So UK’s Venom have been around for a minute, eh?? If we are to look at the first three extreme bands using extreme lyrics, where devils, killing, and all things evil were first written about, the top three bands are: Black Sabbath, The Misfits, and Venom. I mean, with over 15 albums to their name, Venom has not been without its challenges of fired original band members, lawsuits, and a revolving door of other band members.
Original bassist/vocalist Cronos has been keeping things going, and the band itself, with Rage on guitars and Dante on drums, has remained stable for over 15 years. I love the first four Venom albums. Welcome to Hell, Black Metal, At War with Satan, and Possessed were all monumental in the merging of NWOBHM with a style that Venom started, called Black Metal. After Possessed, the band never reached the heights of those albums, releasing lackluster albums with no memorable staying power. Venom has remained a cult phenom and I was lucky to see them at MDF years ago; however, due to the band not doing tours in the USA, they have remained, still more of an underground entity. I feel that if the band had released good albums over the last several decades and had been touring, we might have seen Venom touring with the likes of Slayer, Exodus, etc, you name it. But major acts are not going to take out non-touring artists. Facts.
Knowing how Venom’s last albums have been, I was not expecting much from this 13-song, 43-minute-long album. The first single released months ago was “Lay Down Your Soul”. Going into the song with zero expectations, and I mean zero, considering the band had not put out anything good in four decades, this song knocked me on my ass. Going all the way back to their Welcome to Hell debut, this song brought back the raw NWOBHM and Black Metal that the band created. Galloping madness with an extraordinary lead riff and super catchy chorus with lyrics tying into their earlier works…’Lay Down Your Soul…To the Gods Rock and Roll’. The music is updating the original Venom sound, and the song is fast and has excellent guitar solos to boot. Cronos sounds like a man rejuvenated, and he sounds flawless on this. I even played their original four albums back to back and then played this song, and honestly, this song could have been on any one of those tunes. It is that excellent.
We can rewind to the song opener, the title track. With its atmospheric buildup, the song quickly gets into the speed with organic and well-timed double bass drums. True headbanging moments and some pinch harmonics as well. This song takes their 80’s sound and gives it a bit of a facelift. We even have some cool guitar harmonies happening on here. The NWOBHM ever-present sound, which helped define Venom, is all over this sucker.
Before I get into another song, let’s speak about the album cover. Seemingly, AI-generated, keyboard killaz out there are already panning this album and other albums using AI imagery. I have been roped into some online battles recently, and I told these punks it’s up to the band to use the art they wanna use. Now, if you wanna be a purist and not listen to the music or drag down the band, because of the art they are using, then that is your fucking loss. I only draw the line when it comes to the music. AI is being used for music, which I am not supportive of. Anyway, the AI imagery of the Devil is ok, but if you have the album through Apple Music the cover is interactive with the Devil’s head moving and opening its mouth. I was looking at this at night, and it’s pretty creepy. Love it. Off soapbox now.
“Man & Beast” is a slow cruncher of a tune, and with the guitar slide and the song title being gang shouted, it is perfect and the perfect song to put in the middle of their live set. One of the catchiest songs the band has ever recorded. This is also one of the heaviest songs Venom has ever written. I can see the band and fans headbanging in unison while the song is being played live. The song gets into a quicker gallop, over the guitar soloing, before getting back into that catchy beat. Terrific song.
“Kicked Outta Hell” is a nice, cheeky number with an excellent opening guitar moment, then traversing to an all-out thrash assault. The song slows back down, and this song has 1982 Venom written all over it. The song picks up the pace with the song title being screamed out. There are tempo shifts galore, with excellent mid-paced and fast moments sprinkled throughout the song. The repetitive nature keeps the song catchy and memorable. There are a lot of other terrific songs on the album, and the brooding “Unholy Mother” closes out the album with catchy bass lines. Memorable synths and a doomy song overall. This is a very cool song to close out the album. Live, I am unsure how it would go over. On a recording, it’s great, but it may lose the focus of the crowd.
If Venom’s prior output, after Possessed was anything close to Into Oblivion, I feel there would have been demands for them to tour and bands taking them out. This would have translated into the Venom name being spoken in the same breath as let’s say Slayer, etc., Exodus, Testament, etc.. This album sounds as if it could have been released after Possessed. With its strong ties to their 80’s legendary sound and the strong songwriting on this album, this album is the top of my list for 2026. To hear the band return to form with such a strong album, this sucker smokes other new 2026 albums, of their long-time brethren – I am looking right at you, Exodus. Venom – welcome back for Devil’s sake and thank you, thank you, for welcoming us all back to your Hell!!!!!!!!!!!
