ONSLAUGHT Frontman Rejects Accusation Band's Reunion Is 'Cash-In' Attempt

Dr. Abner Mality of the Wormwood Chronicles webzine recently talked to singer Sy Keeler of the reformed British thrash legends ONSLAUGHT. An excerpt from the chat follows:

Wormwood Chronicles: To play the devil's advocate, some folks say that many of the thrash band reunions of late are just to cash in. What would you say to somebody that claimed ONSLAUGHT's return was just for money?

Sy Keeler: Many have asked this question. We didn't make much money back in the '80s, and we have no idea how this album will sell, so our intentions were not to cash in. If we can earn some money that will be great...we reformed to have some fun, record the best album we could and play some gigs. We all have families, day jobs and all the responsibilities that go with life these days, so we'd have to sell a lot of CDs to enable us to concentrate on ONSLAUGHT full-time.

Wormwood Chronicles: When the band got back together, did things click right away or did it take a while for you to "connect" with each other again?

Sy Keeler: It took a little time to find our feet. None of us had picked up an instrument for years. We had to borrow at first... we weren't gonna go spend loads of money on gear before we knew it was gonna work. The first rehearsals were terrible. We reconnected well straight away, and within a couple of months we were writing new songs.

Wormwood Chronicles: You come from the "golden age" of thrash. Have you kept track of the scene throughout the years and what are your thoughts on more modern practitioners of the art like THE HAUNTED, LAMB OF GOD, ARCH ENEMY, etc?

Sy Keeler: Yes, I have kept track of what's been going on over the years; Steve and Nige had not, so I introduced them to the likes of ARCH ENEMY etc. I love music and bands such as THE HAUNTED have kept the spirit of thrash "alive." So many great bands these days.

Wormwood Chronicles: You left the band after the success of "The Force". What was the reason for your departure then and was it easy to get back into the band?

Sy Keeler: I was pushed! A combination of record company, producer and management saw to that. I wasn't right for the band. So they said... It was a dirty period which is now a very distant memory and the guys realized very quickly that the wrong decision had been made. They say that decision was the beginning of the end for ONSLAUGHT. The guys tell me now, if I had said no to the reformation it would not have happened. I jumped at the chance to rejoin ONSLAUGHT.

Read the entire interview at www.wormwoodchronicles.com.