(Classic Rock) Onslaught founder Nige Rockett says the band were given a straight choice in between working with singer Steve Grimmett on 1989 release In Search of Sanity or being sidelined until their record contract expired. While the album was their most successful to date, it marked a significant change of direction and left diehard fans bewildered and angry, not least because popular frontman Sy Keeler had been kicked out. But Rockett explains the band were left with little say in the matter. "We'd recorded aw hole album and we were in the mixing stages. This was the fist time the label came down to listen to it, and, basically, they didn't like what they were hearing," He tells 69facesofrock.com. "You could tell something wasn't right. At the end they said, 'We were expecting something else. We want to look at the vocal situation.'
"Next day the management tells me Steve Grimmett's name was thrown into the bag. We said, 'No, Sy is our singer.' They were like: 'You do what we say or we put the band on ice for the length of your contract. You'll release no albums in that time. You got to play ball with what we want.' So that's what happened." more on this story
