Nuclear Assault "Game Over/The Plague (1987 Reissue)"

Game Over is the debut album by thrash metal band Nuclear Assault, released in 1986.

In 2005, Game Over was ranked number 287 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.

The Plague is the second extended play by the American heavy metal band Nuclear Assault. The six-track EP was originally released as a 12-inch vinyl record through Combat Records in 1987, and later combined with the band's full-length debut, 1986's Game Over, into one CD by Relativity Records.

The EP, which is a "collection of old and new material," was recorded from December 1986 to January 1987 at the Music Grinder studios in Los Angeles, California with producer Randy Burns. The Plague was originally to be titled "Cross of Iron" and to have had a cross as the sleeve artwork. However, the band's label Combat Records cited possible objections that may have come from religious organizations.

According to Eduardo Rivadavia of Allmusic, The Plague is probably best known for the controversial song "Butt Fuck" (later retitled "You Figure It Out"), which managed to introduce Nuclear Assault's dark sense of humor with an "ode" to Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil's notorious car crash.

The accident occurred on December 8, 1984, when Vince Neil driving while intoxicated hit another car, killing his passenger, drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley of Hanoi Rocks, and permanently injuring the passengers in the car he hit. Neil, who ironically left the accident unscathed, was found guilty of drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter, but he avoided prison by performing community services and paying a substantial cash settlement to his surviving victims.

In an interview with Voices from the Dark Side webzine, the Nuclear Assault's bassist Dan Lilker was asked why the song "Butt Fuck" is dedicated to Vince Neil, and Lilker stated:

The whole concept of that song was that it was fucked up that he [Vince Neil] could get away with driving drunk and killing the guy in the car with him [Razzle]. He didn't do any jail time like you or I would. Just because he was famous, all he had to do was some community service and do some public service announcements about drunk driving. He literally got away with murder. We thought he should've gone to prison and got anally raped like most young men do when they're put in United States prisons. We made the whole thing funny, but we meant it.

Tracklist:

1. Live, Suffer, Die 01:07   
2. Sin 03:25   
3. Cold Steel 02:41  
4. Betrayal 03:01  
5. Radiation Sickness 02:49   
6. Hang the Pope 00:46   
7. After the Holocaust 03:44
8. Mr. Softee Theme 00:23
9. Stranded in Hell 03:39  
10. Nuclear War 03:46   
11. My America 00:29   
12. Vengeance 02:51   
13. Brain Death 07:14
14. Game Over 02:38  
15. Nightmares 03:57  
16. Butt F**K 02:56  
17. Justice 04:19  
18. The Plague 04:55   
19. Cross of Iron 03:41  

Time:    58:21  

 

- Comes with inner lyric/montage sleeve. 

- First pressing issued on camouflage center labels while subsequent pressings issued on green center labels. 

- The song "Vengeance" is misspelled "Vengence" on the back cover. 

- The song "Mr. Softee Theme" isn't listed on the back cover, but is on the center label. 

- First pressings have no barcode. 

"Mr. Softee Theme" was exclusive on the LP and CD versions, while some cassette versions featured both the "Mr. Softee Theme" and "Lesbians". The cassette was the only version to feature "Lesbians".

The song "Sin" was originally written while Dan Lilker was in Anthrax.

Recording information:

- Recorded and mixed at Pyramid Sound, Ithaca, NY, May 1986.

- Mastered at Frankford Wayne Mastering Labs, NY. 

- Co-produced by Nuclear Assault.

- Tracks 1-13: Recorded and mixed at Pyramid Sound, Ithaca, NY, May 1986. Mastered at Frankford Wayne Mastering Labs, NY. Co-produced by Nuclear Assault.

- Tracks 14-19: Recorded and mixed at The Music Grinder, Los Angeles, CA, December 1986 to January 1987.