Customer Reviews

Prime Evil

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The new Venom lineup with Abaddon, Mantas, new bassist/vocalist Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan & rythem guitarist Al Barnes (the weak guy here-thankfully he left a little later) made a good attempt at playing black metal but never really reached the level of "rawness" or evil that the original did, but it was a good attempt. Strangely, on the back cover photos, Mantas, Abaddon & Barnes are all wearing cross (right side up no less). Very odd. When you listen to this it might be best not to think of this as Venom, but as some band "related" to them. Still, there are some pretty good songs here. The title track & opening number, "Prime Evil" is probably the best song this lineup ever recorded. It's really loud & has some great riffs; "Parasite" (not the Kiss song) is a good thrasher; "Blackened Are the Priests" is reminiscent of older Venom & sounds really powerful, especially with the chanting intro; "Harder Than Ever" is kind of like an anthem, like Kiss' "Rock & Roll All Nite", but is good & rowdy; "Into the Fire" is another powerful song that should be played extra loud; "Skool Daze", a "sequel" to "Teacher's Pet" is full of that nice Venom sleaze. Weak spots are their cover of Black Sabbath's "Megalomania". It's ok, but they only play the second half of it. Too bad they couldn't go for the whole thing. "Skeletal Dance" sounds kind of sloppy, mainly due to Abaddon's drumming. And why they had to re-do "Live Like An Angel-Die Like a Devil" when the original is perfectly good is beyond me. Also, even though Cronos co-wrote it, he isn't credited as doing so. They kind of make you think that this new lineup wrote it. Oh well. All in all, this is a pretty solid thrash album, but I wish it had more "blackness" in it, but you can't have everything, I guess.

I will not review the music, it has been done more than once. I am going to criticize the Kraze Records version of this album, which is supposedly produced under license from Under One Flag. Kraze Records must be shameless!

When you are going to buy the CD version of an album, there are three things you ask for: (1) the artwork and design, (2) how carefully the item is manufactured and, most important of all, (3) the sound. Let me begin by saying that, I could have produced the so-called booklet at home with a mid-quality desktop printer. The cover seems good enough, but when you take the booklet out, you see that it is only one fold; one page for a band photo and one for credits that are printed so indistinct that the page looks like a cheap photocopy. No lyrics. The edges of the booklet seems to be cut by hand with standard scissors, they are uneven. If you draw a line going through the edges of the booklet, what you'll get will be a sketch of the ocean waves. When you close the booklet, you realize the corners don't even close on top of each other. The back cover also looks like a color printout and is on an unusually thin paper.

On the CD is printed the tracklist, but what a tracklist. It reads "I Agree" instead of "Insane", "Harder Than Fever" instead of "Harder Than Ever".

And the sound? Mid-quality mp3s are way more clear and powerful than the Audio CD itself. It was a different experience, realizing the CD was sounding worse than compressed audio types. It is as if they have brought the production quality down on purpose, specially for a licensed release.

None of the artwork, quality of CD manufacturing or the sound of the music itself is worth a dime, let alone $13.

This album is vastly underappreciated, as are all of the MK II albums (the others being Temples of Ice and Possessed, currently out of print but available in chopped-up and reprocessed forms on "The Court of Death" and "New Live and Rare," though I am sure there are others.) I listen to this record at least once a month, usually more, since I bought it nearly two years ago. The lyrics, while not as dark as before, are definitely of the horror-movie variety. The music, while occasionally sloppy on the drum side (Abbadon IMHO isn't the tightest drummer,) has great chunk, and has an excellent production. What it may lack in pure evil, I think it makes up for in agression and sound quality. I take a lot of crap for it, but I still say this is my favorite Venom album, over Black Metal and Welcome to Hell though admittedly not by much. And, okay, Megolomania is not the best choice for a cover, but I don't think it's a typical choice for a Sabbath cover. Besides, that cowbell intro is great. Overall, this is a great album from a great lineup of a great band.

I have only recently begun to explore the deep, deep roots of metal. Since I grew up as a Christian kid in the 80s. I would have never done anywhere near any of this music then. A friend of mine had me started listening to Black Sabbath back in 1997. The first time I had ever really listened to them. I thought to myself, "Wow, this is one of the bands that had my church in an uproar? Pfffffftttttt!!!!!" I had been lied to. Their music sounded just a little heavier than alot of the stuff my parents ever listened too. I am finding that same magic here in a group like Venom. While being evil for evil's sake *cough*marketing, it made them stand out from the rest and helped to develop new a new musical sound. I describe the music(in this album), as a mixture of Iron Maiden, Metallica, and Motorhead. And that is just spectacular. As for the Tenacious D reference, Prime Evil oozes Jack Black sweat. You listen to it, its almost silly(ala Grim Reaper being made fun of by Beavis and Butthead) but in a laughing with you not at you. Like Lumberjack by Jackyl.

Many, many, many fans will disagree with me on this but this new line-up and set of albums with Tony Dolan (Demolition Man)shows their true musicianship, polished and at their best musically and lyrically. Gone are the cheesy satanic lyrics that have been done over so many times. Prime Evil has better songs, period! The structuring, lyrics, musical content and production make this album my all-time favorites of Venom albums. Ultra heavy riffs, darker vocals than Cronos and complex bass lines Cronos ever could have pulled off. Everyone is stuck in the old realm of Venom, which was in it's day friggin awesome but it's time to learn to play our instruments a little better and improve with age which they did. Abbaddon is actually playing solid and his timing is down and the guitars are furious with flesh ripping distortion and ear splitting leads that makes this album a blast to listen to! Damn, you don't need Cronos because Tony sounds just like him but just better! So guys, get over the old line-up already. Pick up some Venom like Prime Evil, Temples of Ice and The Waste Lands and embrace the evolution of Venom metal. Hey, the new albums are good too but these three highlight them at their peak. They are entirely underrated and didn't receive the respect they deserved because of one missing man that could have gone unnoticed. O.K. Who's bringing the noose?

A lot of noise once again fo Venom. I wonder who might love this music. Its almost garbage. There are some average good moments in some tracks but the overeall picture is disappointment. Only for Venom collectors

Venom is true metal! This is another amazing album in the Venom catalog, this band represents what metal/black metal is all about: killer riffs, evil vocals, great lyrics, awesome drums and awesome song structure, who could ask for more. Venom is also a band that stays true to the awesome sound and music we true fans love.

LOVE THIS! \m/\m/

Before I bought this, I had made my mind that Venom = Cronos and Mantas (I was disappointed by Metal Black). However, I thought I'd give this album a try even though it lacks one of my favorite metal singers. And I must say, the band knows how to replace its singer. I noticed a change in Cronos' style between Possessed and Cast In Stone, and the new frontman sounds like the new Cronos.

The album starts off really strong, with five solid rock tracks...then it hits Megalomania, a cover of my favorite band, Black Sabbath. I am really glad they did not attempt to cover the whole song, because they manage to butcher the second half. If the singer tried to sound like himself and not Bon Scott choking on a bat, then perhaps it would work.

After this track, the album does not recover. The songs are not bad, but they do not meet the trend set by the first five. Skool Daze is the exception; it is a fine rocker.

If you are just starting your Venom collection, get Black Metal and Welcome to Hell before buying this album (I'd actually recommend buying the first four, but those two at the very least).

All in all not a bad album...Mantas is in top form. The new singer is annoying at times, but he is not terrible. And the drums are what I've come to expect from Venom...nothing great, but if you listen to Venom for precise drumming, there is something wrong with you.

It's definitely good to hear a Venom cd that is actually produced. Cronos is definitely missed, however the songs here are quite good, if not entirely black metal, and new singer Demolition Man has a powerful voice and a worthy successor. His bass playing as well is a step-up in technique from Cronos, being almost Geddy Lee-ish (but not quite, of course) in the opening of the title track. The high points are the title track--which is bangin' melodic power metal--and Blackened Are the Priests, which reminds one of the satanic themes of old, but without the frantic, noisy backdrop. The band's attempt at Sabbath's 'Megalomania' is ludicrous without the entire first half of the song.
Parasite and Skeletal Dance are the next in line as favorites, being killer exercises in thrash. Great album by a band that wants to progress and not rest on its laurels.

While not really a pure thrash album, PRIME EVIL ranks as one of Venoms very best in my humble opinion. It's not often that a more commercial production makes a great album, but PRIME EVIL has some terrific songs on it. Highlights are the title track with it's heavy yet toe-tapping structure and sing along chorus (don't get me wrong, they haven't sunk to the level of some airhead teenybopper Sweet style band. Those of you who've heard the track know what I'm on about). Also great are the breakneck paced thrasher SKELETAL DANCE with it's melodic intro before the band pick up the pace and are soon literally bludgeoning you with their instruments... BLACKENED ARE THE PRIESTS is a true classic, beginning with ominous chanting and then a slow heavy guitar dirge. The line "Blackened are the priests..../Drinking from their chalices of blood" sends pleasant shudders down the listener's spine (As a lapsed Catholic I can relate to that song totally). There is also the 90s answer to TEACHER'S PET, SCHOOL DAZE; which, while a good song is a bit recycled and juvenile. Another disappointment is the cover of Sabbath's MEGALOMANIA because they only play the second half of the song; it would have sounded great if they'd played all 9+ minutes of it. I'm sure Venom could have made the first five minutes very atmospheric and scary, but alas, it wasn't to be, so that is really the only low point of the CD for me. But Venom are back in all their glory with this one, showing Megadeth and Slayer that they're still top shelf...