During the last five years the metal world has shown a renewed interest in 80's Thrash Metal - a form of late recognition that, to any devout Thrasher such as myself, comes as a very welcome development. As a direct consequence of this shift in climate, we have been experiencing the re-emergence of numerous acts, the majority of which have absolutely nothing new to offer rather than attempts at explaining the reasons which led them to disband in the first place. On the other hand, you have a handful of bands such as the British quintet Onslaught who are still capable of causing sensation with their compositions and their latest release "Killing Peace" is here to prove it.

I always found it amazing how any band with such a short discography as Onslaught (three records over their lifetime) have managed to make such a huge impression on me at the time, but I fail to see how there could be a single Thrasher out there who does not recognise the importance that albums such as "Power From Hell" (1985) and "The Force" (1986) played in increasing the status of the Thrash Metal scene. Having said that, I personally never understood the reasons behind the band's decision to employ Steve Grimmett (Grim Reaper) as a vocalist and release an album such as "In Search of Sanity", but it definitely looks like these five gentlemen have learned their lessons, seeing as "Killing Peace" signals both the band's return to more aggressive forms of Thrash and the re-instatement of Sy Keeler behind the mike.

It will not take long for you to realise that "Killing Peace" is a collection of nine quality compositions that contain some of the best Thrash riffs that one can hear in the year 2007, and which are blessed by an amazing sound, courtesy of the well-known guitar wizard Andy Sneap (Sabbat). From the opening few notes of "Burn", the main rhythmical theme of which bares strong reference to the band's classic opus "Flame of the Antichrist", till the finishing moments of the neck-breaking Testament-sounding theme of "Shock 'n' Awe" one should expect to find only a few fleeting moments of relaxation.

The influence of Slayer in Nige Rockett's riffing has been evident since the early days in the band's career and the same applies in the year 2007. Fast- paced compositions, such as "Pain" and "Tested to Destruction", are clear evidence of my previous statement, but these also present the band's intention to slightly modernise their classic Thrash tunes by avoiding most typical clichés along the way. Much as I love fast guitar riffs, though, it was the more epic-sounding/mid-tempo compositions, such as "Destroyer of Worlds" and "Prayer for the Dead", that brought shivers to my spine - the former being a composition based on a bombastic rhythmical drum theme that you can usually find in modern Sodom songs, whereas the latter displays a highly infectious refrain that is guaranteed to stick in your mind for months to come.

If you think I sound overly excited about "Killing Peace", I believe that this is a logical reaction towards an album that has been consistently draining the batteries of my CD player during the last few weeks. Onslaught have proved with this release that there is still plenty of life in them, and with that in mind, I am looking forward to many such efforts in the near future. Definitely a thumbs up!

****½

Review by John Stefanis