Lilker was the bassist for the
thrash metal band
Nuclear Assault and was a founding member of
Anthrax with
Scott Ian. Lilker was then playing rhythm guitar and recorded bass guitar and co-wrote on their first album,
Fistful of Metal (1984). Not long after the release of that album, he was dismissed from Anthrax and replaced on bass by one of the band's roadies
Frank Bello. Despite this, Lilker has remained close to the band, receiving a co-writing credit for at least one song on their next two albums,
Spreading the Disease (1985) and
Among the Living (1987), and he later filled in for Bello on their spring 2024 tour dates. In addition to Anthrax and Nuclear Assault, Lilker has played bass in
grindcore band
Brutal Truth and
crossover band
Stormtroopers of Death with
Scott Ian and
Charlie Benante (from Anthrax), and
Billy Milano (Anthrax roadie, M.O.D. singer). He has also played bass with
Exit-13, Malformed Earthborn, The Ravenous, Overlord Exterminator,
Venomous Concept, Crucifist, Nokturnal Hellstorm, Nunfuckritual and Extra Hot Sauce. During his tenure with Anthrax, Lilker played bass by
fingerpicking, but since forming Nuclear Assault, he has mostly been using a
pick. Lilker played on
Holy Moses' 1994 ''
No Matter What's the Cause''. He is known for his fast, guitar-like
riffing through heavy distortion. Lilker has been a columnist with
Zero Tolerance Magazine since the publication's inception in 2005. In 2009, it was reported that Chicago journalist Dave Hofer was writing a biography of Lilker. Lilker formed United Forces with Stormtroopers of Death bandmate
Billy Milano as their singer in 2012. In January 2014, Lilker announced his plans to retire from being a full-time recording and touring musician. He also announced that
Brutal Truth would break up on his 50th birthday. However, Lilker remained a member of Nuclear Assault, who released new material in 2015 for the EP
Pounder, and had continued performing live sporadically until their breakup in 2022. ==Discography==