VENOM — Black Metal (review)

VENOM — Black Metal album cover Album · 1982 · Speed Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
2.5/5 ·
Warthur
Venom's second album might have provided the name for an extreme metal subgenre - and, excepting Teacher's Pet, much of the lyrical subject matter - but this piece of proto-thrash seems less groundbreaking than its predecessor, Welcome to Hell. Part of this is the general lack of musical progression apparent - the band seemed content to just make a quick rehash of Welcome to Hell rather than developing their skills, though to be fair some points like the transition from Buried Alive to Raise the Dead suggest more ambitious musical ambitions than previously.

Another part is the fact that with a less murky production job this time around, Venom's true skills become more readily appreciated - and to be honest, they're nothing special compared to the early works by the Big Four of thrash who would take the model of Welcome to Hell in genuinely interesting directions. A fun listen, but not an essential one in this day and age; I rather suspect many of the early black metal artiss based their music on what they thought this album should have sounded like as opposed to what it actually sounded like.
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Tupan wrote:
more than 2 years ago
Oh man, I love this album! The only one I listened two times in a row in my life!
Kingcrimsonprog wrote:
more than 2 years ago
I really agree with that should've/actually point

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