Dan Lilker, the original bassist and co-founder of ANTHRAX, recently opened up about his departure from the iconic thrash metal band. Lilker revealed that he felt he had “no choice” but to leave the group, shedding light on the circumstances surrounding his exit.
Even though his tenure with legendary thrash metal group was brief, Dan Lilker played a crucial role in the larger narrative of ANTHRAX. Alongside Scott Ian, Lilker co-founded the band back in 1981. Later, he reunited with Ian and drummer Charlie Benante to form STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH, a group that redefined crossover thrash, leaving a lasting mark in the genre’s history.
Nevertheless, Lilker was dismissed from Anthrax shortly before the band’s debut album Fistful of Metal was released in January 1984, while Turbin departed in August of the same year.
When asked about the tension between him and Turbin and his subsequent termination during a recent appearance on the “Talk Louder” podcast, Lilker remarked (as transcribed by Ultimate Guitar): “I was asked to leave and had no choice. Let’s just say that Neil and I had different definitions of what professional meant. I was more into making sure that the songs were good and well played and rehearsed. It wasn’t just about what you looked like and how you appeared.”
“We all clashed with Neil a bunch back then. Because, remember, he [left] the band seven months after me. They realized they threw the wrong guy out, but by then it was too late.”
“Things happened for a reason,” he continued. “I went out to do NUCLEAR ASSAULT. And then, in April ’85, which is about 14 months after, Scott called me and said, ‘Do you want to play in this little fun hardcore band with me and Charlie?’, and it ended up being S.O.D.”
Considering the circumstances leading up to his dismissal, Dan also remarked on the situation faced by Scott Ian and his fellow bandmates, saying: “So, it was more like Neil had told the other guys, ‘I’m tired of dealing with Danny, it’s him or me.’ I would bust his balls, because he had no sense of humor. And it was easy…”
“Obviously, I wasn’t thrilled when I was thrown out. And Scott was put very much between a rock and a hard place because I guess Neil‘s pushing to have [me] thrown out and then nobody had done anything. So, Neil took it upon himself to call me up and just throw me out of the band himself.”
