Nige Rockett

Interview By Ali Blackdiamond

Blackdiamond With Nige Rockett
ONSLAUGHT 18/07/14

English thrashers ONSLAUGHT have been a major force in the metal world for more than thirty years, disbanding in 1991 but then luckily for their fans, reforming in 2005.

The band’s latest album “VI” was released last year to glowing reviews from fans and press.Showing no signs of slowing down, ONSLAUGHT are busier than ever and are just at the end of their UK ‘Thrash Invasion Tour 2014’.

Blackdiamond caught up with guitarist Nige Rockett before ONSLAUGHT‘s stellar performance at Sheffield’s O2 Academy on Friday 18th July. We discussed many topics from the current tour to an interesting visit to Russia. You can read some snippets of the conversation below and listen to the full interview on the audio player.

Looking back to the early ONSLAUGHT days, Nige disclosed: “Probably the biggest influence and learning curve for us was going on tour with Motorhead in 1986/87. We went out on the road with them for a month and they taught us how to be on the road – respect and the way things should be done. They were just amazing. We were only young kids and they looked after us so well and just treated us like we were part of their team, it was fantastic.”

Discussing how the band stands in today’s metal climate, Nige very happily stated: “Luckily for us we seem to be getting stronger and stronger. A lot of the reviews for the last album were saying it’s the best album we ever made. It’s a kind of massive compliment for a band that’s been around for thirty years. if you can still turn out the best music of your career at that point, it’s amazing that people say that.”

ONSLAUGHT
Sheffield 2014

Source: Blabbermouth.net

UK thrashers ONSLAUGHT have set Friday, September 13 as the worldwide release date for their sixth studio album via AFM Records. The follow-up to 2011’s “Sounds Of Violence” will once again be recorded, mixed and co-produced by Jacob Hansen at Hansen Studios in Ribe, Denmark, with work set to commence on May 18.

Commented ONSLAUGHT guitarist Nige Rockett: “It’s awesome to be making another album with Jacob Hansen. There was never gonna be anyone else considered, simply because of the way Jacob works on a personal level and the incredible dynamics of his final mixes. We just know it’s gonna be totally immense.

“The writing is 90% complete and it’s sounding very, very cool. I’m not gonna say it’s ‘louder, faster, heavier’ than anything we’ve ever done because that’s a little bit cliché these days. All I will say is that it’s very fresh, it’s old school and it’s ferocious. The rest we’ll leave up to you guys to decide.”

ONSLAUGHT will headline the first Slaughterfest across Europe in October, with German cult thrashers EXUMER, MPIRE OF EVIL and death metal legends MASTER completing the bill.

Fans will have the opportunity to take part in meet-and-greet events on selected dates.

ONSLAUGHT‘s last tour saw the band performing its 1986 album, “The Force”, in its entirety. The band also recorded a new version of its classic song “Metal Forces”, for inclusion as a bonus track on the re-release of the band’s 1986 album, “The Force”, available on AFM Records. The set contains revised artwork and some sleeve notes written by Rockett.

ONSLAUGHT is tentatively scheduled to enter the studio at the end of the year to record its new album for a spring release via AFM Records.

The band’s fifth album, “Sounds Of Violence”, was released in January 2011 via AFM Records.

ONSLAUGHT recruited Michael Hourihan (EXTREME NOISE TERROR, DESECRATION) to play the drums following the departure of Steve Grice in 2011.