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ONSLAUGHT Frontman Says Reactions To New Album Have Been ‘Pretty Amazing’

Manos Spanos
Jim Rowland of Über Röck recently conducted an interview with vocalist Sy Keeler of British thrashers ONSLAUGHT. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below. Über Röck: The new album, "VI", has had a pretty amazing reaction so far. I'd imagine you're rather pleased. Keeler: Yeah, of course we're pleased. All the reviews are saying, "Best thrash album of the year." Well, I bloody well hope so. We've had comments like, "Listening to 'VI' was like hearing'Master Of Puppets' for the first time," or "The best thrash album since 'Reign In Blood'" was another one. That's a compliment, so you never get tired of hearing compliments like that. They've all been pretty amazing. Über Röck: It's a really powerful album — the production is superb. Tell us about who produced it. Keeler: Thomas "Plec" Johansson is the man behind the production. He wasn't our first choice; we were gonna go with Jacob Hansen again, who did "Sounds Of Violence", but he wasn't available. He basically blew us out, because he was offered a bigger band. I don't even think it was a metal band, actually. He was going to make more money out of it, so he said, "Sorry, I can't fit you in." So we were disappointed about that, but our record company came up with Thomas Johansson. We listened to some of his work and it was, like, "Yes, this guy is very, very good." So we just took the plunge and went for it, and we have a fantastic production on the album — it's huge! The space he has managed to create and everything is crystal clear. It's a brutal mix, yet there's so much space. Über Röck: Talking about how good the album's sound is, the drums sound awesome on it. You have a new drummer for this album. Tell us about him. Keeler: Oh, yes! Well, Steve Grice left on the eve of a European tour on the back of "Sounds Of Violence", so he left around March of 2011. Jeff, our bass player, said, "I know a drummer who would probably do it" — Mic Hourihan from the death metal band DESECRATION. So he asked Mic if he could help us out on the European tour. So he said, "Yes," and ultimately he had eight days to learn an hour-and-fifteen-minute set, and not necessarily straightforward songs either. So he worked, and worked, and worked, and on the first show it was, like, "Wow, this guy's got something special here — we've got a great guy on board here." Every night, as he got to know the songs, he was just expanding on what he was doing, and I would turn round to him with a big beaming smile on my face — "Awesome!" After four shows, we were sat in a café, and I'd already had a chat to Nige [Rockett, guitar] about it, saying we should offer this guy something, see if he would be interested in joining us. So we were sat in a café in Sweden after a show and I said, "Mic, would you be up for joining the band full time? We're really impressed with what you've done." He had a big lump in his throat, and we thought he was going to cry, or say no! He was blown away, so Mic joined on that European tour, and we haven't looked back. He's such an explosive drummer, it's amazing. When I heard the finished product of the new album, it was, "Oh my God!" I was gobsmacked. So we have an awesome drummer on board, I'm pleased to say. He's reliable, consistent, his timekeeping is second to none and every night I still find myself turning round and smiling at him, because he's done something else!
04 min read

ONSLAUGHT Guitarist: ‘Just Because You’re Not Youthful Anymore Doesn’t Mean You Can’t Be Angry’

Manos Spanos
Aniruddh "Andrew" Bansal of Metal Assault recently conducted an interview with guitarist Nige Rockett of British thrashers ONSLAUGHT. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below. Metal Assault: Your new album, "VI", is out now in America and to put it in simple words, it's very aggressive thrash album, which is pretty much what the fans want from you. Would you put it up there with any other ONSLAUGHT album in terms of the aggressive quality of it? Rockett: Personally, I think it's the strongest album we've ever made. The reviews so far have been absolutely amazing. It has nicely backed up what we were thinking ourselves, you know. I guess every band is going to say that their new album is the best, but we genuinely feel this time around that we've actually achieved exactly that. It's what we set out to do, to make a very aggressive technical thrash album, and we're very happy with the results! Metal Assault: This aggression in thrash music has always been associated with a youthful attitude. You guys are obviously not teenagers anymore, so where does that inspiration come from, that you're still able to make this kind of an album? Rockett: Well, just because you're not youthful anymore doesn't mean you can't be angry, you know. [laughs] There is a lot of crap going on in this world, there is a lot to write about, a lot of wrong going on. So there's always a lot of fuel for the fire so to speak, for the lyrics. There's a lot of serious shit that we like to write about, and it helps the anger. Metal Assault: So, as a band's career moves on, the comparisons keep coming up with past albums. For a band like yours which has been around for a while, do you think that's the biggest challenge when you write new music, to keep up with what you've done in the past, better it and live up to the expectations? Rockett: Definitely for me. That's how it works for me on a personal level. I would be very disappointed if we released anything that was sub-standard to the previous album. I think that's the time when you've got to start looking at yourself and saying, "Can we continue this any longer?" I think you've got to stay one step ahead of the game with your own music. I don't know how I would feel if we come to write the next album and it's not as good as "VI", whether I would want to put it out or not. I would kind of feel I've let myself and the fans down. So it's tough. It obviously puts a lot of pressure on you when you're writing the next record, and so far I think we've managed to step up each time. We shall see what happens next time around, I guess. Metal Assault: So you're able to be honest about your own assessment of an album after you put it out. Rockett: Yeah, I think you've got to be, as a songwriter and musician. If you can't be honest with yourself and realize that the album is not good enough and you look at everything with blind eyes and you think it's the best thing you've ever done but it's truly not, then you've obviously got a problem. When Andy [Rosser-Davies, guitar] and I write together, I think we're both honest with each other to say it if something is not good enough. And we throw that part away. We never write any songs that don't get used. You read about a lot of bands writing 15 songs for an album and using 12. What's the point? If those three songs weren't good enough, why did you write them? That's the way we look at things. So, it may take a little more time when you're carefully going through everything but at the end of the day everything comes out better, you know. Read the entire interview at Metal Assault.
04 min read

ONSLAUGHT: ‘Chaos Is King’ Lyric Video Released

Manos Spanos
British thrashers ONSLAUGHT will release their sixth album, "VI", on September 20 via AFM Records. The follow-up to 2011's "Sounds Of Violence" was mixed by Thomas "Plec" Johansson (TIAMAT, SCAR SYMMETRY) at Panic Room studios in Skara, Sweden. Comments ONSLAUGHT guitarist Nige Rockett: "Well, the new album, 'VI', is finally complete and ready to roll on September 20th, and man, it has exceeded all our expectations, by a long long way!! We really pushed ourselves to the limits in making this record and I think that truly shines through in the final results. "'VI' is the most brutal and technical album ONSLAUGHT has ever made, no question. It's old school, it's contemporary and it's fucking aggressive in the extreme, with a few big surprises thrown in for good measure! "We've gone about the whole album-making process with a completely different approach and mindset this time around, ranging from the artwork (by Pär Olofsson) through to the final mixes with Thomas Johansson, who I must single out for mention along with our drummer Michael Hourihan for really upping the ante in the ass-kicking stakes! "We're feeling kind of proud right now and pretty confident the fans are gonna dig it too!" "VI" track listing: 01. A New World Order 02. Chaos Is King 03. Fuel For My Fire 04. Children Of The Sand 05. Slaughterize v
01 min read

ONSLAUGHT To Release ‘VI’ In September

Manos Spanos
British thrashers ONSLAUGHT will release their sixth album, "VI", on September 20 via AFM Records. The follow-up to 2011's "Sounds Of Violence" was mixed by Thomas "Plec" Johansson (TIAMAT, SCAR SYMMETRY) at Panic Room studios in Skara, Sweden. Comments ONSLAUGHT guitarist Nige Rockett: "Well, the new album,'VI', is finally complete and ready to roll on September 20th, and man, it has exceeded all our expectations, by a long long way!! We really pushed ourselves to the limits in making this record and I think that truly shines through in the final results. "'VI' is the most brutal and technical album ONSLAUGHT has ever made, no question. It's old school, it's contemporary and it's fucking aggressive in the extreme, with a few big surprises thrown in for good measure! "We've gone about the whole album-making process with a completely different approach and mindset this time around, ranging from the artwork (by Pär Olofsson) through to the final mixes with Thomas Johansson, who I must single out for mention along with our drummer Michael Hourihan for really upping the ante in the ass-kicking stakes! "We're feeling kind of proud right now and pretty confident the fans are gonna dig it too!"
01 min read