Customer Reviews

Metal Black

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Venom emerged in the early 1980's and went on to become possibly the most influential extreme metal band of all time. They have influenced a countless number of bands, including Metallica and Slayer, and Venom's 1982 sophomore album, "Black Metal," practically gave birth to a whole new kind of heavy metal.

24 years later, Venom are still alive and kicking, though they have kind of lost relevance (some people have forgotten about them) in recent years. Their last album, "Resurrection," was released back in 2000, and some fans were disappointed with it, saying it's just an "average" album. Well, six years after their last studio release, Venom (vocalist/bassist Cronos and drummer Antton) have reunited with guitarist Mykvs, and released a new album, entitled "Metal Black."

"Metal Black" finds Venom going back to their roots, with riffs that are simple yet catchy and a production job which is very rough (the drums sound especially raw). So, this "back to basics" album sounds very old-school, but it isn't just a nostalgic rehash of "Welcome To Hell" and "Black Metal."

"Antechrist" bursts out of the starting gate with fiery, blistering riffs. The next song, "Burn In Hell," has about a ten second drum intro before launching into a fast, chug and churn guitar lead. Next, "House Of Pain" is backed by stop-start bursts of lumbering riffs and thunderous double bass work. But track four, "Death & Dying," is my personal favorite song on here. It sports a choppy beat with stomping drums, and pounding, rhythmic riffs which should have the entire crowd headbanging at one of Venom's shows. This song is also capped off by a rather complex, several parted guitar solo. The last two highlights are the catchy "A Good Day To Die," and "Sleep When I'm Dead," which is scorching.

So, 25 years since their first album, and 24 years after creating black metal, Venom still know how to bring the goods, and crank out tunes which are plenty fast, heavy, and dark. "Metal Black" is one of the finer black metal albums to be released so far in 2006, and it's highly recommended to all fans.

This album will blow your head clean off. Oh sure, you have wimp friends who say, "Oh, VENOM can't play, they can't sing." That's because your friends are a bunch of idiots who have neither brains nor taste. They do what they are told, and they listen to what they're told. They are sheep. They own Nine Inch Nails albums. Why do you hang out with such losers? Discard them. Threaten them if they call or try to come over. Then... Do yourself a huge favor by educating yourself about rockn'roll. Discover that only rarely bands come along that influence and in effect jumpstart entire forms and genres of popular music. Like Buddy Holly. Elvis. Arlo Guthrie. The Beatles. The Mamas and Papas. The Doors. Alice Cooper. Kiss. Nirvana. VENOM. Yes, VENOM. This unholy trinity trio from Jolly Old didn't just jumpstart the whole 80's. 90's, and beyond for hardcore death black noise thrash speed metal, they rammed a trident straight up the gulliver of the mainstream and we have been wallowing in a myriad of awesome heavy thrash in the decades thus ever since. VENOM did it all first. They are the godfathers of anything you're probably listening to now and never got the respect they deserve. Cronos rules. Cronos is God. That voice. The charisma. The talent. The presence. The lyrics. Nothing can touch VENOM when they are at their best. Nothing. And this album is VENOM AT THEIR BEST. This album kills. This album is everything great about WELCOME TO HELL, AT WAR WITH SATAN, POSSESSED, CALM BEFORE THE STORM, CAST IN STONE, and RESURRECTION all rolled into one killer, I mean, one FREAKIN killer album that you won't believe. Mike Hickey has recorded, along with Count Cronos himself, of course, the deadliest licks this side of Hades. His solos will astound you. What a great guitarist. A few listens, and the riffs will effen haunt you. They are that brilliant. And Count Cronos, the Vampire Supreme Himself, By Holy Order of the Satanic Majesties Request, what can I say. On his shoulders rests the responsibility of creating the greatest of all subgenres of music, BLACK METAL. ASSASSIN will ring in your ears over and over and over. ANTICHRIST is one of the greatest songs ever written, never mind one of the best VENOM ever written. REGE SATANAS should be #1 on the Billboard Charts. HOUSE OF PAIN will have you wanting to destroy everything you see without knowing why. DARKEST REALM is probably Western Civilization's greatest cultural achievement since AT WAR WITH SATAN. MALEFICARUM will make you do anything, even sell your grandmother to gypsy slave traders, just for the pleasure of hearing it again. And again. When you hear Count Cronos cry, "Maleficaruuuuuuuuuuuuummmmm" you'll understand. It is paradise. Unbound. Rise. Fall. Into Hell. Maleficaruuuuummmmm...... This album rules. This band rules. Cronos rules all. Listening to this album will make you feel like a forty foot tall rampaging gorilla made of steel and Jack Daniels with the self confidence of Godzilla. You will conquer anything with VENOM in your stereo. Tell your wimp friends to listen to some real metal... V E N O...freakin' M Thank you dark lords for granting Cronos a miraculous recovery to release this gem. This is one of the greatest albums of all time. I have spoken. I'm gonna listen to it again right now. "I bear the soul of Satan, I wear the seal of Death...ANTECHRIST!" If you don't know who VENOM is or don't think VENOM is the greatest band of all time, then you are a cultureless and clueless idiot. We feel sorry for you. Why do you live? VENOM RULES.

For the first time in their career Venom have released a well produced clean sounding album. Except for his appearence on Dave Ghrol's "Probot" project Cronos' bass and vocals have never sounded clearer. And this line-up has a firmer grasp on song structure. But the REAL star of this CD is guitarist Mike "Mykus" Hickey (who had previously worked with Venom on their good-but-under-rated "Clam Before the Storm" in 87). Mykus' use of melody, riffs and especially breaks make even the filler tracks shine!The lyrics are more of the horror comic book same but who really pays attention to them anyway?
The best CDs in the last few years from NWOBHM hold-outs are Witchfynde's "Witching Hour" (01), Pagan Altar's "lords of Hypocracy" (04), Diamond Head's "All Will Be Revealed" (05), Handsome Beasts' "04", and now Venom's "Metal Black". Here's hoping this line-up won't wait 6 years before their next album.

There is no arguing that Venom is one of the most important and influential bands in the history of metal. Not everyone may think they are a good band, but I doubt in the mid-80's there were any bands that weren't influenced by their music in one way or another, especially by their Black Metal (1982) and At War with Satan (1983) albums, both of which rank very high on the most influential discs of extreme metal. Remember, Venom has never been a black metal band in the sense some people perceive them to be. Rather, they were a proto-black metal act, utilising mostly thrash and post-punk riffs and extreme lyrics in their music. So the theory that Venom has had little or no impact on black metal is false. Both death and black metal have evolved from thrash, though they are totally different genres, and Venom is certainly one of the main acts that spawned the 90's black metal movement.

Anyway, the new Venom album is a nod to their past, as the title implies. However, in other ways, it also leans towards a more melodic edge, particularly because of guitarist Mykvs's immense contribution. Myvks is no newcomer; he previously played on Venom's Calm Before the Storm (1987) and also appeared on Cronos' recent solo album. Metal Black is quite possibly the most melodic Venom release in their career, given some of the solos are immensely well-crafted and melody-inserted. That said, much of their songs are still Motorhead and punk-infused, such as the opening song "Antechrist", their only oldschool piece on this track, marked by chuggy guitars, fat bass, and raw drumming by Antton (who also played on the previous album Resurrection). "Burn in Hell" also continues in a similar vein, bringing out more obvious Motorhead riffage that unfortunately seems recycled though. The solo on this piece is great, however. Actually there are guitars you've never heard on previous Venom albums before. Both "House of Pain" and "A Good Day to Die" feature catchy, exotic licks by Mykvs, also utilising a slower, Sabbathy guitar aura on the former and a growling bass on the latter.

Regarding the other songs, they seem to have some really good, well-written parts. Unfortunately though, as a whole, something seems to be missing in most of them. For example, it's a shame that the band failed to develop the amazing opening main riff of "Darkest Realm", besides the clean, smooth guitar solo it contains. I feel this could make for one of the finest live songs on the album. "Assassin" is also a great piece with an infectious lead solo, but the rest of the riffs are terribly repetitive and Cronos' vocals sound very uninspired. The marching drums and militaristic riffs on "Death & Dying" are worth hearing as is the dirty rock'n'roll offered on "Rege Satanas". "Lucifer Rising" is a very bland piece overall, but the guitar playing on it is the best on the album. "Hours of Darkness" is possessed by a demonic vocal performance by Cronos and a very solid rhythmic angle. This is Venom at their best. When concentrated enough, they still know how to write dark and sinister pieces, but when they choose to return to form, opting for primal production values, and recreating the impossible magic of their 1982 album, they do and always will fail.

Compared to their previous album Resurrection, Metal Black is certainly a step up, but in terms of production it pales to its predecessor. We're no longer in the early 80's and recording techniques have improved a lot over the years. Why go back and try to sound deliberately raw and 'unprofessional'? Just cause your new album is titled Metal Black? Well, I don't see the point. This disc has some good moments and some really meandering and pointless parts. Overall, it's mediocre but still deserves a listen to see how well they've aged in the last 20+ years.

Certainly the nearest thing in an age that comes close to the wall of sound that launched the band through 'Welcome to Hell' this release also combines some of the finese of 'Resurrection' and 'Cast In Stone' which provides a good mix of the best of both worlds. Not earth breaking but a nice continuation of a string of solid releases that do not damage the bands heritage. A little less hardness and more light and shade would have added that extra star in my opinion.

"Antechrist" kicks out the gates and is an instant favourite with chainsaw guitar and harks back to "A Thousand Days" or "Poison" style but contains a tuneful bridge which lifts it from the norm. Venom could always write a chorus and this one contains a ripper."Burn in Hell" is a "Die Hard" hybrid and is really strong too. The band slip back into the more routine thrash genre with "House of Pain" perhaps a grower but didn't catch the ears the first couple of times. Time will tell I guess. "Death and Dying" is a bit the same but sticks after a couple of listens. Certainly these two are very similar to the newer daze in the last decade say rather than the vintage style of the 80's. "Rege Satanas" is brilliant do I here some Thin Lizzy influence, strange but true? Good old fashioned Venom in the "To Hell and Back" mode built on a monster riff and like a mythical beast in flight this is worth the price alone complete with hummable chorus.Yes hummable. More please?

"Darkest Realm" is a little cheesy being an ode to the band itself. Not so great but if any one can sound convincing on this kind of stuff its Cronos? "A Good Day To Die" is an anthem spat out with (well erm) venom. Great again with a slow mid section and tasteful guitar bridge, before hitting you again for a second round assault. "Assassin" unfortunately reminds me of Slayer, who are a fine band in their own right but Venom slip into tribute mode of late too easily when delivering these kinds of numbers. "Blessed Dead" is surely an anti-drugs fable and is interesting in that it breaks from the blacker arts theme focused upon in most of the other material here. "Hours of Darkness" is almost tuneful with one of those Middle Eastern feels that give it added flavour and will be a replay favourite I think. "Sleep When I am Dead" returns to the thrash arena, but the two closing items of "Maleficarvm" and "Metal Black" are scorching and finish us on a high note particuraly the former.

So a mixed bag of glories some high points a couple of lows but all in all worthy of the purchase price indeed. Not a classic in the league of this mighty band's beginnings but a class act and solid release non the less. Buy with confidence as a worthy addition to the heritage.

When I first heard of this band, I didnt realize that they had still made music in modern times. I had only knew their albums such as "Black Metal" and "At War With Satan." Those were brilliant classic early black metal albums. I heard "Metal Black" and it reminded me of Motorhead's "Inferno" album since it was released around the time of Motorhead's latest album. "Metal Black" sounds a bit more death metal-ish than their older albums, being that they use more distortion in their songs and harmonics. Venom has always reminded me of a more evil, possessed by the devil motorhead, so in my book, this is a decent album. If you're a fan of death metal and like crunchy, distorted riffs, order this album!

Well, I'll have to admit...........I wish I had given Venom a try years ago! I just bought this cd a week ago, and just can't seem to get tired of it. I listen to it everyday as loud as my speakers will go. This is true metal here! You will certainly see why bands like Slayer, Megadeth, Metallica(old Metallica), have said that Venom was a major influence in there music. I really recommend this cd to new Venom fans like me. If you are in to Slayer, or Metallica(any cd before Load that is), Metal Black is a great place to start.

Every few years, you hear about a band with their "comeback album". Venom has been around for the past quarter century, and over the last few years, it feels like people have forgotten about the band that spawned the "black metal" sub-genre and spawned countless disciples and copycats who enjoyed writing about the devil in their lyrics. "Metal Black" (a play on words of Venom's finest hour, "Black Metal") finds Cronos and co. back in top form on a new record label and a re-focused direction. You won't find anything too innovative on "Metal Black"; just balls to the wall, classic-shaded metal with screeching guitars and shattering vocals: the way that metal should always be. The raw production throughout the album only makes it more worth hearing, and tracks "Burn In Hell", "House of Pain", "Sleep When I'm Dead", and the title track are pure Venom all the way, and the guitar work is the best the band has produced in over a decade. All in all, "Metal Black" is a fine return to form for one of the most influential and revered, and sadly forgotten about, metal bands of the last two decades plus; and while it may not offer anything particularly new to the genre, "Metal Black" is still much, much better than any of the new so-called metal bands to emerge in the past few years.

Not a bad album from these Metal veterans. It's got that dirty production that pissed off a lot of people in the `80s, and it's got that simplicity factor that makes Venom songs catchy, raw, and headbanging. I've never had a problem with Venom's somewhat average drumming on early records (according to some people), but the execution here is handled effortlessly here by Antton. Reliable double-bass patterns add a new dimension to the music. Cronos' hymns to Lucifer, death and hell are still effectively amusing in a good way. Of course, we all know none of this is real and that's exactly what's fun about it. The gimmick has always worked, and it obviously does here. Songs like "Anti-Christ", "Rege Satanas" and "House of Death" are simply crushing, and you can ever hear some glorious guitar playing on a number of songs (a rarity on Venom's music to a degree). It's great to see Venom is still spewing forth great black metal as only they can do best.

Venom can never top the days of WTH and BM but this is better than their (actually only Cronos is involved) other efforts.