Band:	Onslaught
Album:	Killing Peace
Style:	Thrash metal
Release date:	March 05, 2007
Guest review by:	vezzy

01. Burn
02. Killing Peace
03. Destroyer Of Worlds
04. Pain
05. Prayer For The Dead
06. Tested To Destruction
07. Twisted Jesus
08. Planting Seeds Of Hate
09. Shock 'n' Awe

Onslaught were a British thrash metal band who originally released three full-lengths, but are primarily known for The Force. Although not hailed for their originality, they managed to combine the energetic and generally "in-your-face" elements of thrash into one worthy album. They never had an established style either, starting off as hardcore punk (demos), moving on to punk-inspired speed/thrash akin to Venom (Power from Hell), then to Slayer/Venom-type old school thrash (The Force) and finally, a rather controversial heavy/melodic thrash approach (In Search of Sanity) before finally disbanding in 1991, only to? you guessed it, reform in 2004. In 2007, they released their fourth full-length offering, Killing Peace.

Well, reunion albums most of the time do not end up especially notable or great. The band disbanded before the "downfall of thrash" and reformed when the so-called "thrash revivalist" movement was taking place while many other groups had changed their sound or played a different type of the genre, more accessible or groove-oriented. Nevertheless, it's apparent they tried to recreate the madness and aggression of old school thrash, and at first the album feels like it explodes with forcefulness, so it really gets you in the mood, only to fall flat after a few tracks. Why? It suffers from the main flaws present in modern/post-thrash, and some of them also in the older music. First off, the guitar tone is a lot like newer Testament/Exodus and the riffs don't help it. We have the ever cursed chugging and basic chord riffs, alternating between mid-paced and fast tempo, though it's mainly the latter (hey, what the hell do you expect?), as well as plenty of groove to be found in the choruses and other parts. Sy Keeler doesn't live up to his glory days, and that is to be expected, but he sounds like he's doing a Rob Dukes impression most of the time. The drumming is a stand-out aspect in this case, as it's always fast, versatile and just dynamic.

When speaking of highlight tracks, I'd pick "Killing Peace" (filled with vigour), "Destroyer of Worlds" (the same), "Tested To Destruction" (this one has some pretty nice riffs), "Twisted Jesus" (probably the best track), "Planting Seeds of Hate" (quite solid) and "Shock and Awe" (more straightforward thrash than the others, although plain at times).

This is no terrible album, not at all, but it simply sounds like the basic, archetypal elements of thrash put together with some catchier riffs and good solos while coated with a predominantly modern edge (building up a lot of energy only to end up nowhere far). If you aren't one for modern thrash, stick to The Force, but if it sounds good to you, give it a shot.