Blending Punk and Metal in a balled fist of aggression, Bristol’s Onslaught should have been much bigger than they were. A ferociously intense live band, they have been stalwarts of the UK Thrash Metal scene for decades. For many Thrash fans, their early works, particularly the debut album Power From Hell and The Force, are classics that sit alongside the likes of Show No Mercy and Kill ‘Em All.
Onslaught – Origins Of Aggression
Release Date: 23 May 2025
Words: Paul Hutchings
Having signed a new deal with Reigning Phoenix Music, the future looks good for the band whose last offering, Generation Antichrist turns five this year.
Origins Of Aggression sees the band celebrate the 40th anniversary of debut Power From Hell with a collection of re-recordings of some of the choicest cuts from the band’s early works, along with a second disc that provides covers of some of Onslaught’s early influences.
It is rare that any reworking of songs that are regarded as classics can improve things, and this is a mixed bag, alright. There is a better, crisper production, and singer Dave Garnett certainly has the chops to follow the likes of Paul Mahoney, Sy Keeler and Steve Grimmett (RIP). The intensity has also been ramped up slightly, if that is possible, as has the tempo.
Onslaught certainly ain’t slowing anything down here. 
Opener Thermonuclear Devastation Of The Planet Earth, and the bristling pace of Let There Be Death match the originals in every department, whilst Power From Hell and Metal Forces are staples that the current incarnation has made their own.
You cannot really argue with the sheer power of Fight With The Beast here, with Garnett making the song his own in many ways. I am certainly not knocking the band’s efforts here, and live these tracks all still rule. And in many ways, a reworking of such seminal songs is no bad thing. This is Thrash Metal after all.
It was a brave move in 1989 when Onslaught released In Search Of Sanity. The only Onslaught album to feature Grimmett, who was brought in under label pressure to redo Keeler’s original vocals, it was an album that did not fare that well upon release, although it did make the UK Top 50.
Time has softened the views, and today it is an album that is sometimes ranked higher than any other Onslaught album. The title track is the one track that is inferior to the original for several reasons. Firstly, Grimmett’s vocals are superior on this song. He was perfect for the progressive sprawl that the song became.
Then there is the playing, which here really is second fiddle to the original. The tempo may have been slower, but you do not always have to play fast to be heavier. And whilst there is nothing massively wrong with it, play it back-to-back with the 1989 original and it cannot touch it, despite some frenetic lead work.
Disc Two sees the band dive into their roots. Motörhead’s Iron Fist opens the side, and it’s a solid if unremarkable cover, which sees the band playing full throttle. If anything, this thrashed-up version just makes you appreciate the original more, for it is a song that is guaranteed to get your head shaking.
From here on we get a selection of punk classics. The Dead Kennedys’ Holiday In Cambodia has been covered by many a band, and Onslaught give it their best, whilst there are three songs selected from the Discharge catalogue. UK 82 has The Exploited enter the fray, and so far, the covers are on point.
Touching Judas Priest’s catalogue is always a brave move, and picking one of the highest-pitched songs gives Garrett some real challenges. But he rises to the occasion on a solid Freewheeling Turning, before the band turn in a real industrial grind for Killing Joke’s War Dance, with Garrett once more giving it all. Not massively inspirational, but certainly worth a listen.
Picking War Pigs may not be that risky, but it is a track needs a lot of care in order not to damage it. Onslaught nail it here, down to the sirens, and whilst it’s another faithful representation, it is nothing you would turn off.
It is also another song that makes you truly appreciate just how good the original was over 50 years later.
Finishing with the third Discharge cover, Drunk With Power, one wonders who will buy this release. Whilst there are always new Thrash fans on a voyage of discovery, older fans of the band will possibly prefer to hold their dosh for a new album.
But if you want to celebrate a band who stand atop the UK Thrash greats, Origins Of Aggression is certainly not a bad way to do it.
Onslaught unleash Origins Of Aggression on 23 May 2025 via Reigning Phoenix Music. Pre-orders are available from here.
