Review by Michael on May 19, 2025.

When it comes to thrash metal from the UK, Onslaught are probably one of the biggest numbers, being active in the scene now for 43 years. Having released some legendary and influential albums as Power From Hell or The Force they have always been a landmark in the thrash metal scene. Unfortunately they disbanded in 1991 but reunited in 2004 and have delivered us more or less regularly with relentless metal since.

So now we are here to celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Force and the first release on their new label "Reigning Phoenix Music". For this very special event the guys have re-recorded the most important songs from their first three records (the two aforementioned plus "In Search Of Sanity") and some cover songs of their most influential punk and metal bands and out came Origins Of Aggression.

And this is the moment where many people will say "why did they do this – the old songs are best the way they are already recorded!!" Well, to be honest, a lot of re-recordings bands did were really disappointing (just to name a few: Exodus with "Let There Be Blood" or Sodom with "The Final Sign Of Evil"). But sometimes this experiment works. Sometimes.

This is sometimes. First of all, I personally always thought that the first two albums had a good quality when it comes to the song-writing, with all the Slayer-riffs and its uncompromising aggression. But what lacks (at least for my pampered ears) is a sound that kicks ass. Both sound a little bit soft, just like Hulk when he is Dr. Bruce Banner.

With the re-recordings they have given the tracks so much more energy and they sound quite modern (not in a negative way), the production is really powerful. Just listen to "Thermonuclear Devastation Of The Planet Earth" and you'll literally get a mushroom cloud hit into your face. And this new aggression is a constant that runs through the album like a common thread. Another aspect that mustn't be neglected is vocalist Dave Garnet. His rough and harsh voice matches perfectly to this kind of music, sounding super pissed-off and threatening. Maybe his beast performance is on "Fight With The Beast" with high-pitched screams and deep growls.

But not only the own compositions on that album are convincing. Onslaught pay tribute to their own heroes with many cover songs, where they bow to The Exploited, Dead Kennedys, Discharge, Judas Priest or Motörhead, just to name a few. Here you can see how close punk and metal are to each other. And just like Slayer did it with "Undisputed Attitude", Onslaught gave the punk songs a very special touch, peppered with power. Tracks like "Holidays In Cambodia", "State Violence State Control" or "Holidays In The Sun" just make fun and want you to throw some stones against whomever.

But what (at least for me) doesn't turned out too good are the cover songs from the big metal bands. I don't know, but "Freewheel Burning" sounds really weak, the vocals don't match. I guess Dave's vocals aren't created to sing. Same goes to "War Pigs".

But to sum it up, this album is really worth listening to and makes a lot of fun. Fortunately there is the skip button to skip these two tracks but the rest is really good. Happy anniversary!!!

Rating: 9 out of 10