Reviews list for Nuclear Assault - The Plague (1987)

I was a big fan of the 1986 debut album from New York thrash metal outfit Nuclear Assault. It was far from perfect but somehow managed to overcome its flaws through pure conviction & energy so I wasn’t surprised to find that 1987’s follow-up E.P. “The Plague” drew a similarly enthusiastic response. It’s a six-track affair that’s entirely made up of original material & given that there are no weak tracks included the question has to be asked as to why the band didn’t simply write a few more tunes & release it as a full-length album. 

The music is once again delivered with plenty of life & energy which was somewhat of a trademark for Nuclear Assault at the time but the production & performances are definitely a little less raw & show a touch more refinement. That’s not to say that “The Plague” is overly polished. The guitar sound is very much in line with other second tier 80’s thrash releases & it fully deserves any street cred it’s picked up as a result as the riffs benefit from a noticeably more shredding tone than the under-distorted, punky sound of “Game Over”. It’s great to hear Danny Lilker’s bass guitar being so easily heard in the mix too as that’s not always the case with thrash metal. 

As with “Game Over”, Nuclear Assault display a variety of influences across the tracklisting but they sound a bit more sure of what they’re trying to achieve here despite the regular genre-hopping. There’s definitely a bit more of what I’d describe as traditional thrash metal on offer with a good half of these tracks sitting comfortably under that tag & (with the exception of the gimmicky joke track “Butt Fuck” which sounds very much like Suicidal Tendencies’ “Institutionalized”) there’s noticeably less hardcore included which can only be a positive thing for me personally as I’m much more of a thrasher than a punk. I can detect loads of fellow New York thrashers Anthrax on tracks like “Game Over”, “Nightmares” & “Justice” & I’d be surprised if there wasn’t a direct influence there given their close proximity & the history of cross-pollination with their lineups. There was a fair whack of speed metal on the debut & they haven’t completely forgotten that element of their sound either with closer “Cross Of Iron” sounding very much like some of the faster Venom material. The slower & more melodic title track sits the furthest from the thrash metal model however & it’s also the clear highlight of the E.P. with a super-catchy chorus hook & a well-executed atmosphere that builds progressively. In fact, it sounds a lot like one of those big WASP power ballad anthems to my ears & not in a bad way either. You should expect to feel the urge to raise your lighter in the air when this one hits your ear drums. 

There’s nothing particularly technical about Nuclear Assault’s approach. Instead they opt for a simple but effective delivery that relies heavily on the strong musical relationships of the various band members. They remind me of Overkill in that respect as on paper some of their riffs don’t seem like anything you haven’t heard a thousand times before but the way they’re delivered seems to give them an extra edge for a reason I can’t put my finger on. The guitar solos are a classic example of this as they’re not terribly proficient but they manage to hide their technical deficiencies through a mixture of enthusiasm, effects & electricity. John Connelly’s vocal performance is improved on his first up effort too which helps to lift the flatter song-writing to acceptable levels. 

Sadly “The Plague” E.P. is mainly known for the controversial joke track “Butt Fuck” which was written about Motley Crue front man Vince Neil having gotten away with murder after killing former Hanoi Rocks drummer Razzle in a car accident while he was cripplingly drunk. This is a real pity as it’s not one of the better tracks included & also stands out in the tracklisting as it’s not reflective of the release as a whole. The opening instrumental track “Game Over” is a great way to kick off proceedings however & remains one of my personal favourites with its authoritative thrash riffage. 

“The Plague” is another strong release from Nuclear Assault. It doesn’t offer as many highlights as “Game Over” did which sees me slightly preferring the debut but there’s not all that much in it & I recommend that all thrashers should check it out.