Onslaught

Formed in Bristol in 1982 around guitarist Nige Rockett and drummer Steve Grice, Onslaught first emerged in the wake of British hardcore punk and NWOBHM, before quickly turning toward a direct, fast and aggressive thrash metal sound. The early landmarks of their discography, Power from Hell (1985) and The Force (1986), establish this shift from a sound still marked by Discharge or The Exploited toward a writing style closer to speed and thrash. With In Search of Sanity in 1989, Onslaught evolves its formula toward a smoother production and a repertoire partly tinted by power metal, in a period marked by several singer changes, including transitions from Sy Keeler to Steve Grimmett. Separated in 1991, Onslaught reformed in 2005 and relaunched its activity with Killing Peace (2007), followed by Sounds of Violence (2011), VI (2013) and Generation Antichrist (2020), albums that extend an aesthetic of tight riffs, sustained tempos and frontal singing. Used to European metal stages and specialized festivals, Onslaught also published Origins of Aggression in 2025, a double album mixing new versions of its repertoire and covers, in a trajectory where the band continues to keep alive the heritage of British thrash.