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Onslaught > In Search of Sanity > Reviews
Onslaught - In Search of Sanity

Extremely Unique and Powerful - 85%

StanXcalibur56, April 15th, 2023
Written based on this version: 1989, 12" vinyl, London Records

Onslaught has never really been able to keep a consistent sound, each album sounds different from one another. The band initially started as a punk band before going full-throttle thrash, but in 1990 they came out with In Search of Sanity, an album that divides fans of the thrash metal genre; you either love it or hate it. However, this is one of the most unique sounding metal records to ever be released.

The most obvious element are the vocals by Steve Grimmett, it's said that the label wanted the record to sound softer, so they had the members re-record the entire album with Steve Grimmett on vocals (really makes me wonder what it sounded like before that). The addition of Grimmett is a welcome surprise for sure, his outstanding highs really elevate this album into territory that no other thrash band had really done at the time, having a soft vocalist opposed to the typical scratchy thrash vocals. Grimmett's vocals add a power metal edge, while retaining the thrash sound.

The guitar tone is the highlight of the album, it has a very quirky funkiness to it that is incredibly hard to describe, as well as replicate. It sounds as though one guitar is tuned slightly higher than the other, creating this two dimensional wall of sound with a huge helping of reverb that just screams 80's, despite the album being released in 1990. The melodic bridges on the songs "Lightning War" and "In Search of Sanity" really showcases this bizarre tone that the band chose. The drums, albeit simple, have a sound that would be more fitting on an AOR release rather than a thrash one. And as for the bass, it's very audible, but was a missed opportunity to have more complex notes. All these strange choices would make it seem like a bad album on the surface, but rather creates soundscapes that harken back to early Grim Reaper (duh), Bloodgood, and Manilla Road. Some people say this album sounds a lot like Metallica, but I don't hear it anywhere on here.

The one thing I despise about this album is the obnoxious FIVE MINUTE intro track, with spooky synth noises occasionally broken by random thumps and metal sounds. This egregiously long track could've been replaced by something far more worthy of a five minute time slot. There's also two covers on this album, "Let There be Rock" by AC/DC, and "Confused" by Angel Witch. These covers could've been replaced by an original song, as the covers are mediocre at best. We are also blessed with a twelve minute ballad that discusses the fear of death, which hit close to home for me. The song, despite being twelve minutes, uses this time up in a manner that makes it feel more like five minutes, it's a great ballad.

In conclusion, this album is so incredibly unique that there is really nothing out there that sounds like it. The closest match I could find is Bloodgood, but it stops there. This album gets way too much hate than it deserves, and should get way more attention. Us fans of this album can only hope that Onslaught will release another album similar to it, but with Steve Grimmett's recent passing, I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Top 3 Songs: In Search of Sanity, Lightning War, Welcome to Dying

"It doesn't do anything, it's just... there" - 30%

Gas_Snake, December 17th, 2021

There are many things to be said about British thrashers Onslaught's third album "In Search Of Sanity". It is the result of massive changes in both lineup and style, with their former raw, proto-thrash Show No Mercy-like aesthetic being abandoned in favor of a cleaner, glossier sound, and vocalist Sy Keeler being replaced by ex-Grim Reaper frontman Steve Grimmett. It is a very divisive album among their fanbase, usually considered either the best or worst album they've ever released. But most importantly, it is Onslaught's response to a trend - one that began in the late 80's, generally focusing on longer, more elaborate arrangements, polished and accessible production, and (sometimes) progressive songwriting.

Again, opinions vary on what this trend meant for the development of the style. It came in many forms, and I am of the opinion that it ultimately did more harm than good. More specifically, this album is what I consider to be the absolute most egregious proponent of this trend of any classic thrash albums. Not because it is the progenitor of said trend - that would almost certainly be Metallica's fabled "...And Justice For All". Not because it is attempting to be "progressive" and miserably failing in doing so - there are no tricks to Onslaught, and there never were any. Not because it is the longest and most overloaded of its kind - Dark Angel easily takes the crown there, and even they executed their attempt admirably, filled with genuine style and ambition. No, the reason why it falls flat on its face is just due to what, or rather, who they attempted to sound like, and how haphazardly they executed the album.

This should be clear to you now, but yes: this is a Metallica ripoff, through and through. Even the guitar tone is effectively a weaker, less sharp take on Master Of Puppets, which takes away from the energy and aggression of the guitars. This still wouldn't be so bad if the riffs and solos were actually any good, but that's the thing: they're not. The riffs are just third-rate Master Of Puppets knockoffs that often border on plagiarism, and at times dive head-first into it. The solos are serviceable, but they don't do anything. They're not memorable, they're not emotional, they're just... there. In fact, I can only count a grand total of two guitar lines on this entire thing that I'm sometimes compelled to come back to - the intro riff of "Shellshock" and the clean guitar line under the verses of "Welcome To Dying". The others are lazy derivatives that can't possibly grab your positive attention. They only exist only to fill up space.

I will give those riffs one thing, though - they are rather catchy. However, they aren't catchy because they're good. They stick in your head because the band also takes their surface level songwriting cues from Metallica - they repeat those riffs far too often, and they always add a third verse-chorus to their song structures. For comparison, Metallica themselves (on MOP, anyway) barely got away with doing those things because their riffs were also naturally catchy and backed by an energetic enough performance that many, myself included, were inclined not to care. When the same treatment is given to lazy derivatives of those riffs, you get a waste of the record's space and your time. "Lightning War" is one of the worst offenders in this regard. That intro riff is later reused for every verse, every chorus, the solo, a little break before the third verse, and the outro - that's a total of TEN separate instances of that riff, and it's not even remotely good in a vacuum, being one step away from a shameless "Battery" ripoff. It doesn't do anything, it's just... there.

Steve Grimmett's vocals are just the icing on the cake. As stated above, he used to sing in a power metal band before this, and it shows with his overly clean and smooth tone - he just isn't fit to sing thrash metal. He's not aggressive enough to fit the music, he's not expressive enough to rise above it and have an identity of his own (and no, being so high up in the mix does not magically equate to doing this!), he doesn't hit any soaring high notes, and for the few notes where he does try to go really high, he sings them in an almost falsetto-like tone - pointless AND abrasive. See, for instance, "I seek a dream that just can't BE-E-E-E-E-E!" from the title track. And, of course, he also fails to succeed on the cover of AC/DC's "Let There Be Rock", as Bon Scott's badassery cannot be imitated by a performance that is uniformly so feeble as this. Hell, even the lyrics are largely ad-libbed sequences of words that vaguely tell of war, finding your own way, existential crisises and other such cliche things. They don't do anything, they're just... there.

Oh, and I haven't even mentioned that, before all of this, the first thing you hear on the album when you press "play" is the opening track "Asylum", consisting of FIVE ENTIRE MINUTES of stock horror movie noises. There's no buildup, no atmosphere, no conceptual meaning, no reason to waste precious time that you could instead be filling with good music. It just... exists, to waste space and further necessitate the inclusion of a second vinyl side. I'm serious - if you were to trim the fat on these songs, remove "Asylum", remove the third verses and some repetitions of the riffs, the resulting content would easily fit into 30 minutes. For six original songs, that's quite reasonable.

Still, there's one song here that really sticks out for how pointless it is. "Welcome To Dying" is one of the saddest wastes of space that I've seen on a thrash album. On a surface level, it has the makings of a really good ballad, is founded on a decent clean guitar line, and Grimmett's voice fits far better here than on the rest of the album. Only two problems with that: one, it's a "Sanitarium" knockoff, and two: it stretches itself to a whopping TWELVE AND A HALF MINUTES. To give you an idea of why this is so terrible, I'll break down the whole structure of the song, front to back. Those twelve and a half minutes are taken up by: a verse-chorus, a second verse-chorus, a solo that no one cares about, a third verse-chorus, a bunch more solos that no one cares about, a couple of riffs that directly ape "Sanitarium" and "Master Of Puppets" (the song), A FOURTH VERSE-CHORUS, and, finally, an outro with another derivative riff that takes its sweet time before fading into the great beyond. Can you guess which parts of this song I would ever feel like coming back to? ...That's right, the clean guitar line during the verses! Which is then promptly repeated and beaten into the ground until it loses its impact ANYWAY. It's twelve and a half minutes of damn near nothing worth hearing, and I feel insulted knowing that such a thing exists in the genre that I love so damn much.

I'm willing to say that this is as bad as old-school thrash can get while still being competently presented in a vacuum. There may not be anything horrifically abrasive about it on a surface level, but there's no substance here. It's so disingenious, so lacking in songs one should care about, so unaware of what made its influences as impactful as they are, so stubborn in needlessly padding its material, that it becomes a reprehensible experience - a void filled with meaningless stock audio footage masquerading as riffs and songs. Notice how there's a repeating sentiment that applies to every element of this album: "It doesn't do anything, it just exists". That's what "In Search Of Sanity" is like. It's a nothing album, and the band clearly made the right decision in abandoning this sound upon reuniting. They knew: they fucked it up, and they'd better not do it again. If you want to hear this band's far better works, I recommend "The Force" and "Sounds Of Violence".

Highlights: They stretched six songs into something like 48 minutes without being even remotely progressive. I think that's some kind of accomplishment, but I'm not sure. Please correct me on that if necessary.

On riffiness and Reapers past - 80%

autothrall, March 11th, 2021
Written based on this version: 1989, CD, London Records

Although there wasn't terribly much of a stigma attached to the third Onslaught record when it dropped at the end of the 80s, it's an album that has been unfairly maligned through the decades; if not outright hated by thrashers and fans, then at least placed in the mediocrity box more often than it deserves. Like many, I found it quite the shift from Power from Hell and The Force, transitioning away from the more cult thrash and influential proto-death metal of those releases into a sound that was a little more fit for a time when the thrash genre was becoming more involved, complex and frankly interesting...as much as I love the basic, rudimentary classics of the genre, hearing a band like Artillery or Coroner or Deathrow crank its potential up a few notches was more than welcome. Teenage ears seeking fresh sounds, not repetition of what Slayer, Possessed, Exodus and Metallica had already mastered in their primes.

Artillery is probably the most apt comparison, because In Search of Sanity has a sort of power/thrash hybrid feel to it redolent of those Danes' first two albums, Fear of Tomorrow and Terror Squad, if not the brazenly brilliant riff-gasm that was By Inheritance. This one is definitely characterized by its longer, more ambitious riffing structures, a superior balance of melody and aggression to its own predecessors, and last but not least the addition of Grim Reaper crooner Steve Grimmett. I was particularly curious to hear what Steve would contribute once I took note of this lineup change, for as effective as the vocals were for the earlier, harsher, more direct albums, I'm not sure that would have worked as well alongside the guitars here. He doesn't sound too different than in his alma mater, and strangely I think it's those more melodic phrasings that add a lot of depth to the hammering, juggernaut riffs which owe as much to West Coast US thrash metal to anything else. Groups like Heathen, Defiance, Metallica and Testament are great comparisons to the processed, bottom end feed of the muted guitars, or perhaps better yet this is in the same mold as fellow Brits Xentrix on their first two discs.

When I was younger I remember being swept up by the rather robust track-lengths, which never became boring even with the 5 minute instrumental opener, or the 12+ opus "Welcome to Dying". There's always something catchy waiting around every corner, and throughout each of the arguably bloated pieces, Grimmett is casting out another melody. He uses a lot of sustained notes which are a cool contrast to the busier guitars beneath, which are just constantly chugging and driving along courtesy of Nige Rockett and Rob Trotman. The leads here are pretty good, always controlled and never arbitrary or long in the tooth, and I also thought Jim Hinder's bass sounded pretty good, especially where it got a starring role like the verses of the cover of AC/DC's "Let There Be Rock", which I remember being another of those respectful and semi popular tributes of the 80s similar to Realm's "Eleanor Rigby" or Testament's "Nobody's Fault", the band making it something of their own rather than copying the original too closely. The drums are also pretty good, snappy and straightforward but tossing in a good cadence or fill here or there.

Over 30 years later I'm still digging both the momentum and construction of this record, and along with its two predecessors I still consider it the highlight era of the band's career. While newer Onslaught albums are met with a good deal of critical acclaim, I find them to be rather generic, if not awful. For the same reasons I'm not that into modern Slayer, Rob Dukes-fronted Exodus and Warbringer, I just don't find them to carry the same level of personality as they used to. In Search of Sanity might indeed not have the cult, battle jacket-worthy credentials of its forebears, and perhaps it's worth it to even go back to this one and think of it as a separate band entirely, but if you enjoy the well-crafted, accessible thrashings of the later 80s then I think this one easily meets the demand, even when it goes a little long in the teeth. In fact I'm almost a little sad that I didn't hear more of this with Steve in the roster.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Better Than Power From Hell And The Force! - 100%

ThrashFanatic, March 26th, 2018
Written based on this version: 2008, CD, Candlelight Records USA (Reissue)

In UK, thrash was booming throughout the 80's and well into the early 90's. Bands such as Xentrix, Sabbat, Hydra Vein, and Acid Reign played a very hyper form of thrash that rivaled some of the Bay Area's finest. One band named Onslaught however were playing a more black metal inspired form of thrash on albums such as "Power From Hell" and "The Force". I just want to go on record by saying I can't stand black metal. Due to this, I didn't really like Onslaught's first two albums, and I couldn't stand Sy Keeler's vocals. However, when Onslaught signed to London Records, the label brought in Grim Reaper's Steve Grimmett to replace Keeler. This was without a doubt, the absolute BEST thing to ever happen to Onslaught in my opinion. Grimmett is a much more capable vocalist than Keeler, and his voice would better suit Onslaught's more progressive 3rd release, "In Search Of Sanity".

The record is much more melodic than the first two, and Grimmett's performance is one of the best vocal performances in thrash. His voice often reminds me of Spreading the Disease-era Joey Belladonna, which is a good thing. The production is much more defined, and all the instruments shine through. I know a lot of Onslaught fans say they can't stand this album, but I beg to differ. The compositions are better crafted on this record, and the riffs and solos are superb. Onslaught's main guitarist and songwriter Nige Rockett is at his peak here, and the other guitarist Rob Trotman does a wonderful job as well. Bassist James Hinder is audible throughout much of the record. His bass is especially creative on the epic 12 minute power ballad "Welcome To Dying", it stands out among the other instruments and has a personality of it's own. Steve Grice does a decent job on drums, however his playing isn't anything earth shattering.

I have only one complaint here, and that is the 5 minute long intro titled "Asylum". It's basically just a bunch of sound effects and it's WAYYYY too long! I won't deduct points for this however because it sets the mood for the rest of the album rather well. The title track has an awesome main riff, and Grimmett's vocals really shine here. "Shellshock" is excellent with some of the best vocal melodies on the record, the riffs are again brilliant, they have some groove to them too which makes for another killer track. The AC/DC cover of "Let There Be Rock" while good, is kind of forgettable. I won't deduct points for this either because I am pretty sure the band were forced to record this because the record label most likely wanted a more accessible track on the album. One of the highlights of the record is "Lightning War", in which the lyrics concern a blitzkrieg attack. The main riff is one of the best thrash riffs ever, and will make you violently headbang throughout. "Blood Upon The Ice" is another epic track, which features some cool vocal melodies once again from Grimmett. The best song however is the aforementioned "Welcome To Dying", which has all the components of what makes a masterpiece of a ballad. The song isn't overly sappy, this is how REAL MEN write ballads! The solo near the middle of the song is perfect, and the 12 minutes fly by. This is the recommended track that you should definitely check out!

"In Search Of Sanity" is the best Onslaught album ever. It has the awesome vocals of Steve Grimmett, incredible songs, kickass solos and riffs, audible bass, and forceful drumming. This is one of the best UK thrash records, and despite the 59 minute length, it never gets boring. I highly recommend this to fans of Xentrix, Anthrax, Sabbat, Pyracanda, and Metallica. This is a good one, check it out as soon as possible if you haven't already!

Highlights: "In Search Of Sanity", "Shellshock", "Lightning War", "Blood Upon The Ice", and "Welcome To Dying"

In Search of Identity - 85%

666GodListensToSlayer666, January 29th, 2018

During one of my [major] thrash binges a couple years back, I stumbled upon Onslaught's The Force. Enticed by the straightforward album cover, kickass band name, and welcoming reception from the YouTube comment section, I began listening to this 'thrashing force' and was immediately hooked. That was a great album through its accessible yet macho brand of thrash, and the gritty production, aggressive vocals, and sprawling guitar work were among the great highlights. Power From Hell, their debut, was pretty great too, and the whole Satanic thrash identity made sense considering their execution. I then ran into their later works (Killing Peace and onward), and while not in love with the material, their consistency and adaptability was an impressive feat. Then I noticed an album called In Search of Sanity. I didn't realize I missed an album of theirs and wondered why for a bit. I decided to play it because why not right? Upon first impression, I took note of the long, opening instrumental and the album's length. It took longer to get things started than their other efforts, and the intro ran a couple minutes longer than it needed to, and then I get smacked across the face by an escalating riff. It was the title track, and I got reeled in by the simple yet flashy riff which then unfolded into a catchy tune that set the pace for the rest of the album. The moment Steve Grimmett's vocals kick in, I realized this was very different from their other work. Grimmett's melodic, powerful vocals rode the riffs like a surfboard, catching waves of memorable lyrics and hooks with an impressive solo section to boot. The deviation from their other material kept my attention, and I really liked the direction the album took.

If you can picture Metallica with melodic vocals and more effective guitar work, then that could best describe Onslaught's black sheep album. I understand that fans were divided upon the release of this record due to being a departure from the grittier style they initially pursued, and it probably prompted Steve's choice to leave the group which then led to a serious of events from a vocalist change to losing their record label then disbanding for 16 years. Sy Keeler is their definitive vocalist (although I don't feel he aged well), but it's a shame they didn't pursue this direction. The clean yet professional sounding production breathes much needed life into the drums and bass which give the album a great punch to keep it from being 'fluffy', and you can tell they were studying Metallica with their songcraft here. "Shell Shock" and "Blood Upon The Ice" are the prime examples of that statement with their long song lengths, catchy verse riffs, buildup choruses, and riff changes amid their respective solo sections. The solid lyrics, commanding vocals, and great execution keep it from being fullblown Metallica worship and sounding stale, and it works well. They also up the ante on tunes like "Lightning War" and especially "Powerplay" through their galloping high speed riffs and aggressive pace, reminding us that they can still thrash with the best of them. The former features an effectively dramatic chorus, and the latter has my favorite main riff on the album and is a terrific album closer. The "Let There Be Rock" cover is lyrically out of place on the record, but it's well done and may even be superior to the original with updated soloing and faster tempo. The bonus track "Confused," a cover of the Angel Witch song of the same name, is superior to the original with its faster tempo, superior solo section, and Steve's passionate vocals.

Despite the album's highlight qualities, the album isn't without its flaws. Melodic thrash isn't everyone's cup of tea so those who prefer thrash with more bite may wish to sit this one out. At 57 minutes minus the bonus track, the album is rather long for the genre, and that's partly due to the song "Welcome to Dying." The song itself is an effective display of Steve's singing chops and quiet, slow buildup, but the song is far too long at 12 minutes and 36 seconds without enough variation to keep it interesting. It takes over 7 minutes for the uptempo riffs to kick in despite a strong solo section before it. The song could've been twice as effective with half the length. Some of the other material could've been trimmed as well, primarily the outro to "Lightning War," "Blood Upon The Ice" could afford to lose 30 seconds or more, and "Asylum" could've been cut in half. The title track and "Powerplay" are the perfect length given their construction, but with only 6 original songs constituting 48 minutes of the record, that can pose problematic to those who prefer leaner, trimmed up thrash.

The Force is their best album by far, but I'm personally not a big fan of the albums after this one and finds this album a close second with Power From Hell. I'm open to all kinds of thrash and found this a pleasant surprise that is often found on my weekly thrash playlist. Despite its length and reputation as the band's black sheep, I find it harshly underrated and recommend it to those who find enjoyable merit out of melodic thrash. It would've been interesting to see if the band would continue this direction if they survived the 90's, but alas, Grim Reaper exists, and that's fine by me.

In Search of Traces of UK Thrash Dignity - 86%

bayern, September 8th, 2017

I started my acquaintance with Onslaught with the album reviewed here, and since I liked it quite a bit, I decided to track down their past repertoire. I couldn’t quite hear what the big fuss was about on those two previous instalments, there were fans I knew who were swearing by “The Force” as the biggest thing that ever happened on the UK thrash metal arena, as they were just passable, marginally above average, recordings “The Force” by all means the superior offering, but nothing even close to the magnanimity of the Sabbat arsenal, or the cleverly-constructed memorable contributions to the genre made by Satan/Pariah, Deathwish, Acid Reign, etc.

It’s debatable how beneficial an immediate follow-up to “The Force” would have been, sustained in the same vein as well, but three years was too big a gap to be filled in properly, especially when this was thrash metal’s golden period. Still, the guys decided to give it one more go, and armed with none other but Mr. Steve Grimmett (Grimreaper) behind the mike, they shot this “search of sanity” hoping that the fanbase would savour it regardless of the considerable cosmetic alterations…

although it’s not hard to see why the band’s hard-core fans hated this effort with passion upon release, it’s equally as easy to not denounce it as a worthless collection of belated, derivative thrashy hymns. With a much more melodic singer the band were obviously aiming beyond the mere thrash metal fanbase, and with a more complex, nearly progressive at times, approach they also wanted to sound relevant to the growing tastes in more challenging, less immediate ways of expression in the late-80’s. However, before one starts appreciating the new Onslaught face he/she has to go through a major annoyance: the opening “Asylum” which is nothing but 5.5-min of ambient noises that must have exasperated the old fandom to the max considering what followed after. For those who had come across the band for the first time on the album reviewed here, the continuation must have been a revelation as the title-track is a winner an all counts, a progressive thrasher the band suddenly having discovered a passion for the Bay-Area with lashing clever riffage carving the path to be trodden till the end, with Grimmett outstanding behind the mike, obviously revelling in his own vocal dexterity the others doing their best to be on par with him, with blazing melodic leads and sharp headbanging sections handsomely provided.

The show goes on with “Shellshock”, another notable shredder keeping things immersed in the fast-paced parametres for a large portion of the time, and should even make the older band’s audience jump around for a while. The jumping will go on unabated on “Lightning War” which thrashes with force, sounding quite close to its predecessor, maybe providing a few more flexible rhythmic jolts. More stylish melo-thrash afterwards, and it won’t be before Grimmett’s vocals hit that one may eventually recognize AC/DC’s hit “Let There Be Rock” here turned into a frolic speed/thrasher, a really well made cover with speedy cutting guitars. “Blood Upon the Ice” extends the rifforama to whole 8.5-min, but otherwise this is quite close to the preceding numbers, sophisticated brisk thrash without any particularly memorable embellishments. “Welcome to Dying” could have been the band’s finest hour if made twice as short, but now 12.5-min of these lyricism-escalates-to-thrashism histrionics kind of don’t hold the whole time; still, the first half is one of the most impressive 6-min in the band’s discography, obviously mirroring the seeping dramatism of Metallica’s “Sanitarium”, but with Grimmett being a more versatile and more emotional singer the poignancy and the more aggressive eruptions juxtaposed to it sound way more palpable, their seamless symbiosis making the all-thrash-breaks-loose lead-driven epitaph and other faster-paced appendages not really necessary. Anyway, the guys had their chance to create their imposing epic, but “Power Play” sounds perfectly legitimate with its intense pressurizing tempos, a smashing headbanger second to none also graced by a superb virtuoso lead dash, clearly the highlight here, making the short rock-ish finale “Confused” a redundant afterthought.

In the long run the pluses here are way more than the minuses the guys making a bold attempt to commercialize their repertoire and to probably grab the premiership in their homeland which wasn’t exactly the most cherished place for thrash. And yet, by the time this effort saw the light of day, the quality thrash metal outfits from the Isles were clearly more than the fingers on both hands: Cerebral Fix, Sabbat, Deathwish, Slammer, Xentrix, Hydra Vein, Satan/Pariah, Acid Reign, Anihilated, Virus, etc. There was a healthy scene out there amazingly each practitioner trying to develop their own individualistic sound although in the case here and in a few other ones (Xentrix, Slammer) the call from the other side of The Atlantic didn’t remain unheard. In this particular trend the opus here may be considered the highest point largely because the other mentioned acts either lacked a memorable vocalist (Slammer) to give them a more characteristic edge, or didn’t have the skilful axemen (Xentrix) to elevate them beyond the emulation cycle.

Equipped with a very good singer and with a more accessible, more mainstream-savvy delivery Onslaught could have made at least one more effort in an attempt to edge out the competition, or just for their own gratification, but without the needed label support (London Records simply abandoned them after this album’s release), and with the waning interest in the classic metal sounds in the early-90’s they found no reasons to go on. After the reformation in 2004 the band have been doing fine although the modern/classic thrash blends they have been serving on more or less regular bases can hardly pass for the greatest thing to ever occur on the voluminous new millennium’s scene. They were looking to retain their sanity some 30 years ago; it’s debatable whether they managed to do that back then, but along the way they undoubtedly produced some of the most dignified moments from the UK thrash catalogue.

Found It - 85%

Tanuki, March 7th, 2017

Conceptually, this was absurd. A rabid forefather of blackened thrash is convinced by a large record label to take a musical inoculation, and release a glossier power thrash album in the same vein as Master of Puppets. A terse goodbye was bade to their trademark "goat choking on coal ash" sound, and the new age of Onslaught was heralded by the stratospheric pipes of the one and only Steve Grimmett. History lesson over, I now find myself with the difficult task of explaining why an early-Onslaught fan still enjoys the black sheep of their discography.

I didn't say Master of Puppets as a joke, or as an exceptionally lazy metaphor to get my point across. With suspiciously similar track titles, themes of psychology and warfare, and protracted song lengths to exude the illusion of depth, there's no other 80's thrash album worthy of comparison. And that's not even making mention of the riffcraft. A noticeable departure from the charbroiled toiling of The Force, Nige Rockett and newcomer Rob Trotman deliver cleaner, more accessible riffs that rely heavily on rough glissandos and hard-charging tremolo picking. If that description sounds similar to 'Damage, Inc.' or 'Battery', then I'm doing something right.

Incidentally, this incarnation of Onslaught was more than competent in its emulation. 'Blood Upon the Ice' and 'Shellshock', aside from overstaying their welcome with an excess of identical verses and choruses, are phenomenally well-crafted with punchy aggression, catchiness, and memorability. Foremost among these standouts is 'Lightning War', my uncontested favorite for the same reason this album is castigated: Steve Grimmett.

I don't want to get too carried away, but Steve Grimmett is God. Perhaps his melodies can seem over-indulgent at times, but I can't blame him for wanting to explore that vivacious, expressive, expertly-controlled falsetto of his. His performance in Grim Reaper was the stuff of legend, and he puts on a tremendous performance throughout In Search of Sanity as well. Energy, range, and pitch-perfect precision collude to create a vocal presence thrash bands like Cyclone Temple and Depressive Age wish they had.

But sadly, most people only know this album by 'Welcome to Dying', the thinly-disguised ersatz of - you guessed it - 'Welcome Home (Sanitarium)'. A twelve and a half minute leviathan of a thrash epic, 'Welcome to Dying' epitomizes the heavy albatross that hangs from Onslaught's neck. It drags on and on, skirting around all extreme metal sensibilities and wallowing in its own pretentiousness. The trailing guitar harmonics that go nowhere, the hymnlike repetition of the chorus, the crescendo that bursts in, realizes no one cares, then quietly shuffles out... It's an unfortunate blight on an otherwise bafflingly consistent album.

Despite all of this praise, I remain aware of how badly it hurts when a band kicks its previously established style out of the bed like a roguish lothario. One minute you're swinging your fists to Power from Hell, the next minute you're hearing the same band play AC/DC covers. When I put it like that, I can kind of understand the hate some people have for this album.

Underated, yet polished melodic thrash - 87%

BlackMetal213, December 19th, 2016

After really listening to this album, I fail to see how it is so sub-par like many tend to think. In fact, I’d say this is the best album Onslaught has put out. After releasing the classic albums of “Power from Hell” and most notably “The Force”, which had a hand in influencing both the emerging thrash and death metal scenes, the guys returned with “In Search of Sanity”, this album, in 1989. After the admittedly useless album opener “Asylum”, it becomes fairly apparent that this is quite different from the band’s previous works. But for me, this is for the best.

The production of this album is quite clean. We don’t really get that dirty sound from the early works. Instead, we begin to hear a far more “studio professional” Onslaught. One can certainly hear more influences of bands such as Metal Church and Testament, but definitely Metallica. The production is very similar and in this case, I fail to see how the band should be faulted for putting more effort into achieving a cleaner sound. It’s not polished to the point where the music sounds artificial. The guitars here are absolutely amazing. Ranging from the speed metal assault of the title track to the grooving thrash of “Shellshock”, there is a bit of variety here. There’s even an AC/DC cover in the form of “Let There Be Rock”. I’m not a fan of AC/DC myself, but this cover is absolutely amazing. It’s fun and you can tell the band had a great time doing it. The bass is clear and the guitars add a thrash twist to the song. In terms of aggression, I think “Power Play” probably has some of the most ferocious riffs throughout the album. It’s the closer but starts off with a chugging, galloping riff that brings bands such as Exodus to mind.

My favorite song on the album is actually the ballad. “Welcome to Dying” is a hauntingly beautiful song. The clean guitars add a ton of atmosphere to the band’s sound and, unlike most of the thrashier songs on the album, tend to be one of the main elements of the song. The vocals are far less aggressive which fits the song’s musical ideas far more effectively. I believe this was the band’s only full-length to feature Steve Grimmett as the vocalist and for how the music sounds this time around, he was a great fit. “Welcome to Dying” is a long song, at around 12 and a half minutes, and is more of a progressive track (the Metallica influences are perhaps at their strongest here). Prior to the 8-minute mark, this track begins to pick up the pace and introduce more of that thrash sound. This sounds like something that easily could have fit on “Master of Puppets”. And when that bassline comes in more clearly, and we get that little bass solo, before going back into that beautiful clean guitar passage, my thrash boner perks up every time.

It’s easy to see how most people prefer the band’s earlier, more dirty albums to this one. Those are quite good albums, don’t get me wrong, but I can’t agree that they’re better than this. Onslaught is not one of my favorite bands in the thrash metal genre but with “In Search of Sanity”, I feel this is a classic album and definitely deserving of more recognition.

Wake me up when it's over - 55%

Felix 1666, January 23rd, 2016

No doubt, this band was storming through the sub genres in a mind-boggling manner. After having played punk, death metal and Slayer-influenced thrash, the guys of Onslaught (or an imbecile consultant) had the dubious idea that Metallica-inspired metal seemed to be more lucrative. (A few years later, their compatriots of Xentrix made the same mistake.) The management, the bureaucrats of the record company, they all were very happy. The only outcast was Sy Keeler. He lost his job and his raw appearance was replaced by the more melodic voice of Steve Grimmett. This was a bad omen from my perspective, because exactly this pseudo-thrasher had also been responsible for the vocals on Grim Reaper's "See You in Hell", one of the greatest flops of my record collection. And - surprise, surprise - Grimmett's performance on "In Search of Sanity" was doomed from the start, because everybody expected the next violent attack, but his probably well trained voice was anything else but aggressive.

But the contribution of my old friend was not the crucial factor for the totally unexpected failure of the album. After the mind-numbing intro (five minutes of total emptiness, did they call that a joke?), a slack riff welcomed the perplexed listener and the title track began to spread its slightly stinking aroma. Grimmett chirped his lines, the guitars set the focus on sleepy harmonies and the drummer acted in slow motion. Some melody lines and solos were not completely bad, but honestly speaking, this seemed to be another band. "Shellshock" was a little bit more forceful. Its solid riffing and the convincing chorus left a good impression, but Grimmett's high-pitched intermezzos attacked my nerves. Nevertheless, "Shellshock" illustrated that Onslaught were still able to compose more or less good songs, although it seemed as if the "Flame of the Antichrist" had cauterised a lot of the musician's creativity.

I don't know what was worse. Fairly aggressive songs like "Lightning War" or "Power Play" that were almost ruined by Grimmett's inadequate singing or absolutely lame tunes such as "Welcome to Dying" which were equipped with emotional (and completely tiring) guitar lines. I tend to the latter. But the greatest catastrophe was yet to come. I am talking about the AC/DC cover. It sucked! Well, due to whatever reasons, the insufferable Celine Dion has covered "You Shook Me All Night Long". I must mention this impertinence in this context, because this is probably the only AC/DC cover which is worse than Onslaught's performance of "Let there be Rock". The eponymous record from 1977 was my first vinyl and it is a brilliant album with an outstanding title track. Too bad that Onslaught raped this sonic monument without any feeling for its quintessence. I don't know if they core their apples, but they definitely cored this masterpiece. Separate Angus Young from his band mates, give him an acoustic guitar and he will play a more violent version of his classic. Onslaught's interpretation was just a violation of musical high culture.

Irrespective of the commercialized approach, most of the songs were much too long. Nobody needed more than eight minutes of "Blood Upon the Ice". Everything was said and done after the first half of the song. But instead of offering a compressed version, Onslaught knew no pity. They stretched the piece endlessly, not realizing that this was hardly to swallow for their new target group (also known as superficial mainstream consumers). Due to my affinity for Onslaught, I really tried to fall in love with this album, but it was impossible. It just did not work. By the way, the same applied for the light production. But it makes no sense to speak about the quality of a production when being confronted with totally disappointing song material. It was no wonder that the album did not put the scene into turmoil. Quite the opposite, it was a foreseeable development that "In Search of Sanity" marked the last Onslaught album for a very long time. The loss of credibility could not be compensated.

Searching new horizons! - 90%

Thorgrim666, April 3rd, 2012

Here we get a little heavier and enter the realm of thrash metal, although this time it makes sense as this was the first and only album released by this British thrashers with Mr. Steve Grimmett (Grim Reaper, Chateaux, Lionsheart). Over the years this album has been despised by some Onslaught fans due to its more commercial edge compared with what could be heard in "Power From Hell" and "The Force", but I've never really understood why. Yes, some of the violence is gone, but hell, this one is also impressive. I don't know if it's better than its predecessor, but it surely surpasses the music from the debut, and does more commercial mean worse? Usually that's the way it is, but sometimes this also comes with an increase in quality, compositional abilities, and overall sound. That's the case with Onslaught's third release and last before their initial split.

"In Search of Sanity" (exquisitely produced by Stefan Galfas) places the band among some of the more refined speed/thrash metal bands of their time such as Testament, Annihilator, and especially Metal Church and mid '80s Metallica (the production sounds very similar to Flemming Rasmussen's works with the four from San Francisco); lengthy, fast, and sometimes quite melodic or even progressive speed/thrash metal songs with a perfect mix between the really hard guitar riffs and Steve Grimmett's amazing voice. It's quite understandable why some of the hardcore thrashers never swallowed the crystalline sound of "In Search Of Sanity" and Grimmett's melodic vocals, but this album should have taken the band to a wider audience that never became aware of Onslaught's activities. Quite a shame, but I think that we should blame London Recordings for this. Just one year after the release, Steve left the band, being replaced by Tony O'Hora, but their fate was already written.

Solid but highly repetitive - 84%

Metalwontdie, July 17th, 2009

Onslaught’s third full-length release In Search of Sanity is definitely a change in sound from their last two releases. Instead of a full speed Slayer esque thrash assault In Search of Sanity, represents the far more melodic and commercial approach that a lot of thrash bands were incorporating into their style in the late 80’s. The darker atmosphere and lyrical approach of Power from Hell and The Force has been dropped in favor of more death and insanity oriented topic. The songs are even longer than on The Force and are much slower and more melodic.

In Search of Sanity is a mix of power, thrash, and speed metal with a more melodic edge. The songs themselves are mainly mid-tempo besides Power Play which is the fastest song on the album and rely more on repeating riffs, leads, and choruses. Acoustic guitars are used mainly on the Metallica inspired Welcome To Dying which sounds like a less heavy, much longer and more melodic hybrid of One and Fade to Black. A speed metal version of AC/DC’s Let There Be Rock is present and while it is a solid cover it doesn’t add to the album.

The band’s performance is solid if a bit uninspired considering the highly repetitive nature of In Search of Sanity. Steve Grimmett provides vocals on this release and instead of the harsher less melodic vocals of earlier Onslaught, Grimmett sings in a melodic classic metal style with a higher range. Nige Rockett and Rob Trottman play their guitars skillfully, but play the same riffs too many times and focus more on the riffs than the leads and solos. James Hinder’s bass guitar gives a bass heavy feel to the album and follows the guitars the whole time. Steve Grice drumming is standard and really doesn’t stand out at all from the rest of the band member’s.

In Search of Sanity suffers from some major weaknesses which bring down the score a lot. First off the songs are on average two minutes too long and could use more riffs. The album length is as long as many of the late 80’s progressive thrash albums but In Search of Sanity is far from progressive. Steve Grimmett is a great and versatile vocalist but doesn’t give off any of the usual angry thrash vocals and doesn’t really fit on this album. Finally Asylum the album opener is a pointless horror based atmospheric song which is too long and doesn’t fit the music on this album at all.

In Search of Sanity overall is a solid thrash album but far from an excellent release. If In Search of Sanity had been shortened and made less repetitive it could have been a classic. Best songs are In Search of Sanity, Lightning War, Welcome To Dying, Power Play. I recommend this release to fans of melodic thrash metal not thrash metal purists.

-4 points songs are too long and repetitive
-4 points album length is way too long
-4 points vocals do not fit In Search of Sanity
-4 points pointless atmospheric album opener

They were never meant to be, but it's not terrible - 60%

Xeogred, January 16th, 2008

Onslaught's previous release The Force had me in quite an awe, it was a relentless thrash assault I could easily see myself enjoying along with Artillery, Exumer, and Grinder just to name a few bands (that sound similar), but what the hell happened here? I guess I can't say I was totally surprised by this, since it's got quite a nasty vibe going for it already. Though my interest got the best of me and this was just another one of those albums I wanted to hear for myself. It's not pretty, not one bit.

Yeah, we've all seen it happen before especially with some of the bigger names out there. Thrash bands take a turn for the worst, get a little "groovy" slowing everything down and try to be more approachable. This is probably what Onslaught were trying to accomplish with this release but ... damn is this just a mess. Even if their softer/slower style wasn't enough of a change, they brought in Steve Grimmett of Grim Reaper fame to take over vocals. Along with this a new bassist and guitarist were added replacing former members, which probably just added more to the big equation.

Don't get me wrong, I gave Grim Reaper's "Best Of" compilation quite a nice review a long time ago and it's still something I really enjoy - I really enjoy Steve Grimmett. He's an incredible vocalist and really classy at times with that great 'NWOBHM' styled voice that he carries. I love my thrash and I love my shrieking vocalists. But it's the way Onslaught used him here, I'm not sure if it was Grimmett himself that made the band change so drastically or not but these vocals here don't fit at all! At times it sounds like they just recorded some completely random vocals over some completely random music, it's just that bad. The worst part about all of this is that it definitely could have worked out. Just look at Toxik, Realm, Flotsam and Jetsam, etc, there were plenty of thrash bands out there with clean vocalists that were great (although thrash fans are always torn on this aspect, I'm sure we can all agree at least the way the vocals were executed they fit in with the band perfectly, which is not the case here). As the former reviewers have stated, Grimmett does truly do a great job singing here, it's just that he doesn't sound in tune with the music at all or with Onslaught's image. He tries to soar away with nearly every single note and after awhile it begins to sound too disjointed and makes this really flavorless.

Now I've honestly seen bands take even more drastic turns for the worst and really this album is still pretty heavy at times; just nothing you'd compare to Onslaught's previous releases. They start things off terribly with a five minute long intro that does nothing and from there, it quickly becomes obvious of how out of place the music is with itself on In Search of Sanity, even the guitar tone on this track sounds incredibly odd. The riffs are hardly memorable and there's quite a bit of short quick picking with the guitars which doesn't sound that great at all, so you sometimes don't even end up with powerful riffs of any sort. When the riffs come in they usually don't sound complete or don't continue on for very long, so it's quite a let down on some of the tracks. Overall the music is pretty generic and once you've heard a few tracks you've really heard them all. Lightning War and Power Play seem like the best picks here, being the most aggressive tracks you'll delve into but even the best here aren't without quirks. To pretend this album didn't come from Onslaught might allow one to appreciate it more, but even so it sounds too out of place to fully enjoy and remember. Can't really recommend this one, maybe if you like Annihilator. The Force makes this look like a joke though.

A toothless dragon. - 20%

hastings, November 3rd, 2005

This has to be one of the biggest disappointments… ‘Power from Hell’ & ‘The Force’ are two very different albums, but both managed to capture some incredibly killer tunes and atmosphere. ‘In Search of Sanity’, however, is very dull, tame and flavourless. The musical equivalent of being bashed to death with a fluffy toy. Let us dissect this failure…
Yet another vocalist change brings Steve Grimmett into the picture. Very melodious, schooled and correct in his pitch. That’s the problem! It’s too ‘goody goody’ sounding. A lame attempt at softening and commercialising Onslaught. Where are the satanic references? Where is the danger?
The guitar playing of Nige ‘Rockett’ is super clean & too light. The song structure he’s written is weak, boring and there are too many solos. I’m sure it’s so he could show off how ‘mature’ he had become since ‘Power From Hell’. There’s hardly any shred (Lightning War is an exception). Instead he provides us with over-produced, over-clean power ballads.
They even desecrate AC/DC with a horrible cover of Let There Be Rock. Why??? I’m sure the corpse of Bon Scott is vomiting in his crypt.
Instead of moving the band into another level of fame and fortune, this record seemed to kill them. Don’t waste your time with this. But don’t overlook their previous work either. Before ‘In Search Of Sanity’ they did release some intense headbangers. They receive the highest recommendation from me. This one… receives a pitiful score of 20%. It’s for die-hard collectors and bargain bin buyers only!

The Best Onslaught Album - 90%

gretopi, December 23rd, 2004

First of all, Onslaught is one of the greatest U.K thrash metal bands ever although they weren't popular enough to attract worldwide fans.
Anyway, "In Search Of Sanity" is regarded by other fans all over the internet as the worst Onslaught album. And overall the first two albums are a lot more appreciated than this one.
In my opinion, "In Search Of Sanity" is one of the best classic thrash metal albums ever. The guitar work on this album is totally amazing and clever in the same time, and the vocals lines are so melodic and powerful. So you can hear this great combination between Thrash (Metallica's Master of Puppets) and Heavy/Power Metal (Grim Reaper) which produce a great harmony.
And I really can't understand how people prefer the two first two albums (Power From Hell & The Force) though the whole work is very standard accompanied by annoying guitar riffs and vocals line very similar to the early Slayer era.
"Lightning War" is my favorite track on this album because it contains some much power in it presenting speed riffing and complex thrashing elements. “Let There Be Rock" is a wonderful cover that was played and maintained very well. "Shellshock”, "Blood Upon the Ice”, "In Search of Sanity" are great songs formed by some amazing complex heavy thrash riffs and tremendous lead melodies. "Welcome to Dying" is one of those really complete songs where you can find anything you want from soft clean arpeggios to power riffs and solos (Guitar & Bass).
Finally, I wish I can congratulate personally the guys from Onslaught on this great effort and I hope to see them reunited one day ("In Search Of Sanity" line-up).

Whooaaa, what the fuck?? - 46%

UltraBoris, January 6th, 2003

So we have England's best black-thrash band at the time, Onslaught, the purveyors of quality raw thrash metal, and then they get the dude from Grim Reaper on vocals. They also get some really slick production and melody and... well, it's really not BAD, but this is not the Onslaught that we love.

There are still some great fucking thrash riffs to be found here, but the fluffiness tends to dominate quite a bit. For example, the intro track is FIVE minutes of random noises. Skip button. Then, the title track for example. Monster thrash riffs come out of nowhere, and then... we've got that dude that used to sing for Grim Reaper. He's a great singer but he does not belong on a thrash album. His drawn-out melodic vocals just do not go well with the choppy riffage.

Okay, vocals aside, because he still is doing a good powerful job, so I won't hate him like I hate Gene Adam. The riff quality also went downhill a bit, in that the middle breaks are not nearly as interesting as on the previous album. It also seems they are riding that one midpaced riff (the opening riff to the title track, for example) just a bit too much without all that much variation to it, as it pops up again pretty much in every song. For example, Shellshock is a total continuation of In Search of Sanity.

The highlight of the album has to be Blood Upon the Ice, because it has the best overall riff assault. That midpaced riff is pretty damn cool, and you know what, an entire album using it as a backbone probably COULD work well if you didn't fuck up the other details - but it's on shaky ground with the vocals and the general lack of great counterpoint riffs. Then, a lot of the songs are overlong - longer on average than on The Force, and with fewer riffs, that is bad. Welcome to Dying is the perfect example of this. Snooze.

The lead guitars - those are great here, much more focus on them than in previous albums. However, unlike other thrash albums with great lead guitar (see Coma of Souls), these do totally replace the riffs in the mix a lot of the time, as opposed to adding to them.

Oddly enough, the bonus track is very nice, because it's a demo or something - thus it doesn't sound nearly as overproduced!