“Licensed to give death”
In 1989 the BBC documentary series Arena ran an hour-long episode called Heavy Metal. It was a huge deal for metal fans. Videotaped, rewatched repeatedly and quoted endlessly… “whooaa dugga dugga dugga!” There is a fantastic scene filmed in Nottingham’s Rock City nightclub where a circle of guys throw some unforgettable shapes to an amazingly hypnotic riff. Uncredited in the documentary, the source of this riff remained a mystery until years later when I heard the song Brain Death by Nuclear Assault.
Brain Death would be a pretty standard speed metal bash if it wasn’t for that riff kicking in at the 3.30min mark. There’s a quiet opening that builds up some nice dread and the chorus is instantly memorable but this song is all about the Nottingham Rock City mosh. A lot of bands might just play that kind of slower breakdown briefly before picking up the pace or launching into a guitar solo but Nuclear Assault ride it out for nearly 3 minutes, giving it that hypnotic intensity. And it gives you plenty of time to do some serious air guitar damage too. I love it and by the looks of the Nottingham Rock City footage, I’m not the only one. Whoaa dugga dugga dugga!
HEAVY METAL OVERLOAD 
Great stuff Scott. That got me awake this morning.
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Better than coffee!
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Everything is better than coffee.
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This stuff is waaaaaay out of my league but I always read them in some of the metal mags that would feature them back in the 80s.
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They always stood out in mags cause of Dan Lilker’s hair.
You should check the doc in the link. Lots of old clips and interviews of stuff you like. Maiden, Roth, GnR, Sabbath from back in the 80s.
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I think it was also due to the dudes time in Anthrax.
Man what a mop of hair lol
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Yes, the air guitar may need to be re-tuned after that 3 minute mid-song workout!
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Mine’s got a Floyd Rose. It’s fine.
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You’ve jogged my memory, I’m pretty sure they played this at Bloodstock 2015. Great song!
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That must have been incredible!
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It was and it was rather odd them being the festival opener that day. Usually it’s an up and coming UK band who opens Bloodstock but Nuclear Assault were amazing.
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Brilliant band, brilliant song, and Game Over is a brilliant album.
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Yes, yes and yes!
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Not sure how/why I missed the ‘Arena’ doc the first time round but just watched – excellent. Slayer and Napalm Death sound ruddy superb. And the Page, Dickinson, Ozzy and Lee Roth interviews are essential.
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Glad you enjoyed it. A lot of great footage and interview moments. This was the doc that introduced Napalm Death to a lot of people. Made them mainstream stars for a while… cover of NME, appearances on kids TV… all sorts.
At the time I have to say I wasn’t actually into Zep. I thought Page was just a weird busking drunk that they’d dug up somewhere hehe.
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I also remember a great Q magazine article about Napalm Death which featured that amazing photo from a pub gig, the location of which escapes me…but somewhere in south London I think. You can (hopefully) check it out here:
https://homeofmetal.com/the-archive/q-magazine-photo-supplement-feat-napalm-death-led-zeppelin/
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That’s a great photo! Saw that used a lot in books and mags.
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