"We at Onslaught are having a wonderful time right now, probably the best in our entire career."
W: Hello, Nige! First of all, I would like to thank you for taking your time and kindly agreeing to our interview request.
NR: Hi, my friend. It's a great pleasure for me to do this interview for you, thank you very much!!
W: Well, to start, could you please tell our readers what you were doing from 1990 to 2005 while Onslaught was inactive all this time?
NR: Basically, I left the music scene for about 12 years. I really hated what was happening at that time with all that crap like grunge. Honestly, it was a really bad period for metal, and I was completely disillusioned with music after all the problems we had internally and with the record label at the time.
W: Did you keep in regular contact with the members of the last lineup after the band broke up?
NR: No, actually, no. I've seen Sy (the band's vocalist) a few times all these years, but I've never kept in touch with Rob Trotman (former guitarist) or Hinder (former bassist). As I said before, I completely left the band behind after we split up; I didn't carry any inspiration with me during these years of inactivity.
W: Speaking about the comeback and especially the first show in Bristol, your hometown, did you consider bringing back these members from the band's last lineup, including Rob Trottman and vocalist Sy Keeler, in place of Steve Grimmet? If so, why did Rob refuse this offer?
NR: We never considered calling Rob back, we knew he was living far from Bristol and we kind of assumed, based on past experiences, that he wouldn't be interested in it, and also the period of the 'In Search of Sanity' album wasn't where we wanted to return to and it brings back more memories of the band, and that album was never a 100% Onslaught record for us or for the fans. Sy Keeler is the only genuine Onslaught vocalist in the eyes of the fans and it was the only way things could work when we returned…
W: Nige, you guys were playing the album The Force in its entirety as a special show last year to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its release. When you released it, did you have any idea how influential this album would be on the Thrash/Death Metal scene?
NR: Not at all, we knew it was a very good album when we finished it, but we never imagined the influence it would have on the scene over the years… It’s a huge honor that people refer to The Force with such respect and that many, many new fans are still buying this record today.
I think the metal scene in 2013 is very healthy and I hope it stays that way…”
W: Since you came back, I've noticed two things in particular that I'd like to ask you about. To start, why did you give up playing your own solos?
NR: Yes, good question… After not picking up my guitar for 12 years, it was really hard work getting back to playing at the level I had reached in previous years… For me, it was more important to focus on rhythm guitar than on solos, as that was the foundation of Onslaught's sound… And I also never really enjoyed playing solos back then, I hate feeling tied to the pedals and I feel much more fulfilled just shredding and letting someone else handle all the solos.
W: Secondly, you cut the killer riff intro from Let There Be Death and also the last part of Metal Forces, which I think is a shame. Personally, I love the way these songs were originally written. Any reason for these changes that you'd like to share with us?
NR: Yes, we always thought the introduction to 'LTBD' was simply too long, so we cut it down to try and make it more impactful. That said, we've been playing it pretty close to the original track on the last tour… As for 'Metal Forces,' I really don't know why we cut the ending. I think I'll consider bringing it back to its original form from now on, since you mentioned it.
W: Besides The Force, I really like the album In Search of the Sanity. I noticed that you guys stopped playing songs from this album after the comeback, only the track Shellshock a few times. Nige, in retrospect, despite the problem with a major label like London that didn't properly promote the band, aren't you proud of this work?
NR: ISOS never sounded like an Onslaught album to me, and most fans think the same way… Don't get me wrong, I'm very proud of the album I wrote, but with Steve Grimmett joining the band in place of Sy and with the mix being overly polished, this album lost all its energy and aggression… Actually, we're going to re-record the whole album when we have some free time and make it sound like it was originally intended to. ISOS will sound like a real Onslaught album someday soon hahaha… We've started working on new versions right now and 1 or 2 songs will appear as bonus tracks on the next album to be released…
Every band says their new album will be the heaviest and fastest they've ever made, and in 9 out of 10 cases it's all nonsense.
W: Still talking about In Search of Sanity, founding member and longtime drummer Steve Grice left the band and formed a new band with several former Onslaught members from various lineups called The Sanity Days, where they play most of the tracks from this album. Honestly, how did you react to their attempt to play these Onslaught tracks?
N:R: Honestly…!! From what I've noticed, it stinks a lot..!!!!! These people never wrote a single note for these songs, not even a single word or lyric for this album, and all of them except Grice were short-term members of the band, so I don't understand what right they have to go around playing covers of my songs from this album. They've been together for about 2 years and I believe they've only tried to write one song of their own. That says a lot about them, I think..!!
W: One of the highlights of your career was certainly when you played at the Dynamo Open Air festival in the Netherlands in 1986 or 87. There was a huge crowd of headbangers at that show and, apart from that, your performance was exceptional. Do you think that those times are unfortunately gone and that there won't be any more large crowds for the metal scene compared to that period in history?
N:R: Yes, it was definitely a high point, it was one of the first real festivals and I have many good memories from that time, but no, not at all, Metal is back and getting stronger every year. We at Onslaught are having a wonderful period right now, in fact, probably the best in our entire career. We're playing many shows annually, many more than before, and all over the world, the opportunities are endless… There are many small and large festivals happening all over the world. I think the Metal scene in 2013 is very healthy and may it continue that way…
W: Let's talk about the present and future of Onslaught. You officially have a new drummer who used to be the drummer for Extreme Noise Terror. Onslaught has always been influenced by punk and hardcore bands like Discharge from the beginning. Do you think Michael Hourihan can give us a sound close to the old days or add new elements to your music?
NR: Yes, we really enjoy hardcore stuff, as I said, and these influences are always present and can be heard on all the albums… Mic is an absolutely fantastic drummer and a really cool guy. His playing can be both very technical and aggressive at the same time, which is perfect for us… He really takes us to another level, especially in live performances, the energy has increased by more than 1000%, so I really can't wait to hear his influence on our new album, it will add a new and complete dynamic to the Onslaught sound…!
W: I read one of your recent interviews and you mentioned that you wouldn't say the new material you're recording is typical of that cliché: "The fastest, heaviest we've ever written" and all that. Anyway, could you describe something special, in particular, about these new songs that you're proud of and worth mentioning?
NR: Haha yes, every band says their new album is the heaviest, the fastest they've ever made, and in 9 out of 10 cases it's all nonsense, so I won't mind saying that! Let the fans decide! What I can say is that the new album will sound really current but still with all the characteristics of Onslaught represented… As we said in the previous question, Mic will bring a new “vibe” to this album and give us many stylistic variations to incorporate into our music… We are very proud of what we have written for this release so far, there is a combination of different tempos and a dark element to all this material… The worldwide release is scheduled for Friday the 13th, September 13th…
You are truly wonderful with your unconditional and unwavering support for Onslaught, we will never forget you.”
W: Lead guitarist Andy Ross Davies didn't play during the last European tour due to personal commitments, and we noticed he was also absent from the shows on the 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise. Is he still a permanent member of the band and will he return to the band's front line for shows from now on?
NR: Unfortunately, Andy hasn't been in a position to tour with us for the last 6 months, which is a real shame because we love having him with us. I'm really not sure if or when he'll return to the stage; only he can decide that… Of course, he and I have been working hard on the compositions for the new album during these last 6 months, so he's still an active and very important member of the band at the moment, and we're both looking forward to going into the studio in April/May… In the meantime, we have a fantastic substitute for the shows, Leigh Chambers, who has been doing a brilliant job filling in for Andy!!
W: You're touring with the American death metal institution Master in Europe in October. This package is called Slaughterfest. Since you're releasing a new album, we should expect new songs on this tour, for sure. Does this necessarily mean the opportunity to play the entire set of The Force has passed? If not, since Onslaught has already played twice in South America and people didn't get a chance to enjoy this special celebratory set, are there any plans or discussions to play The Force in its entirety there in South America as well?
NR: We have a cool package coming up in Europe in October, the 'Slaughterfest' “Onslaught / Exumer / Mpire of Evil / Master”, I know it's going to be explosive with all these guys and I believe the fans are in for it to have a blast… In terms of our setlist, of course we'll play some songs from the new album, but since it's our thirtieth anniversary in 2013, we're going to play a special '30 Years of Violence' set which will include the best tracks from each album we've released… Then comes South America again in November, and without a doubt, these have been the best tours ever and this time we'll be bringing the Danish thrashers 'Artillery' with us… The whole experience with the South American tour is fantastic, the wonderful people, the fans, the exceptional food, the scenery, the whole atmosphere is perfect… We're undecided on what setlist we'll have in South America, but I know for sure that everyone will have a great time, that's guaranteed.
Final Message to South American/Brazilian Fans
NR: Hello everyone, we would like to send our very special thanks to all our fans/friends/Metalheads from Brazil and South America. You are truly wonderful with your unconditional and unrestricted support for Onslaught all this time. You mean a lot to us and we will never forget you. We are planning 11 to 12 shows in November and would like to take this opportunity to invite everyone to our shows and join us in our 30th anniversary celebration. We look forward to seeing you soon and having some beers after the shows…!!
Love / Respect / Metal \m/
