Onslaught – Sounds of Violence

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Taking nearly four years to follow up comeback album Killing Peace, England’s eternally underrated thrash veterans Onslaught toured extensively before recording their fifth album Sounds of Violence, preceding its release with a charity double a-side single at the end of 2010. Musically the record is prime Onslaught. Probably heavier than Killing Peace, but with riffs that are just as sharp. However, for some reason they’ve decided to match that increase in heaviness with more extreme, Rob Dukes-like vocals, making Sounds of Violence sound somewhat like a recent Exodus album. Given the high standard of recent Exodus releases that wouldn’t appear to be a bad thing on the surface, but the result really doesn’t sound very much like Onslaught, and although the songs are strong, aggressive thrash songs with no weak links on the whole disc, they aren’t necessarily what fans will be looking for from an Onslaught album. It’s difficult to know how to feel about this as the material is undeniably good, just unexpected. It’s a definite case of try-before-you-buy, just in case the more aggressive nature of the album isn’t to the liking of regular Onslaught fans. The special edition of the album closes with a dismissable cover of Motörhead‘s Bomber, featuring Tom Angelripper from Sodom on vocals and Motörhead’s own Phil Campbell on guitar. Bomber has never been one of Motörhead’s more accomplished tracks, and this is a faithful, albeit thrashier version. Not really reason enough to spring for the special edition if the price difference is very much. On the strength the material alone the album is a winner, but fans should approach with just a little caution given the change in sound.

Written by Andy Lye
More: 2011, Albums, Quick.Play Reviews, Thrash Metal, Onslaught