biography
A seminal influence on the evolution of thrash and black metal, Venom formed during the late '70s in Newcastle, England. Originally a five-piece group called Oberon, they eventually trimmed their lineup to a trio comprising singer/bassist Conrad "Cronos" Lant, guitarist Jeff "Mantas" Dunn, and drummer Tony "Abaddon" Bray. Influenced by the heavy intensity of Motörhead and the visual flash of Kiss, the newly rechristened Venom developed a dark, blistering sound which paved the way for the subsequent rise of thrash music; similarly, their macabre, proudly satanic image proved a major inspiration for the legions of black metal bands to appear in their wake, even lending the genre its name with the release of their 1982 sophomore LP, Black Metal. (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 changes plagued the group in the years to follow, with Mantas exiting in the wake of 1985's live Eine Kleine Nachtmusik; guitarists Matt Hickey and Jimmy Clare were tapped as his replacements, making their debut on 1987's Calm Before the Storm. Cronos then quit as well, however, mounting a solo career and taking both Hickey and Clare with him as he left; at that point Mantas rejoined Abaddon to form a new edition of Venom with onetime Atomkraft vocalist/bassist Tony "The Demolition Risk" Dolan and guitarist Al Barnes. The new lineup made its bow on 1989's Prime Evil; Tear Your Soul Apart appeared a year later.
After 1991's Temples of Ice, Barnes quit Venom; his absence was filled by guitarist Steve "War Maniac" White, who along with keyboardist V.X.S. was recruited in time for 1992's The Waste Lands before both quickly exited. The trio of Mantas, Abaddon, and Dolan continued touring throughout the middle years of the decade, although no more new studio recordings were forthcoming; finally, in 1996 Cronos returned to the Venom fold, making way for Dolan's departure. The original lineup's return to action was heralded by the release of the mini-album Venom '96, followed in 1997 by the full-length Made in Stone. After a world tour, Venom issued the two-disc New, Live & Rare in mid-1998. Buried Alive appeared a year later, and in the spring of 2000 the group returned with The Court of Death and Beauty and the Beast. In 2006 they celebrated their 25th anniversary with Metal Black, followed two years later by Hell.
Year | Title | Label | Editors' Rating | Average User Rating | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1981 | Welcome to Hell Welcome to Hell | Metal-Is Metal-Is | |||
1982 | Black Metal Black Metal | Combat Records Combat Records | |||
1983 | At War with Satan At War with Satan | Combat Records Combat Records | |||
1985 | Eine Kleine Nachtmusik Eine Kleine Nachtmusik | Cleopatra / Dead Line Music Cleopatra / Dead… | |||
1985 | From Hell to the Unknown From Hell to the Unknown | ||||
1985 | Official Bootleg Live Official Bootleg Live | Cleopatra Cleopatra | |||
1985 | Possessed Possessed | Castle Music Ltd. Castle Music Ltd. | |||
1987 | Calm Before the Storm Calm Before the Storm | AJK AJK | |||
1989 | Prime Evil Prime Evil | Kraze Records Kraze Records | |||
1991 | Temples of Ice Temples of Ice | Under One Flag Under One Flag | |||
1992 | The Book of Armageddon The Book of Armageddon | Combat Records Combat Records | |||
1992 | The Waste Lands The Waste Lands | Under One Flag Under One Flag | |||
1997 | The Second Coming Live at Dynamo 1996 The Second Coming Live at Dynamo 1996 | Nuclear Blast Nuclear Blast | |||
1998 | From Heaven to the Unknown From Heaven to the Unknown | Recall (UK) Recall (UK) | |||
1998 | New, Live & Rare New, Live & Rare | Cleopatra / Dead Line Music Cleopatra / Dead… | |||
1998 | Cast in Stone Cast in Stone | Cleopatra Cleopatra | |||
1999 | Live Official Bootleg Live Official Bootleg | Thunderbolt (UK) Thunderbolt (UK) | |||
2000 | Court of Death Court of Death | Receiver Records (UK) / Receiver Receiver Records… | |||
2000 | Resurrection Resurrection | Steamhammer Steamhammer | |||
2000 | Beauty and the Beast Beauty and the Beast | Dressed To Kill Dressed To Kill | |||
2003 | Under a Spell Under a Spell | Teenile Dementia Teenile Dementia | |||
2003 | Witching Hour Witching Hour | Demolition Demolition | |||
2006 | Metal Black Metal Black | Castle Music Ltd. Castle Music Ltd. | |||
2008 | Hell Hell | Sanctuary Sanctuary | |||
2011 | Fallen Angels Fallen Angels | Spinefarm Records / Universal Distribution / Universal Import / V2/Coop Label Spinefarm Records… | |||
Bitten Bitten | NMC NMC | ||||
Live in Concert Live in Concert | Qwil Qwil | ||||
Tear Your Soul Apart Tear Your Soul Apart |