I guess I reviewed these two out of order. The first and third of Nuclear Assault’s full lengths definitely punctuate a solid discography, with Handle With Care and Game Over being two of the finest and most underrated Thrash albums of the era. Nobody ever speaks of the Big 4, or even second rowers like Testament , Exodus and Sodom as equivalents, but the Americans Nuclear Assault released an outstanding, aggressive, and fun album to bang ones head to. Their first full length, Game Over is the younger, wilder, drug addicted brother to the older, more responsible Handle With Care.

Both albums pack their fair share of intensity, but where the best songs on Handle With Care rely on groove, such as Critical Mass, Game Over perpetuates the madness with speed and virulence. John Connelly runs the vocal camp along with the rhythm guitar Dan Lilker on bass, Anthony Bramante on guitars, and Glenn Evans on the kit. This is the same lineup that remained for Handle With Care. The guitar tone is admittedly weaker, but this is their debut. Every band can say they greatly improved their sound between their debut and their magnum opus. What makes bands like Nuclear Assault special is that their debut is their magnum opus, with many other great albums to follow.

There is something more organic and amateur sounding about Game Over. This does not mean that the value and musicianship is less than other Thrash releases of the time, but this just has the human emotion and raw energy that Thrash lost in many ways in its later years. In my humble opinion, the guitar solos are better on Game Over than on later releases. Game Over gives the unpolished adrenaline rush that so many early classics gave like Pleasure to Kill, Show No Mercy, and others. It almost gives the feel that we are back in the 80s in a small club listening to these guys in their heyday belting out these great tunes. That may be the allure of early Thrash. The unrefined, energetic, lunacy that defined the early Thrash culture is almost like a time portal back to the days, even for those of us who were too young to experience it. To me, Game Over is like watching Home Alone or playing Sega Genesis, this album reeks of nostalgia, a lost age in Thrash.

This feeling continues all the way through, with Stranded in Hell proving to be possibly the best song the album has to offer. Not only is there that youthful liveliness brought upon by the tempo, beat, and Connelly’s near falsetto voice, there is also a presence of outstanding skill. Lilker’s bass really shines on this one. Anthony Bramante’s guitar solo is top shelf here. After the rapidity of Stranded in Hell, the introspective Nuclear War enters the picture with a mid paced groove, more reminiscent of Hard Rock than Thrash Metal.

Through and through, Game Over brings to the table a fresh, young, and outlandish Nuclear Assault. Dan Lilker is well known for his Crossover efforts both here with Nuclear Assault and with S.O.D. Obviously, Lilker has the ability to excel in several of Metal’s most blood rushing forms, and here it is no different. Gang vocals, catchy choruses, shredding solos, romping drums, thunderous bass work, screeching mad vox, Game Over has it all.