Venom

I know we've discussed this band before, but it usually revolves around the first three or four albums.

Besides Welcome to Hell, Black Metal, At War with Satan and Possessed does anyone like anything else they've done? What about the Tony Dolan years? What are some of your other favorites from this infamous NWOBHM band?

I love the post Cronos album 'Prime Evil' and for the boys in Venom it even shows musical progression, also really liked their 'Resurrection' album and a few cuts off the 'Craved in Stone' album.

I've never really been a fan of this band and they are from my hometown.
I think the first few albums are OK. Nothing groundbreaking. I still don't know why Black Metal gets such praise. It's not that good.
The last album was OK, but that's all it was. OK
I much prefer the stuff that original guitarist Mantas has been doing after Venom. His band Dryll (although I think they might have or are breaking up) were pretty solid and heavy.

The band's only mistep (in my mind) was "Metal Black". That album flat out blows sacrificial goats.

It's amazing to me that somehow between the "Possessed" album and "Prime Evil" Mantas learned how to be proficient on the guitar.

I have In Memorium The Best of Venom: 1981-1994.

It's a decent enough comp when I'm in the mood, but I've never felt compelled to venture any deeper into the Venom catalog. I understand their place in the history of thrash and black metal, but the vocals kinda put me off.

INVADERS wrote:

I think the first few albums are OK. Nothing groundbreaking. I still don't know why Black Metal gets such praise. It's not that good.

That's the thing, it was pretty groundbreaking. Venom and Raven had this early thrash metal style, but it was so raw and unrefined. It was like nothing else out at the time. Venom's image is partially why they are praised as being Black Metal innovators. In reality their sound has little to do with what people call black metal now. I much prefer the bulldozer bass sound of Venom to much of the shrill black metal stuff I've heard since the 90's.

Entroper wrote:

The band's only mistep (in my mind) was "Metal Black".
That album flat out blows sacrificial goats.

It's amazing to
me that somehow between the "Possessed" album and "Prime Evil" Mantas
learned how to be proficient on the guitar.

Really? Metal
Black is that band? I brought that CD into work today to listen to for
the first time.

I think Metal Black is bad. It's a toughy to listen to, IMO. Heck, you may like it, but I don't.

Venom's one of those bands that I've always had a "I can take'em or leave'em" attitude about. They have a number of songs that I dig but I've never really been whole hog into'em.

The only Venom disc I own is the 2-CD remaster of CARVED IN STONE, which is a pretty bad ass album. The second disc is a collection of re-recorded "Greatest Hits" and that pretty much fulfills my need for their classic stuff. It's pretty much the only Venom I'm ever gonna need.

ultmetal wrote:

INVADERS wrote:

I think the first few albums are OK. Nothing groundbreaking. I still don't know why Black Metal gets such praise. It's not that good.

That's the thing, it was pretty groundbreaking. Venom and Raven had this early thrash metal style, but it was so raw and unrefined. It was like nothing else out at the time. Venom's image is partially why they are praised as being Black Metal innovators. In reality their sound has little to do with what people call black metal now. I much prefer the bulldozer bass sound of Venom to much of the shrill black metal stuff I've heard since the 90's.

I know what you mean when you say it was groundbreaking obviously because noone had quite done it like that and because of what their music/image would inspire but i never found the music to be groundbreaking personally. There was much better metal/rock music before and after Venom. They are just a band I never got and probably will never truly get into.

And, I always found Raven to be much better than Venom. Some of the other north-east NWOBHM bands at the time were much better. Avenger, Battleaxe, Raven, Satan, Blitzkrieg etc

And oh yeah, I agree with Entroper that METAL BLACK was pretty bad.

I really like Resurrection and Carved In Stone possibly better than those first 3 or 4 albums.

i guess you can call me a fanboy. i like everything Venom has ever released.

I think prime evil is pretty underated.

mc666 wrote:

i guess you can call me a fanboy. i like everything Venom has ever released.

Fanboy....

And, Venom are the posterboys for Poserdom. King Diamond should have joined and they could have been the ULTIMATE joke!

Venom was knocking on the door of the whole thrash thing a good 2 years before the US got around to it. Listen to Witching Hour from 1981, it's basically the template.

I don't think you can technically call a band "posers" unless they jump on a bandwagon after it hits...when you help create the wagon I think that's worth some respect.

But of course, the only thing these bands have in common is lyrics, so I'm not surprised to see them mentioned together in the same post.

detuned wrote:

Venom was knocking on the door of the whole thrash thing a good 2 years before the US got around to it. Listen to Witching Hour from 1981, it's basically the template.

I don't think you can technically call a band "posers" unless they jump on a bandwagon after it hits...when you help create the wagon I think that's worth some respect.

But of course, the only thing these bands have in common is lyrics, so I'm not surprised to see them mentioned together in the same post.

If you don't think they are posers, you never saw them live as I did back in '85-86 [? - mind a little fuzzy on the date]. They were every bit as hilarious as the Dead Milkmen on stage. Except they did not mean to be.

Ive heard stories where they were WAY more concerned about their wardrobe and hair than the tunes on tour...haha.

UNCLE SAXON wrote:

If you don't think they are posers, you never saw them live as I did back in '85-86 [? - mind a little fuzzy on the date]. They were every bit as hilarious as the Dead Milkmen on stage. Except they did not mean to be.

Oh, I know how bad they were live, I've unfortunately heard some bootlegs that I've never recovered from.

However, I view Venom in the same light as The Sex Pistols...a group that didn't have any real talent...but had the attitude and inspiration to do something unique with the little bit of skills they had.

As I've said before "Abaddon couldn't keep time in a roomful of clocks".

UNCLE SAXON wrote:

mc666 wrote:

i guess you can call me a fanboy. i like everything Venom has ever released.

Fanboy....

And, Venom are the posterboys for Poserdom. King Diamond should have joined and they could have been the ULTIMATE joke!

you forgot Slayer...don't forget about Slayer.

all metalheads are posers in my eyes.

Venom are one of those bands that rule! I didn't like Metal Black or Calm Before the Storm... but everything else has been great!

I was lucky to see them in 1997 with the original lineup and even talked with them at their table as they were signing things. They put on an amazing show!!!!

Can anyone recommend some songs that I could look up on YouTube?

Metal Misfit wrote:

Can anyone recommend some songs that I could look up on YouTube?

They are very primitive but in a good way, "Welcome to Hell" "Buried Alive" "Die Hard" "At War with Satan" for starters

Prime Evil was a good album. I remember buying it when it came out and really digging it. At War With Satan is a pretty good album as well.

manny wrote:

They are very primitive but in a good way

The best description I ever read of Venom was a guy who said they were "absolutely brilliant in their stupidity"

I think everything they did after At War with Satan was shite, but the first three albums are masterpieces.