Danny Lilker of Nuclear Assault chats to Christina Rowatt about his bands, heavy music history, black metal stories, tattoos and lots more. Full content guide below:
00:00 Danny's current bands, Blurring (grindcore), Nocturnal Hellstorm (black metal) the Australian version of Stormtroopers of Beer, "Douche Crew" and occasionally Venomous Concept
02:38 The glamour of the music industry (smoking vs. waiting)
03:13 How did you fall in love with thrash; the origin stories
04:13 Going to see Venom and Metallica in '83
05:16 Danny's first metal shows - the classical moments
06:14 A tattoo tour
08:24 The end of Anthrax, the beginning of Nuclear Assault and the impact of Venom and Discharge
09:11 Why thrash lives forever and glam rock was just about dressing up and getting laid; the soundtrack to the end of the world
11:33 Playing music against the shallow world of rich and famous idolatry
12:13 Going from a thrash to a death metal grind band during the grunge era; the "metal monitors" and touring with Immolation and Cannibal Corpse
13:53 AC/DC songs with the "Douche Crew"
14:09 What was the beginning of grindcore?
15:08 The soothing nature of Norway's Ulver + weed
16:15 Breaking up and making up with Nuclear Assault over the years + the future
17:31 How does the thrash scene see Metallica?
18:13 Musicians with parallel paths like Australian Steve Hughes
19:38 Misconceptions about the complexity of heavy music and the occasional hilarity of Mayhem (featuring a guest appearance from Greg Puciato of Dillinger Escape Plan)
21:53 Christina's ridiculous idea about the Mayhem story as a black comedy series; Danny's experience of the band (they're good friends)
22:58 A new noise project + grain synths with Attila samples, Australian breakcore scene + New York's industrial anarchist band Missing Foundation playing CBGB's
24:57 Oderus from GWAR's experience of Australia's own Lubricated Goat + Danny's aromatic experience on tour with Watain and Mayhem
28:28 The best blast beats in the world? His favourite Australian band
29:33 Danny's cat and the new Blurring EP
30:03 Why is there so few women in black metal?
30:40 Getting Nocturnal Hellstorm released