Venom, now there is a name from the past. My earliest encounter with Cronos and co was way back on the early 80
s Channel 4 rock programme ECT playing Too Loud For The Crowd, happy days.

The band have been through a lot since those heady days of the
Seven Dates Of Hell tour with line up changes and periods in the wilderness, but they have never given up on their brand of Death Metal and are gradually regaining the larger following they rightly deserve.

The lynchpin in the trademark Venom sound is the bass work and vocals of Cronos, the Geordie powerhouse who has never given up the fight over the 30 years since the release of the bands first album ‘ Welcome To Hell‘. This album finds Venom in fine form once again with the same heavy metal riffs and pulverising rhythms of old, but with contemporary overtones ensuring the album isn
t classed as some quaint relic of a bygone age. Of the 13 tracks on the album there are many highlights, Pedal to The Metal and Sin being particularly good, you cant beat a bit of sin now and again ! Along with Cronos the trio are completed by guitarist Rage and drummer Dante who both turn in fine performances bringing a real energy to all tracks, especially the lead single from the album ‘ Hellhammer’ which is well named as it sounds like the mighty Thor having a bad day at the office.

The band have big touring plans for 2012 to support this release starting with a double slot on the 70,000 tons of Metal cruise, not bad work if you can get it. This deserves to be the release that re-establishes Venom as one of the UK
s most enduring acts and will hopefully see them return to stages across the land although I think a return to Channel 4 may be a too much to hope for but you never know.

David Wilson