### Brutal Truth - Danny Lilker

#### 14/06/07 || Global Domination

This interview was done by ex-staffer/cocksmoker Kampfar:

Hello, and welcome to this conversation with scene-veteran Danny Lilker. Hello to you as well, Danny.

Global Domination: It’s early morning in Norway now but I’ve already smoked me some hash. How about you?

Danny Lilker: Hello! Unfortunately I still have to work a shitty day job to contribute to the bills so I had to wait until now, after work. But I too have attained a higher consciousness. Hash is more prevalent in your neck of the woods, but I smoked some weed.

Please excuse my boldness, but why did you decide to reform? Is there a record in the making, or are you guys just planning to do some odd gigs before you retreat into your caves?

Originally it was to contribute to an EyeHateGod tribute record with the benefits going to the guys in EHG after Katrina trashed a couple of their homes and their jam spot. Once we got together for that, we said “what the fuck” and decided to see if we still had “it”. We did, and it all snowballed from there. Note: Original guitarist Gurn had too many domestic commitments and Erik Burke is playing with us now. We have finally begun to write a new record and I believe Relapse is interested in picking up where we left off. What makes you think we have left the caves?

I believe a major-part of our readers is familiar with your person beforehand, for those not I would like you to give a brief glimpse of your career. No fucking band-history.

That should make it nice and brief. I was a member of Anthrax, S.O.D., Nuclear Assault, currently doing Brutal Truth again, and I have played in Hemlock (NYC black metal) and currently also play in Crucifist.

I know that you recently played at the Inferno Festival held in Oslo, and I wonder, did it turn out well? I have a Slovakian friend who wasn’t too impressed, but he labeled your music gore grind, so I assume he was pretty fucking wasted when he witnessed your performance.

I thought it was a good show although I wish we had gone on later. However, we were added on the whole thing fairly late, which explains the opening slot, and we were glad to be there at all. As for your Slovakian chum, I guess he doesn’t know that much about us, but that’s cool.

I’ve read that you dig Burzum, how is that possible?

I like the early recordings of Burzum even though I think Vikernes is an idiot. Yes, he murdered Euronymous and introduced National Socialism into black metal, two very shitty things to do, but I can’t deny he made some great music. That’s all.

The eminent site I’m representing listed “Sounds from the animal kingdom” among the 100 best albums from the 90’s, how proud does that make you feel?

Well chuffed, mate! I hope there’s no Celine Dion on that list.

Have you ever the performed the last song on this album live? I’ve listened through it on numerous occasions and I’ve noticed that the production changes through the song. Is it my ears playing tricks on me, or does the sound really change?

I have no idea what you’re talking about. Just kidding! Over the course of 22 minutes or so, a distortion algorithm gradually gets more and more prominent until it is 100% in effect.

“Sounds from the animal kingdom” has one the best album covers ever, and I believe myself to interpret it the right way. I’m quite sure that you are saying man can be sophisticated and dressed-up but that primitive urges is always there, beneath our masks of rationality. Spot on or not?

Absolutely! It was a slap in the face to those who think we were created in the image of some imaginary being, when in fact we are not that far removed from apes. I think my 2 cats are better people than a whole lot of motherfucking humans walking around on 2 legs and thinking they’re hot shit.

“Extreme conditions demands extreme response” is rightfully touted as an all-time classic by many, do you have any sales figures? What do you think of the album today?

I do not have any sales figures but I have been told many times myself how special that album is for a lot of people and especially musicians. I’m still as proud of it today as the day it came out.

Do you still have the world’s shortest music video by the way?

Apparently Napalm Death has produced a one second video to top our two second one! Bastards!

I regard “Need to control” as your brightest moment, and, honestly, I don’t think you’ll ever top it. Take it as a compliment. Do you have a favourite Brutal Truth album yourself?

Well thank you sir. Ironically that’s my least favorite one but that has a lot to do with the fact that it was a real pain in the ass to record. I’m split between “Extreme Conditions…” and “Sounds…”, the first is very focused and savage, but “Sounds” shows us at our craziest, at least for now.

Is Brutal Truth your main band these days? (He sort of answered this already, I know. My bad)

Yes, although I also play in Crucifist, whom can be found on MySpace.

If US and Russia decided to declare war, who’d win? I put my money on the bear.

Well, if George Bush and his asshole buddies were in charge we’d be dead fucking meat.

What is your favourite, still active, grind band of today? Your own band is disqualified.

Spoonful Of Vicodin.

Six Feet Under is one of the best selling death metal bands, does it make you sad?

No. Sales are no way to judge the quality of a band.

For being a bassist you are very prolific. Why do you think bass is such a neglected instrument in many of the metal genres?

I wish I knew, but I suppose I exploit this issue by making sure there’s plenty of bass in the recordings I’m on, not as an ego thing, but just to make things sound really heavy, so I take advantage of the lack of appreciation for bass many bands seem to express.

Both I and you are grownups now, very much so. Don’t you ever tire of blasts and aggression? I’m definitively softening up, a bit scary really.

I listen to plenty of other, non-aggressive music, but I still crave the alien grind.

As I mentioned in my record breaking short intro, you are a veteran in this game, namely extreme metal. How is the state of said “genre” seen from your THC dazed perspective?

My THC intake severely affects my motivation to take a whole lot of interest in the “scene”. Having said that, you have your original bands and your clones, you have the corporate labels exploiting and polluting the scene, and you have your ripoff promotes, just like any genre.

Is Slipknot worthy the metal tag?

Somewhat. I mean, some people call Marilyn Manson metal, right?

What would metal be without Norway and Sweden?

Certainly not as black and a little warmer. The world needed Bathory and Mayhem.

Tell us about the worst concert experience you’ve had so far.

I think the time Nuclear Assault played Jacksonville, Florida, way back around ’90. There weren’t a lot of people there, so the promoter took off during the show and stiffed us on our guarantee. It’s not a greed thing, it’s just fucked up when you depend on that $ to keep you going on tour and some scumbag fucks you over, therefore screwing your budget too.

If you had died this very instance, would you then say your life was worth the while?

Hell yeah. I’ve enjoyed myself playing music I love and I’ve gotten to see the world doing it. But let’s not doom me, I don’t want to get hit by a truck!

Had you heard about this fabulous site before I asked you to do an interview for it? If not, I hope you spent a couple of minutes looking around before answering these questions. What’s your impression so far?

I just looked at the main page that loads up from the link you sent and it seems pretty fucking cool. No ass-kissing here, eh?

2007 has so far been a weak year for metal, I for sure have never heard so many shitty bands before this very year. It could be me looking at the wrong places – or simply an indication that I’m utterly jaded – but I trust my judgement nonetheless. There have always been shitty bands, but they seem to have multiplied like bacteria since the net came in fashion, though this year I’ve fucking witnessed a pandemic outbreak. Should it be legal to hunt down and kill shitty bands and labels?

Perhaps a more humane judgement would be to force them to only play Celine Dion covers, and no “interpretive” versions with blast beats either!

Do you think Brutal Truth will be listened to still long after the last band-member perishes? I suppose you hope so?

Shit, by then who knows what’ll be considered “underground extreme metal”, but yes, I hope the stain we left on music never washes out!

This interview is at dead-end, thanks for the effort. You are only allowed to say thanks, no final words permitted. I’m practicing becoming a dictator, don’t make me look bad.

I would like this opportunity to say two final words: thank you.

Visit their hideous site at www.brutaltruth.com or at their MySpace page.