Onslaught - Sounds Of Violence

Published February 05 2011

*=Staff's pick	Into The Abyss (Intro) Born For War The Sound Of Violence Code Black Rest In Peaces Godhead Hatebox Antitheist Suicideology The End Of The Storm (Outro) Bomber (Motörhead cover)

Genre	Thrash Metal	Sy Keeler	Vocals
Tracks	11	Nige Rocket	Guitar
Runningtime	48 Min.	Andy Rosser-Davies	Guitar
Label	AFM Records	Jeff Williams	Bass
Release	28 January 2011	Steve Grice	Drums
Country	England	-	Keyboard
Producer	Jacob Hansen
Similar artists	Testament, Slayer

British thrash metal veterans Onslaught are back with a new effort of thrashing metal madness...or are they? First off let me just clarify that Onslaught anno 2011 have very little in common with the albums the band released in the eighties. So if you are searching for something in the vein of the band's debut album, the evil and chaotic punkfueled speedy thrash metal opus Power From Hell, you should probably look somewhere else. On the other hand, if you are into a bit more modern sounding thrash metal this might be your thing.

Sounds Of Violence marks the second album since the band's comeback in 2005 after years of hiatus. The new album has a lot in common with their previous album Killing Peace. It has a more groove laden sound to it than the older albums and sometimes remind me of the later releases by Testament and Slayer. And those I liked so this should be good, right? Well...

What strikes me first with this album is the dull production which has a very clean and glossy modern sound to it. A good thrash metal album should sound and feel like a chainsaw ripping through your skull. Here the guitars sound a bit flat and the drums almost has a stiff mechanical feel to them. Very little dynamic whatsoever. Hey, I'm no sound technician and the album probably sounds exactly like the band wanted it to but to me it just doesn't sound that good.

Alright, I'll stop complaining about the production. I mean good songs is what it's all about right? A good song can still be good even if the sound is awful. Unfortunately the songs aren't that good...

Sure the songs are fast and heavy, as it should be, but they lack the memorable riffs, hooks and melodies that make a really good tune. Even though I listened to this album several times over and over the songs don't stick and the album just becomes a riffage with no end. It's not totally awful but there isn't really anything that stands out and makes me want to listen to the album again.

I really love the old Onslaught albums and I enjoyed Killing Peace but I'm sad to say that Sounds Of Violence is by far the band's weakest effort yet.

See also review of: Killing Peace
See also: interview with Sy Keeler

Performance	Originality	Production	Vocals	Songwriting
6	4	4	6	4

Summary
4 chalices of 10 - Christoffer

I agree this is not up to par, after such a long delay between albums. Then again, this is the Onslaught way. It took me forever to appreciate 'Killing Peace'; however, there are some well-constructed tracks on here which truly do harp back to the early days. Sy Keeler's vocals are rough and mean, and there are solos a plenty, so do not dismiss the band just yet. //Michael the MettleAngel (6,5 of 10)