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Venom are a Heavy Metal band, formed in late 1979 in Newcastle Upon Tyne , England . Coming to prominence towards the end of the ' New Wave Of British Heavy Metal ', Venom have found little mainstream success or critical acclaim, but are widely regarded as highly influential, particularly for their first two albums, '' Welcome To Hell '' (1981) and '' Black Metal '' (1982). The title of Venom's second album would become influential and definitive enough to describe an entire subgenre called Black Metal , a category under which the band is most commonly referred 2. The nature of Venom's high-pitch guitars, harsh vocals, use of Pseudonyms , and unrelenting emphasis on Satanic lyrics and imagery is considered the groundwork for the genre's later successes. BAND HISTORY Early years Venom's original personnel came from three different bands: Guillotine , Oberon and DwarfStar . The original Guillotine featured Jeffrey Dunn and Dave Rutherford on guitars, Dean Hewitt on bass guitar, Dave Blackman on vocals and Chris Mercaters on drums. Blackman and Mercater were replaced by drummer Anthony Bray and vocalist Clive Archer of 'Oberon' and soon after, Dean Hewitt was replaced by Alan Winston on bass. Around the summer of 1979, Conrad Lant from the bands DwarfStar and Album Graecum replaced Rutherford on guitar. Venom were influenced by Rock , Punk and Heavy Metal bands including Black Sabbath , Judas Priest , Iron Maiden , The Sex Pistols , Kiss and Motörhead . A few days before a show at a local Church Hall, Venom's bassist Alan Winston left the band. To fill in, Conrad Lant borrowed a bass guitar from Steve Thompson (later to become Venom's first producer) at the studio he worked at (Impulse Studios / Neat Studios). Playing the show with the borrowed bass plugged into his Marshall guitar amp and effects pedals, he created an unnerving racket and the 'Bulldozer Bass' was born. Venom's lyrics often featured Satanic references, and the band members took on new Stage Name s. Archer became ' Jesus Christ ', Lant became 'Mr Cronos', Bray became 'Tony Abbadon', and Dunn became 'Jeff Mantas'. In April 1980, the band recorded a three song demo, featuring "Angel Dust", "Raise The Dead", and "Red Light Fever". Soon afterward, six more demo tracks were recorded for just £50, with Cronos taking vocal duties on the song "Live Like An Angel". Archer soon left the band, and Venom's lineup was finally a trio. Welcome to Hell Venom's recording debut was the 1981 single "In League with Satan"/"Live Like An Angel" which was released by Neat Records . Later that year they released their full-length debut, '' Welcome To Hell ''. Though crudely recorded with sometimes dubious musicianship, ''Welcome To Hell'' was still a remarkable ''tour de force'' for the era. Venom's music was faster and harsher than most metal contemporaries and while Satanism and other dark topics had been featured in metal before, the subject had rarely been more prominent. Cronos was quoted as saying that this celebration of evil subjects was inspired by musicians like Ozzy Osbourne of Black Sabbath , who would 'sing about evil things and dark figures, then spoil it all by going "Oh God, help me!"' MMV , reviewed by James Christopher Monger for Allmusic.com Black Metal Their second album, '' Black Metal '' ( 1982 ) is cited as perhaps the most important influence in the development of Black Metal , Thrash Metal , Death Metal and other related styles. Many defining elements of these genres are first found in the lyrics and song titles created by Cronos and his unique singing style as well as the guitar work and solos performed by Mantas. Critic Ed Rivadavia described ''Black Metal'' as the product of 'a trio of Visionary village idiots grappling with forces beyond their control (i.e., creative developments so groundbreaking they themselves had little control over its final destination, nor the technical ability to match their vision).' {Link without Title} Allmusic.com review of Black Metal, by Ed Rivadavia Despite its shortcomings, the album is nonetheless hugely influential. At War With Satan Though they would later be cited as important, neither of Venom’s first two albums sold well upon their original release. And while many of their British metal peers had found measures of popular success or critical acclaim (or, like Def Leppard , were moving away from metal towards Hard Rock ), Venom were still widely regarded by critics as “a trio of Buffoon s,” according to critic Ed Rivadavia At War With Satan , reviewed by Ed Rivadavia for Allmusic.com In an attempt to prove their status as serious musicians, Venom recorded ''At War With Satan'' (1983). The epic 20-minute title track, with substantial Progressive Rock influences, took up the first side of the LP. Critic Rivadavia At War With Satan , reviewed by Ed Rivadavia for Allmusic.com suggests that the title track was “bloated” and “ill-advised”, but that the B-side of the LP was superior, with a focus on the rapid-fire, three-minute “scorchers” Venom did best. Later work Guitarist Mantas left the band after recording ''Posessed'' (1985). The follow-up, ''Calm Before The Storm'' (1987) moved away from the Satanic themes of the earlier work in favor of Tolkien esque “ Sword And Sorcery ” material. Calm Before the Storm , reviewed by Steve Huey for Allmusic.com Venom continued recording and touring, losing members until only Cronos remained. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Venom became a quartet, with guitarists Jimmy Clare and Mike "Mykvs" Hickey. In late 2005, Venom released a career defining 4-disc box set '' MMV '', which includes an exclusive mini-poster of the band's seven-date tour of Europe with Metallica and a 60 Page Picture book, with interviews and pictures. The set includes all their best-known songs, along with rarities like live tracks, demos and outtakes. In March 2006, Venom released their latest album, ''Metal Black'', featuring original frontman Cronos along with his brother Antton on drums, and guitarist Mike Hickey aka Mykvs. The album is a return to Venom's sound in ''Black Metal'', as signified by the name "Metal Black". As of early 2007, guitarist Mykvs has left the band due to an inability to completely focus on Venom during tours. A new guitarist by the name of Rage has been named as his replacement. INFLUENCE Critic Ed Rivadavia writes that ''Welcome To Hell'' influenced "literally thousands" of bands. Welcome To Hell, Allmusic.com review by Ed Rivadavia Venom's music helped shape the development of many , Metallica , Slayer and Megadeth (Metallica opened for Venom on an early 1980s tour[http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wifyxqedldfe MMV , reviewed by James Christopher Monger for Allmusic.com and Slayer toured with them on the ''Combat Tour'' in 1985). Rivadavia argues that, somewhat like punk rockers The Ramones , Venom’s mediocre instrumental skills were actually their “secret weapon”, inspiring countless metal fan teenagers to imitate the band. Posessed , reviewed by Ed Rivadavia for Allmusic.com Venom often used Satanic and other 'evil' themes in their lyrics, but critic Bradley Torreano declared that the band had "their Tongues Planted Firmly In Their Cheeks ", with a sense of humor and irony that was sometimes lost on their fans and other musicians. Torreano adds that Venom " the attention of both metalheads and punks, the band was emulated by the former and turned into Camp Icons by the latter."[http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:hbfrxqe0ldse In League With Satan reviewed by Bradley Torreano for Allmusic.com When asked about the criminal actions or violent behavior of some later black metal bands (notably, there were a string of Arson s and and a few Murder s in the Norwegian Black Metal community in the 1990s), Venom's members reportedly expressed disapproval, stating the point of Venom is to make controversial music, and "How can you make albums and tour if you are in jail?". CRITICISM While many fans and musicians see Venom as an important band, their music has nonetheless been the subject of debate and criticism. Critic Ed Rivadavia writes that though ''Welcome To Hell'' influenced "literally thousands" of bands, Venom were "critically reviled" and comprised of "incompetent musicians." Welcome To Hell, Allmusic.com review by Ed Rivadavia However, critic James Christopher Monger declares that Venom 'grew as musicians' as their career progressed.[http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gbfuxqtaldse Darkest Hour , reviewed by James Christopher Monger for Allmusic.com In his s on their hands to flash at Venom and offer “Hail Satan” salutes. For their final number, Venom asked the audience to chant what Rollins thought was “Black ''Funky'' Metal”, which briefly made Rollins suspect that he had overlooked Venom's sense of humor, until he realized Venom was actually saying “Black ''Fucking'' Metal.” Venom reportedly laughed off Rollins’ comments saying "Henry didn't have the balls to speak to us back then, he hid backstage, but now he mouths off behind our backs. His band were useless and that's why he writes books now. He even got the date of the show wrong. Go {Link without Title} write some more books and we'll keep making music." On the DVD extra material of the documentary '''', bassist/singer Lemmy of Motörhead opines that Venom "fake it" on their instruments, arguing that they are not skilled musicians (later amending the statement somewhat by stating that Venom were "alright"). When interviewer Sam Dunn tells Lemmy that he himself was "blown away" by Venom back when he was twelve, Lemmy responds "Anything will blow you away when you're twelve. A day at the beach will blow you away when you are twelve." Cronos has always spoken highly of other musicians such as Lemmy, Ozzy, Rob Halford and a host of other British bands, in one interview he said, "'head have always had a great response in Newcastle, Geordies really relate to them, Lemmy is a smart bloke and a wicked axeman, true rock n' rollers". MEMBERS
Former Members
DISCOGRAPHY
REFERENCES SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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