| Reviews for Onslaught (UK)'s Power from Hell |
| Filthy speed metal - 80% |
| Written by autothrall
on November 6th, 2009
|
| Years before they hired Steve Grimmett and sought a more technical and accessible direction to their thrash, Onslaught were one of the more abrasive and filthy speed metal acts from England. Wild and messy burning leads, driving punkish rhythms (they were originally a punk/hardcore band) , and the dirty and aggressive vocals of Paul Mahoney defined the ripping sound of this debut album. Aside from Venom, this was probably the rawest thrash outfit to make a splash beyond the Isles, albeit a small splash. They were also another of those bands which could be considered proto-black metal, due to their vile faux-Satanic aesthetic and unrelenting sound. Power From Hell is a cult classic for a reason: 12 tracks of sacrilegious speed which display a clear demonic presence (or maybe it was just the drugs). The band blasts out of the starting gates with the amazing "Damnation/Onslaught", fueled by riffs not unlike the early from Destruction, Sodom, or even Tankard's Zombie Attack (though the latter came later). Fun and simple riffing, but delivered at quite an extreme pace for its day. Other noteworthy tracks include the mid-paced "Lord of Evil", the almost prophetic anthem "Death Metal", the bone crushing "Steel Meets Steel", and the searing "Witch Hunt". There aren't a lot of dynamics to this record, and frankly they weren't needed, this album had simply come to sex up your woman and sacrifice her on the devil's altar. The production is rather dense and dark, with driving, crashing drums, a thick layer of menacing guitars, and a good bass presence (even if it just follows the guitars for the most part). This is probably best delivered via vinyl, like many old albums, but it still sounds great digitally. Many bands today are still aiming for this simplified and effective sound. Onslaught are certainly near legendary as one of the earliest sheer thrash/speed metal bands to embrace this occult style post-Venom, and an essential for purists. The band is still around today with their 2nd vocalist Sy Keeler. -autothrall http://www.fromthedustreturned.com |
| The Unmatched Power - 89% |
| Written by CHRISTI_NS_ANITY8
on May 28th, 2008
|
| You can say anything you want, but this Power From Hell is the album I like the most by Onslaught. I don’t know, maybe it’s something about the primordial sound or the guitars, but I love it. Listening it on LP is pure orgasm for a person like me who worships anything in this genre during the 80s. They were easily one of the most influential bands in England back in those years and the debut is still regarded as a milestone for the growing extreme metal genre. They took influences mostly from mighty Venom with that Slayer component, essential in giving the thrash metal impact and songwriting. The production is really cool and underground, with that “basement attitude and style” that is great to give this album a more rare and characteristic touch. The main work is done by the restless guitars, that along the whole LP, are constantly fast on palm muting with a hint of speed metal for the few melodies and, mostly, to be catchy. In “Onslaught (Power From Hell)” and “Skullcrusher I” the Slayer influences are so evident and audible that are almost embarrassing. The riffage is fast, compact and the drums are constantly on raw up tempo. I can only imagine these songs in a live gig…what a massacre! The solos are fast with high pitched whistles and sudden tremolo picking with always the melody inside. They are still bound to the traditional metal, and England made history also for this kind of music. The vocals are Venom style with a rough tonality that sometimes goes through heavier tones and passages. The traditional metal influences in the guitars and the Venom patterns are so evident in a song like “Lord Of Evil”, while the following “Death Metal” is something mythical: this is one of the very first examples of utilize of this moniker for the growing extreme genre (in the same year Possessed too used these words as a title for another, more famous, song). The origins as a hardcore/punk metal band are evident and alive again in several riffs like in “The Devil’s Legions”, with opened chords punkish riffage and less extreme vocals or on the following “Steel Meets Steel”. These are, anyway, just two little examples, because you can find lots of them in the whole length and this is another thing I like a lot. They give the impact and fresh air between the more thrash parts. On the other hand, we can find totally worshipping Hellhammer influences like in “Witch Hunt”. All in all, a great debut made of raw but catchy songs and, if we want, with a still immature songwriting with lots influences; but this remains a piece of history, showing levels of malevolence that the band won’t be able to reach again the future. |
| Didn't know Hell's power was so humdrum - 74% |
| Written by Gutterscream
on June 15th, 2005
|
| If Onslaught want to think they’re death metal, what can anyone do about it? As far as I’m concerned, the British four-piece are nothing more than an average thrash band. The overtone of the album is rightfully dark and occult, nothing unexpected in ’85, and if you’re looking for a second rate Venom with a fragment of the style and constitution, then feast your ears. The bottom line is Onslaught has a basic, characterless sound. Mostly uninspired songwriting gives birth to many conventional and even dull rhythms and structures that can be construed as downplayed or enlivened by AVM Studio’s thick production, and in all attempts to sound evil and blasphemous, Paul Mahoney’s vocals…I don’t know, I always thought they held the charisma of a mannequin. First impressions are a bitch, and “Damnation”, the lp’s intro, uses the same pseudo lightning clash and nearly the same voice-from-beyond as Venom’s concert intros. Okay, we’ll let that slide for now, but twenty years will go by along with maybe ten spins of this record and I’ll still remember it. “Onslaught (Power From Hell)” has a halfway decent chorus going for it, sketchily anthemic, and even though the main riff is used to the point of depletion, it still acts to fuel the track ‘til its timely end. Another track overusing the central rhythm is the short “Thermonuclear Devastation”, and the fact that it is on the undersized side is the only thing saving it. “Skullcrusher 1” isn’t one of the worst instrumentals around, providing enough rhythm shifting and tempo conversions to keep the customary listener at bay, meanwhile the second part of the track (featured on side two) at times throws more aggression into the ring as well as some chaos-pitted solos via Nige Rockett. In contrast, you’ll also find one of their most illusive sections here. “Lord of Evil” is long enough to be a deluge of thrash musicality; the band could sign their name with timing signatures and great overactive bursts of euphony, but instead we’re blessed with the same semi-slow, semi-lumbering riff until nearly the end where the four-piece finally realize they could be more involved and multifaceted than a beige lampshade. Quotas of Venom and Motorhead create the mid pace resonance of “Death Metal”, a song nowhere near as blistering as Possessed’s same name, same year offering, and finishes off side one with a balmy heatwave one would find in many territories north of the equator. Yet again, “Angels of Death” beats the principle rhythm to a watery grave, meanwhile “The Devils Legion” is a little more promising, seemingly heartened by an urgent verve and even though the riffs are on the simplistic side, they manage to purvey a strength aforementioned tracks seem to miss. “Steel Meets Steel” prolongs the previous song’s extra ardor with more above-average potency and some breaks intertwined with a fleeting solo. “Witch Hunt” falters a tad in what the previous three tracks have wrought (which includes lyricless “Skullcrusher 2”) with more rather unfulfilling riffs and a chorus that hangs on the border of ordinary. Power From Hell ends on an up-note with “Mighty Empress”, actually an excerpt of the glorious opus “O Fortuna” from Carl Orff’s 1937 opera Carmina Burana, a piece Sepultura will use in its entirety to kick off next year’s Morbid Visions lp. A lot of bands like to think they were the start of some fresh new age, but when the sun sets and we look back on the day, Onslaught aren’t better than Venom by the stretch of any demon’s arm and even in ’85 they teetered on the generic. As far as prehistoric death metal goes, I think they should’ve spent as much time paying attention to Possessed and Sepultura as they did concocting their blacker-than-thou image. |
| Yikes... - 78% |
| Written by Snxke
on January 26th, 2005
|
| Onslaught are one of the few bands with a name that describes them perfectly. This bass-blasting opus of mid-80's black metal is a rather striking piece of musical violence. Sadly overlooked in many circles, Onslaught brought a strong combination of black metal and death metal to the table well before many of the bands credited with that synthesis even raised a note in the garage. While Onslaught certainly weren't the best at this style, they were certain pummeling and set the stage for many great things that were going to come within the black metal genre. "Power From Hell" is a Satanic surge of violence that is more fun than it should be though, and is deserving of your attention. Killer cuts like "Damnation", "Onslaught (Power From Hell)", "Death Metal" and "Witch Hunt" slam and grind along like bulldozers on fire running through a plate glass window factory. These songs aren't pretty, but they sure as fuck are heavy and give a one-two punch that even Venom would have a hard time matching. (Needless to say though, Venom was much catchier...) Onslaught may not hook you in with traditional heavy metal hooks, but they do most certainly brutalize you with their massive roaring riffs and intense vocal patterns. It's not pretty, but it most certainly works. Onslaught have been lost to time in an era when people have taken this idea and helped it evolve into the rather sizable "war metal" trend that gave little mention or credit to Onslaught. Thankfully though, people are re-discovering this death/black/thrash classic for being the trend-setting record it is. Much like Canada's Slaughter I think that Onslaught are finally getting their day in court. |
| Venom worship, but at times thrashier - 69% |
| Written by UltraBoris
on January 6th, 2003
|
| This is a solid, if unspectacular speed/thrash album. It has a LOT of Venom moments, both in musical and lyrical content, with the occasional excellent thrash riff. However, some of the song structures are pretty fucking boring, and at times the album is overlong, and the riffs aren't nearly as sharp in some places as others. The good: Onslaught/Power from Hell has some awesome riffs, including a great thrash riff. Angels of Death, which starts side two, also has some good stuff in there. It's interesting how the album gets weaker as the sides go on, but features a good resurrection in the middle when switching over. The bad: Death Metal. Sorry, but Possessed pwned your sorry asses on this one. This is just boring. The rest varies in quality between those two. Sometimes it's more Motorhead-esque than others, especially on songs like "Steel Meets Steel" and "Lord of Evil", which would also do well as Venom songs with more over-the-top choruses. Other times you have more thrashy stuff like "Skullcrusher", but sometimes it seems there are too few really good ideas to cover the whole album. Some of the riffs sound very similar, and it seems you could splice in bits of one song into another and no one would notice. Not bad, just a bit flaky. |