Onslaught Guitarist Opens Up About His Cancer Battle: “I Completely Lost the Use of My Arms”
Onslaught guitarist Nige Rockett has spoken up in an interview with Thunder Underground about his battle with cancer, and how it’s affected his work as a musician.
Earlier this year, Rockett made his debut back on the road with a show at the 70,000 Tons Of Metal cruise, following a three-year music hiatus due to long-term sickness. The concert was part of Onslaught’s extensive run of their 40th-anniversary tour, which saw them celebrate their groundbreaking 1985 thrash metal record, Power From Hell.
For the past three years, Rockett has been undergoing a series of high-risk treatments to remove his cancer, including chemotherapy and surgeries on both his upper and lower spine.
Speaking about this process, Rockett shared:
“I’m still a little way off, because of the time I was out and the nature of my illness. I lost a lot of natural strength. I completely lost the use of my arms for maybe six to nine months. So, I need to get all my muscle back, get up to speed with the material. I mean, it’s coming. I’m rehearsing a lot every day on my own, and things are coming back slowly. So I think once we hit a good run of shows, ’cause that always gets your fitness going again, I think I’ll be okay.”
Although “still struggling now,” the guitarist noted that he is slowly on the mend. Right now, the band are gearing up for the release of their forthcoming album Origins Of Aggression; a huge compilation project split into two discs.
Disc one features 10 re-envisioned songs from Onslaught’s early days, between the periods 1982-1989, while the second disc features covers of acclaimed metal and punk songs.
Origins Of Aggression Tracklisting:
Disc 1
- Thermonuclear Devastation Of The
- Black Horse Of Famine
- Angels Of Death
- Power From Hell
- Metal Forces
- Let There Be Death
- Fight With The Beast
- Thrash Till The Death
- In Search Of Sanity
- Shellshock
Disc 2
- Iron Fist [by MOTÖRHEAD
- Holiday In Cambodia [by DEAD KENNEDYS]
- A Look At Tomorrow [by DISCHARGE]
- U.K. 82 [by THE EXPLOITED]
- Freewheel Burning [by JUDAS PRIEST]
- Wardance [by KILLING JOKE]
- Give Me Fire [by GBH]
- State Violence State Control [by DISCHARGE]
- Holidays In The Sun [by SEX PISTOLS]
- Emotional Blackmail [by UK SUBS]
- War Pigs [by BLACK SABBATH]
- Drunk With Power [by DISCHARGE]
