My introduction to UK thrash legends Onslaught was the video to their ferocious cover of AC/DC’s Let There Be Rock on Headbangers Ball sometime in 1989. At this time in my life, I was fully immersed in the thrash genre, white baseball boots, drainpipe jeans, backwards baseball cap etc. I loved the other UK thrash acts, Xentrix, Acid Reign etc were on constant rotation.
I bought ‘In Search of Sanity’ when it came out and loved it. That album featured the fantastic Steve Grimmet of Grim Reaper fame (RIP). For some reason, though, I never delved into the band’s back catalogue. I was aware of their output after 1989, but didn’t pursue much more from Onslaught after this. Unbelievably, it’s the 40th anniversary of their debut album Power From Hell, and to celebrate this they have released a fantastic package including reworked versions of their most revered classic songs and a full disc of cover versions from such luminaries as Motorhead, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and an array of punk bands (Sex Pistols, Discharge and more)
The current line up of the band include original guitarist Nige Rockett, Dave Garnett (vocals), Wayne Dorman (guitar), James Perry (drums), and fellow Abertillerian Jeff Williams on bass. The production on the album is superb, the neck-breaking metal anthems such as Power From Hell, Metal Forces, Killing Peace, 66’Fucking’6, and Bow Down to the Clowns, Onslaught’s anthems still stand as ferocious, mosh-pit-inducing bangers across generations of dedicated metal maniacs. The only thing that lets the production down is the processed drum sound that unfortunately seems to be the norm now.
The covers are fantastic; my favourite is Killing Joke’s War Dance. The band bangs out great versions of Sabbath’s War Pigs, Motorhead’s Iron Fist, Dead Kennedy’s Holiday in Cambodia, Priest’s Freewheel Burning, Discharge’s Drunk With Power, A Look at Tomorrow and State Violence State Control. (Discharge is obviously a big influence.) as well as The Exploited’s UK 82, Holidays in the Sun by the Pistols and Give Me Fire by GBH.
Onslaught have put a great package together for their loyal fan base, and they will be out in support of the album with a world tour throughout 2025 and beyond.
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Author: Kenny Kendrick
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