munich, Germany
8th - Philharmonie, Cologne, Germany
10th - KCP, Prague, Czech Republic
12th - Bkz Oktyabrsky, St. Petersburg, Russia
13th - Crocus City Hall, Moscow, Russia
15th - Sala Kongresowa, Warsaw, Poland
17th - Papp Laszlo Arena, Budapest, Hungary
19th - Teatro Degli Arcimboldi, Milan, Italy
20th - Batiment Des Forces Motrices, Geneva, Switzerland
22nd - Auditori, Barcelona, Spain
24th - Casa Da Musica, Porto, Portugal
26th - Royal Albert Hall, London, England
28th - Grand Canal Theatre, Dublin, Ireland

Dates for the North American, South American and Asian legs of the tour will be announced shortly, along with ticket sales information

www.deadcandance.com
 

IMPRECATION update

22 02 12 - 17:48

New Imprecation tracks will be unleashed next week, the release should be ready by the end of March. The songs to come are entitled "Hosanna Ex Inferis" and "Angel of Salvation's Doom". - David Herrera
 

SUMMONING working on new materail

19 02 12 - 19:00


19.02.2012
After a longer winter-sleep summoning is back again and ow works constantly for a new release. We promise that in the near future we will regularly update the homepage again, so it will we worth the costs to check the page in regular intervals.

The present situation of Summoning:

In the past years we have worked on new material just very rarely because of different reasons (partly personal, partly being not motivated enough) but since the last months ,we intensified the work for new material and realised, that the old spirit is back again and we are very motivated for a cool new release and we are very committed in every terms of composing.

Meanwhile there are two songs which are fix starters for the album. 4 or 5 songs are in a more advance state and we composed riffs for at least 10 or 15 songs in a very early state. Btw. we still have one finished song from the last oath bound session which also will be in one or another way. so probably this time we are in the luck situation that we have more songs left, so maybe there will be some special limited fan releases beside the normal release, but this is of course just a wish right now.

We hope that until the end of this year most of the material for the new album can be finished. In the moment we have no concrete conception about the lyrical concept. All we can say right now is, that Summoning is still alive and middle earth will awake again. - SUMMONING official web presence


This is encouraging.

It does not sound like it will be soon, but so long as quality is high, it will be massively anticipated.
 

THRASH is not SPEED METAL

18 02 12 - 16:52



Mix together the early CIRCLE JERKS, early BLACK FLAG, MDC, MINOR THREAT, SSD, TERVEET K�DET, and GANG GREEN, and you have something approximating these DIRTY ROTTEN IMBECILES (so-called by their parents). What can I say--this is manic, intense, tight thrash with great lyrics, and I can't wait till these Houston boys unleash themselves upon the rest of us deprived people. 22 songs.
-Tim Yohannan (from Maximum Rocknroll #5, March/April 1983)

 

PROFANATICA - Sickened By Holy Host / The Grand Masters Session

18 02 12 - 16:51



This oddity features an all new 39 minute mini-album plus the "The Grand Masters Session" Box Set on CD for the very first time. Nearly 80 minutes of true blasphemy & perversion.

PART #1 features 5 new songs plus 2 old classics written and recorded by Ledney with a session member. The performance on this work is much like their primitive NECROVORE-ous atrocities committed in the early '90s and allows for safe assumption of what could have been heard on their long-lost album, "The Raping of the Virgin Mary."

Meanwhile, PART #2 features the same titles but written and recorded by Gelso alongside the same drums & vocals performed on part #1. The execution of this session continues in the more musical direction showcased on their first 2 albums and incorporates soundscapes sonically compiled by the late Aragon Amori. The end result is nothing short of devastating, and the vast contrast between these two sessions takes on the form of an album in itself that is sure to appeal to both old & new devotees of the black cult.

Finally, "The Grand Masters Session" previously available as a vinyl-only 8" Box Set, is a raging 2008 "live in the studio" recording showcasing many of the classics, a few newer hits and an exclusive medley (a conglomerate of 5 songs).

 

SUPURATION retrospective CD release

17 02 12 - 10:10



Yes, the mighty french legend SUPURATION (aka SUP) are back from the crematory in form of a retrospective collection CD which includes all the earliest and most brutal stuff of the band from '89 /'90 when they were in their most Death Metal shape right before they started to experiment with clean vocals and more varied sounds.

"Back from the Crematory" is the generic title of this cult release which is planned for an imminent release on September 16th. The CD includes the awesome band's debut self-financed mini CD "Sultry Obsession" ('90), their only demo "Official Rehearsal" ('90) as well as the impossible-to-find demo of the band's very 1st studio recording "Haunted" under their previous monicker ETSICROXE as well as a 9-song live show, both from '89.

This masterpiece comes with remastered sound and packed in a total old-fashioned layout in contrat to their latter weird & sophisticated designs. Includes killer 12-pages booklet featuring an exclusive retro-interview, liner notes, cover and tons of old photos & flyers. This definitely a must-have release not only for every SUPURATION fan, but for every lover of the good old Death Metal from late 80's and early 90's!!

http://www.xtreemmusic.com/
 

Lord Wind - Ales Stenar

12 02 12 - 07:36

New Lord Wind: not metal per se, but metal in spirit, and it will be hard to beat this impressive CD that I'm already calling as "album of the year."



Note new URL.
 

New SAMMATH

11 02 12 - 12:07

 

YADENU (Yet Another DEMONCY "Enthroned is the Night" Update)

11 02 12 - 12:06

Demoncy (CD) jackets are in production and on their way to completion. No release date has been given yet but we are expecting them roughly around the 22nd of February. - Forever Plagued Records

Can't fucking wait!
 

BLASPHERIAN update

09 02 12 - 17:24

BLASPHERIAN UPDATE:
NEW SONG FOR SPLIT 7" WITH IMPRECATION......FINISHED
2 NEW SONGS,REWORKED VERSION OF 'TO WALK THE PATH...'.... FINISHED
AND NOW WE BEGIN WRITING FOR THE UPCOMING SPLIT WITH CRUCIFIER 'THE POISONERS OF YAHWASTE'...
AND THEN WE RECORD THIS UNHOLY MADNESS....HOPEFULLY SOMETIME IN MARCH/APRIL 2012 ANNO SATANAS...
 

New footage of Quorthon

09 02 12 - 16:42

Part 1:



Part 2:



Part 3:


See also our interview with Quorthon, one of the smartest men in metal.
 

VARG VIKERNES converting to Christianity?

06 02 12 - 20:09

A textual comparison:

A Burzum Story: Part VIII - On Overgrown Paths

'Enter ye in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there are who go in thereat.

Bible

How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leadeth to life: and few there are that find it!' Matthew 7: 13-14

All I can say is... oy gevalt. Ripped shamelessly from Faceplant
 

Another DEMONCY update

06 02 12 - 19:55

Okay FPR confirmed the updated jacket design. I'm waiting to hear back that everything is accepted and in production. Remember everything is done but the jacket so once the jacket is done everything gets packaged and sent to us. I'll confirm once the jacket is in production and then I'll confirm once they give us an exact shipping date. I'll feel so much better once these are in the hands of all who preordered as I know we are at fault for accepting these pre's so damn early, considering the time its taking to get this finished.- FPR
 

Typical Gojira Fan

03 02 12 - 01:34



This from fans of the band who penned this lyrical turd:


I hold my inner child within
And tell him not to cry
"don't fear the living"
One day you will stand as a king
And no fear can erase
This light below us
Each one of us is now engaged
This secret we all have
This truth is growing
And as a warrior I have to fight
I can already feel
The love I'll discover


Is it fair to point out that anyone who thinks this is "poetry" or "profound" is of the level of stupidity found mainly in Twilight fans?
 
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