Nuclear Assault is an American thrash metal band formed in New York City in 1984. Part of the mid-to-late 1980s thrash metal movement, they were one of the main bands of the genre to emerge from the East Coast along with Overkill, Whiplash, Toxik, Carnivore, and Anthrax; the latter was co-founded by Nuclear Assault bassist Dan Lilker, who left Anthrax shortly after the release of their first album. Nuclear Assault released five full-length albums and toured relentlessly throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, and broke up in 1995. The band reunited briefly in 1997 and then permanently in 2002.
Nuclear Assault has released six studio albums to date, the latest being Third World Genocide (2005). Their most successful records are Survive (1988) and Handle with Care (1989), which peaked at #145 and #126 on the Billboard 200 chart respectively.