In late March 2024, ANTHRAX introduced that, attributable to private causes, bassist Frank Bello wouldn’t be capable to accompany the band on its South American tour, which kicked off on April 13 at MXMF The Steel Fest in Mexico Metropolis. Filling in on these dates, in addition to two U.S. competition exhibits in Might, was ANTHRAX founding member and authentic bassist Dan Lilker, marking his first look with the band in 40 years. Lilker, who co-wrote and performed on ANTHRAX‘s debut album “Fistful Of Steel”, was additionally a member of STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH with ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante and guitarist Scott Ian.
In a brand new interview with That Steel Interview podcast, Lilker mirrored on the expertise of enjoying together with his former band once more, saying (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “These exhibits had been nice. It was enjoyable. I did not actually know Joey [Belladonna] earlier than that, the vocalist. Clearly, I knew Scott [Ian, ANTHRAX guitarist] and Charlie [Benante, ANTHRAX drummer] from [playing with them in ANTHRAX and] S.O.D. after which there’s Jon [Donais], the guitar participant, who’s additionally a extremely cool dude who helped me out loads, educating me the stuff that I nonetheless wanted to study. However yeah, these exhibits had been nice. There was eight exhibits in South America after which there was a few U.S. fests, in Florida and Columbus, Ohio. The South American [shows] had been in April. I ought to say Central America — really, the primary present was in Mexico. However let’s simply say Latin America. And all these exhibits had been killer. I imply, I’ve performed down there a bunch. I went to some locations I’ve by no means been earlier than, like Costa Rica and Ecuador and El Salvador. However good outdated Chile and Argentina and Brazil, I knew these had been gonna be killers as a result of I performed there a bunch with different bands. And, yeah, I believe the whole lot was nice. It was a lot of enjoyable. And I believe individuals loved it, man. It is throughout YouTube.”
Requested if it is true that they’d just one rehearsal in Mexico Metropolis earlier than he performed his first present again with ANTHRAX, Dan mentioned: “Yeah, there was one rehearsal in Mexico, however I would gotten approached about doing that about 5 or 6 weeks earlier than that. So I had time at residence to study the stuff, after which we simply did that one rehearsal, as a result of even these guys wanted the rehearsal, ‘trigger they hadn’t completed something at that time since they performed, like, the Milwaukee Steel Fest the summer time earlier than or one thing. They’d gone about ten months with out doing something, so even when Frank had completed the exhibits, they might’ve rehearsed regardless.”
When the interviewer famous that Lilker has a barely completely different bass sound in comparison with Frank, Dan concurred. “Oh, undoubtedly,” he mentioned. “[Frank] has a pleasant aggressive bass tone, however mine’s undoubtedly just a little extra distorted, having at all times appeared like that after which enjoying grindcore and black and dying steel and shit like they’ve completed the final fucking quarter century. Scott and Charlie had performed with me with S.O.D. with that bass tone, and I am positive they had been conscious that it could sound just a little completely different with ANTHRAX, nevertheless it was virtually, like, it made it this fascinating hypothetical factor for these dudes, like, ‘What if Danny had been within the band all this time? What would these songs sound like?’ And you bought to seek out out, I suppose.”
Requested if there have been any songs that he needed to study for ANTHRAX‘s set that gave him hassle, Dan mentioned: “The one factor that was tough generally was doing the backing vocals whereas enjoying the bass, ‘trigger generally the phrasing was just a little completely different. Like, imagine it or not, going ‘what’s it? Caught in a mosh’ and enjoying the riff below it, it sort of alternates weirdly. So I needed to gradual the entire thing down in my mind and go, ‘Okay, you need to faucet your foot right here or say this on that notice.’ And that is solely as a result of in most bands I have been in, if I am doing backing vocals, I am often simply screaming or shouting a few phrases, which this isn’t that dissimilar from. It was simply extra of a musical phrasing factor, the place what you are saying and what you are enjoying are simply completely different sufficient that it will possibly fuck you up just a little.”
Lilker has not been idle over the previous 4 a long time, having performed in all kinds of bands. He was the bassist for the thrash/steel band NUCLEAR ASSAULT and the grindcore band BRUTAL TRUTH. He additionally performs bass for EXIT-13, MALFORMED EARTHBORN, THE RAVENOUS, OVERLORD EXTERMINATOR, VENOMOUS CONCEPT, and extra.
To have fun ANTHRAX‘s fortieth anniversary in 2021, the band’s social media accounts supplied a collection of video testimonials despatched in by former bandmembers, fellow musicians, colleagues, and business veterans sharing behind-the-scenes tales of working with the band and what ANTHRAX‘s legacy has meant all these years on. These movies honored every album in chronological order starting with the unique launch, “Fistful Of Steel”. The 11-week collection included video contributions from former ANTHRAX bandmembers Lilker, Dan Spitz, John Bush, Neil Turbin and Rob Caggiano.
Lilker, who performed bass on “Fistful Of Steel” and wrote many of the music for the file, informed Knotfest about ANTHRAX‘s fortieth anniversary: “I am undoubtedly happy with that entire factor. I believe it is nice that these guys are nonetheless going… That was actual good recollections again then. I do know individuals go, ‘Oh, they fucking threw you out after that,’ and blah blah blah. However, clearly, I obtained over that and shaped NUCLEAR ASSAULT. And subsequent yr we had been doing S.O.D. So I am not the sort of man who stays bitter without end. However, yeah, the recollections of these instances, writing that file and recording it and the whole lot was… ‘Trigger there was no blueprint or something; we simply had influences and simply tried to place our personal stamp on ’em again then. So, yeah, it sort of sucks being thrown out three days earlier than [it got] launched, nevertheless it gave me an excuse to do one thing else.”
When interviewer Daniel Dekay famous that it was “actually cool” of ANTHRAX to permit Lilker to inform his aspect of the story within the above-mentioned documentary collection, Dan mentioned: “There was instances prior to now the place I might need been just a little uncared for on a few of the stuff. So I believe they wished to ensure to simply have a pleasant, inclusive vibe and never neglect any explicit particulars. Like the truth that I wrote 75 p.c of ‘Fistful Of Steel’. You recognize, a minor element.”
A lot of years in the past, Lilker informed Voices From The Darkside that he was fired from ANTHRAX attributable to “a battle” with the band’s then-vocalist Neil Turbin. “He was an egotist (like most singers, haha) and it bothered him that I used to be taller than him,” Lilker defined. “Additionally, he had no humorousness, so in case you busted his balls he took it significantly. So, he informed the opposite members, ‘I am unable to take Lilker anymore. It is him or me.’ They determined he was extra vital as a well-recognized frontman to the followers, in order that they threw me out, although I wrote 75 p.c of the music on ‘Fistful…’. Oh nicely. He was, in fact, thrown out seven months later, and I performed with Scott and Charlie in S.O.D. the subsequent yr.”
In his 2014 autobiography “I am The Man: The Story Of That Man From Anthrax”, Ian described Lilker‘s dismissal from ANTHRAX 30 years earlier as “the worst second for me within the historical past” of the band. He went on to say that the choice to kick Dan out ANTHRAX was made by Turbin and never the opposite members of the group.
“The most important dick transfer Neil ever pulled was when he fired Danny Lilker behind our backs after ‘Fistful…’ got here out in January 1984,” Ian wrote. “The primary cause he did it, in my view, was as a result of Danny is taller than him. He truthfully did not assume somebody must be taller than the frontman onstage. He thought it made him look dangerous, so he tried to face as distant from Danny as doable, which was arduous once we had been enjoying phases the dimensions of ping-pong tables.”
In recent times, Ian has voiced his appreciation for the function “Fistful Of Steel” performed in giving ANTHRAX its begin, telling Steel Hammer: “Let’s face it, ‘Fistful Of Steel’ gave us our profession. It obtained the band some consideration, made individuals everywhere in the world conscious of what we may do — and for that cause alone I’ve to be grateful to everybody concerned. The file was important in launching us, and the whole lot we have completed, and turn into, since stems from that debut file. I could also be vital of it in some methods, however I may by no means do something aside from admit we owe all of it to ‘Fistful Of Steel’. If that had by no means occurred… nicely, maybe you’d by no means have heard of ANTHRAX.”
The second version of the definitive Lilker biography “Perpetual Conversion: 30 Years & Counting In The Life Of Steel Veteran Dan Lilker” was formally launched ten years to the day of its first version, on Lilker‘s sixtieth birthday, October 18, 2024, by smoke.grind.sleep Publishing.
