NUCLEAR ASSAULT are done for good. In a statement posted to social media on Thursday, November 12, the New York thrash veterans declared that the band "has officially come to an end", ruling out reunions, farewell tours, future live performances and new studio recordings. "This chapter of our lives is permanently closed," they wrote.
The message is signed by the band's last lineup: vocalist/guitarist John Connelly, bassist Danny Lilker, drummer Glenn Evans and guitarist Anthony Bramante. NUCLEAR ASSAULT have not played live since September 2022.
Looking back on more than four decades, the musicians said they were proud of the journey from New York City clubs to stages around the world and thanked everyone who bought the records, came to the shows and wore the shirts. "Although NUCLEAR ASSAULT will never take the stage together again, the music isn't going anywhere," the statement reads. "Our recordings, remastered releases, and videos will remain for longtime fans to enjoy and for future generations to discover."
The announcement shuts down reunion talk that had resurfaced this year. In June, Bramante said on the YouTube show "The Syncin' Wang Show" that he was open to one last reunion — not a tour, but a couple of nights in a single venue such as New Jersey's Starland Ballroom, so that fans could see the original band one final time. Speaking only for himself, he pointed to BLACK SABBATH's farewell show as the model and admitted that the band might rehearse and discover "it don't work" anymore.
Formed in New York in the mid-1980s by Lilker, shortly after his exit from ANTHRAX, and Connelly, NUCLEAR ASSAULT became one of the defining East Coast thrash bands, mixing speed, hardcore punk energy and Connelly's sharp, often political lyrics. Their catalog includes Game Over, Survive, Handle With Care — which we rated 7/10 — Out Of Order, Something Wicked and the 2005 comeback Third World Genocide, which earned a less forgiving 4/10 from us. The band's last studio release was the 2015 EP Pounder.
The group signed off with thanks to fans "in every country" for "over 40 years of unwavering support".