LIVE REVIEW: Onslaught @ The Underworld, London
British summertime in 2021 has been a mixed bag. On the one hand, life is gradually returning to normal as the pandemic starts to ease, but on the other it’s been wetter than Aquaman’s bathing costume and the sun hasn’t made an appearance in weeks. Tonight’s gig of ONSLAUGHT at The Underworld then is a very fitting way to celebrate; the mood is light and everyone is smiling, but the music itself is dark, violent and monstrously heavy.
First up, local boys DECREPID plunge the venue into a swampy hellscape. They trade in bass-heavy death metal and front man Cris Bassan has a scream so guttural, it’s incredible that he still has a working voice box. It’s thick, it’s nasty and if you closed your eyes, you could convince yourself that the twister that killed Cary Elwes decided to form a metal band. Brutal as it is, they’re obviously overjoyed to be playing live again and it’s difficult not to grin constantly.
Rating: 7/10
While DECREPID got a friendly reception from the crowd though, MEMORIAM are treated like conquering heroes. Karl Willets has apparently spent the past few hours making friends with everyone in the pub upstairs, so the audience are in the palm of his hand from the very first note. The pit surges to life early and the band thunder through Shell Shock and War Rages On so fast there’s barely time to draw breath. This War Is Won becomes a fist-pumping, audience participation highlight and As My Heart Grows Cold brings a haunting vibe. Karl even manages to bring a tear to the eye when he talks about the people we’ve lost to COVID-19, so by the time the set finishes with him shirtless and roaring like a wounded animal, the gauntlet has been thrown down.
Rating: 8/10
Headliners ONSLAUGHT however are not easily humbled and their hour onstage is a riot. They kick things off by launching straight into (relative) newbie Strike Fast, Strike Hard and the thrashers in the crowd immediately go berserk. The cheerfully blasphemous Killing Peace makes an early appearance, driving the audience into a frenzy before old classic Let There Be Death triggers a rousing singalong.
The energy doesn’t dip and they tear through one belter after another. If there’s one downside though, it’s that this is not the same ONSLAUGHT we had before the pandemic hit. The lineup has shifted and the departure of front man Sy Keeler in particular left some big shoes to fill. Thankfully, his replacement Dave Garnett does an admirable job. He doesn’t have quite the same range that Keeler did, but he’s a windmilling tower of vigour as he leads the venue through 66 Fucking 6 and the total carnage of The Sound Of Violence.
The closing duo of Religiousuicide and Power From Hell end the night on a high, even if it is a little weird that half the current members of ONSLAUGHT weren’t born when the latter was first released. This was a night of metal at it’s dingiest and darkest and it was an absolute blast. Time will tell if it was the start of gigs returning permanently, or whether it was a brief blip of normality before another lockdown, but it’s weirdly comforting to spend hours on a train home again, wondering when the ringing will stop.
Rating: 8/10