Onslaught

Bristol's Onslaught began with the punk and hardcore of Discharge and the Exploited, filtered through the new wave of British heavy metal, and over time they stripped that mixture down to a straightforward thrash attack. AllMusic's Jason Anderson called their sound "punishing", and the band are regarded as British thrash pioneers, one of the so-called Big Four alongside Sabbat, Xentrix and Acid Reign.

Formed in 1982 by guitarist Nige Rockett and drummer Steve Grice, the group made their debut with Power from Hell in 1985 on the independent label Cor. Their second album, The Force, followed in 1986 via Under One Flag, and its tour of about two and a half years brought them alongside Motörhead and a then-unknown Anthrax. The 1989 record In Search of Sanity, with a new singer, Steve Grimmett, was their only album to reach the UK Albums Chart, peaking at No. 30. After the band disbanded in early 1991 they reformed in 2005, and have since issued Killing Peace, Sounds of Violence and VI, the last in September 2013.