Onslaught: “METAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!”

The Skinny: The British are often seen as something of a complacent nation; all tea on the lawn and dainty sandwiches for lunch. Well, Onslaught dispel all the stereotypes. They’re rough, they’re dirty, and they’re very, very loud. After taking a 15 year break from making music, Onslaught made their comeback in 2007 with the fantastic Killing Peace. And keeping up the momentum, their newest album, Sounds of Violence is set for release in early 2011.

Vocalist Sy Keeler has a style that echoes many thrash metal greats – there’s a hint of a Tom Araya growl, a dash of Lemmy snarl, and the occasional Bruce Dickinson wail – all melded together into a cocktail of fervent thrash metal. This association with Lemmy also carries over into Onslaught’s latest single (released on December 17th), a cover of Motorhead’s “Bomber” that features Motorhead’s very own Phil Campbell, and Tom Angelripper of Sodom. And the song preview on Onslaught’s Facebook and MySpace profiles suggests that it’s a real winner. It’s also worth noting that the profits from sales of the single are to be donated to charity Help For Heroes.

Guitarist Nige Rockett has described the forthcoming album as “extremely violent,” and continues to say that it’s “back to our roots in many ways, but also sounding very contemporary in its entirety.” As Onslaught’s earlier style was influenced by the new wave/punk rock genres, it will be interesting to find out how extensively the new album echoes this heritage. Either way, it’s sure to be a thumping start to the new year.

Genre(s): Thrash Metal, Speed Metal, Metal, Thrash, Heavy Metal