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Onslaught > Killing Peace > Reviews > wakemeup36
Onslaught - Killing Peace

Killing Mediocrity - 99%

wakemeup36, August 20th, 2009

Onslaught, is a British thrash band that was forgotten after their demise in the early 90s. They had released classics like Power From Hell and The Force in the 80s. Power From Hell, which was a very punk influenced thrash album, was received well. The Force was more straightforward thrash and was hailed in the thrash scene. Then they released In Search Of Sanity which had a more melodic approach and didn't appeal to the core fanbase. Personally, I thought it was an ok album with a few stand out moments. This and many line up changes leading to the band breaking up.

Then, out of nowhere, they decided to reunite in 2005 and released this beauty in 2007. As with most comeback albums there were and are mixed opinions on this which kind of surprised me because this is to me, *the* comeback album of this decade. Where to start with this album.

You can tell as soon as you start listening to the album that the guitars are used very effectively from the squealing intro of 'Burn'. The riffs are pretty catchy and aggressive and at times, very atmospheric. The solos are usually energetic, fast and are basically what you'd expect in a thrash album, though at times they do go into a more melodic, yet eerie mode.

Sy Keeler is in his top form. From high pitched screams to low pitched growls, this guy has some insane vocals. His vocals are much more dynamic than in The Force. Some vocal highlights would be the the screams of 'Open the gates of madness, Open the gates of hell!' during the bridge of 'Twisted Jesus', the mad, near death metal growling in 'Burn' and 'Pain' and the really fast, dodgy vocals in 'Shock and Awe'.

The drums at points, stand out and at points, just mix in perfectly. They really stand out in the afore-mentioned 'Shock and Awe'. Steve Grice uses full on machine gun esque double bass in this track. While in other songs the drums are used very skilfully to contribute to the atmosphere by slowing down the pace and mixing in quietly.

The bass is actually audible most of the time and at times, quite interesting. I can't go on about it too much because, well, I don't really have much of an ear for this kind of stuff.

One thing that makes this album stand out from most other thrash albums is the eerie atmosphere which I mentioned before. Not in a 'Hell Awaits' kind of way. More like...uhhhh...I guess a cross between the atmosphere of 'Seasons In The Abyss' and early black metal. For example, in 'Prayer For The Dead', during the pre-chorus everything slows down and then Sy shouts out 'EVIL BE MY NAAAME!' and then everything picks up pace again for the chorus. This part makes me shiver every goddamn time. In 'Tested to Destruction', the chorus is very demonic yet very catchy, the guitars are creepy as hell, the drums are fast and slow at the same time and this all contributes to a very twisted, messed up feeling. There are many many more instances but I'm not gonna describe them all.

Andy Sneap has given this album the exact sound it needed. Everything is crystal clear, yet it doesen't sound over produced. Nothing gets too high or low in the mix. The production's not 'old school' but it's not exactly modern either. It's like Andy took the good of both sides and put them together. There's nothing bad I can say about it. The album sounds very raw at times but without making the listener struggle to make out what's going on.

Overall, Killing Peace is in this reviewer's humble opinion, their finest. This is not just a comeback. It's total annihilation! It's catchy, melodic, aggressive, atmospheric and has just about everything I want in an ideal metal album. No, this isn't 100% pure thrash like The Force. It has it's slow moments and influences from other genres. But it doesen't sound like anything what most metal bands do in their comebacks. It's also very consistent and every track is strong. It might not appeal to the thrash purists. But for a casual metalhead, this is at least a must listen.

I shall end this review on a quote from the album:

Destroy.. your authority
Destroy.. your psychology
Destroy.. your immunity
Destroy.. this hate in me