A seminal influence on the evolution of thrash and black metal, Venom formed during the late '70s in Newcastle, England.Originally a five-piecegroup called Oberon, they eventually trimmed their lineup to a trio comprising singer/bassist Conrad"Cronos" Lant, guitaristJeff"Mantas" Dunn,and drummer Tony "Abaddon" Bray. Influenced by the heavy intensity of Motörheadand the visual flash of Kiss, thenewlyrechristened Venomdeveloped a dark, blistering sound that paved the way for thesubsequent rise of thrash music; similarly, theirmacabre,proudly satanic imageproved a major inspiration for the legio ...read more
A seminal influence on the evolution of thrash and black metal, Venom formed during the late '70s in Newcastle, England.Originally a five-piecegroup called Oberon, they eventually trimmed their lineup to a trio comprising singer/bassist Conrad"Cronos" Lant, guitaristJeff"Mantas" Dunn,and drummer Tony "Abaddon" Bray. Influenced by the heavy intensity of Motörheadand the visual flash of Kiss, thenewlyrechristened Venomdeveloped a dark, blistering sound that paved the way for thesubsequent rise of thrash music; similarly, theirmacabre,proudly satanic imageproved a major inspiration for the legions ofblack metal bands to appear in their wake, even lending thegenre itsname with the release of their1982 sophomore LP, BlackMetal. (Their debut, Welcome to Hell, preceded it by a year.)Venom's third album, At War with Satan, followed in 1983, and two years later they released Possessed. Lineup changesplagued the groupintheyears to follow, with Mantas exiting in the wake of 1985's live Eine Kleine Nachtmusik; guitarists MattHickey and Jimmy Clareweretapped as hisreplacements, making their debut on 1987's Calm Before the Storm. Cronos then quitas well, however, mounting a solocareerand taking bothHickey and Clare with him as he left; at that point Mantas rejoinedAbaddon to form a new edition of Venom withonetimeAtomkraftvocalist/bassist Tony "The Demolition Risk" Dolan and guitaristAl Barnes. The new lineup made its bow on 1989's PrimeEvil; TearYour SoulApart appeared a year later.After 1991's Temples of Ice, Barnes quit Venom; his absence was filled by guitarist Steve "War Maniac" White, who alongwithkeyboardistV.X.S.was recruited in time for 1992's The Waste Lands before both quickly exited. The trio of Mantas,Abaddon, and Dolancontinued touringthroughoutthe middle years of the decade, although no more new studio recordings wereforthcoming; finally, in 1996Cronos returned to theVenom fold,making way for Dolan's departure. The original lineup's return toaction was heralded by the release of themini-album Venom'96, followed in1997 by the full-length Cast in Stone. After a worldtour, Venom issued the two-disc New, Live & Rare inmid-1998. BuriedAlive appeared a yearlater, and in the spring of 2000 thegroup returned with The Court of Death and Beauty and the Beast.In 2006 theycelebrated their 25thanniversary with MetalBlack, followed two years later by Hell. Fallen Angels, the group's 13th studio long-player,arrived in 2011, followed in 2015byFrom the Very Depths, both of which were issued via Spinefarm/Universal. « hide
