Rating: 7.2

Country: UK

Release Date: 2006

Track list:
1. Antechrist
2. Burn In Hell
3. House Of Pain
4. Death & Dying
5. Regé Sathanas
6. Darkest Realm
7. A Good Day To Die
8. Assassin
9. Lucifer Rising
10. Blessed Dead
11. Hours Of Darkness
12. Sleep When I’m Dead
13. Maleficarvm
14. Metal Black

Band Website: Venom

Venom - Metal Black

Cronos- Vocals/Bass
Mykvs- Guitars/Backing Vocals
Antton- Drums/Backing Vocals

Hm, I believe I'll have to recant/rescind my prior opinions regarding this album- I bloody HATED it upon first and second listen. Surely, such a visceral reaction was absolutely assured considering Venom have, for the better part of the past 10 years, cemented their place on my unhallowed altar of metal, where only the FOREMOST priests of the profane hold court. To say that 'Welcome To Hell', 'Black Metal' and 'At War With Satan' are indispensable cornerstones of my collection would be a severe understatement, and to suggest that Venom are, indeed, one of my very, very favorite bands to ever play music would be equally obvious. Is it even possible to overstate the significance Cronos, Mantas and Abbadon have had on licentious, violent, iniquitous HEAVY METAL as a whole, an influence that is writ large across the foreheads of every band that has prioritized SPIRIT and CONVICTION over instrumental proficiency.

I am aware that it is rather cliché for me to preface a Venom review with a perfunctory, gushing affirmation of their metallic immortality and influence, but yet, I cannot help but feel as though this is a point that is wearing thin upon legions of indifferent neophytes. Yes, I am assured that if all of you bastards would sit down and STUDY the atmosphere, execution and ATTITUDE of ”Live Like An Angel, Die Like A Devil”, “Manitou”, “Buried Alive/Raise The Dead” and the gung-ho, wanton abandon of “At War With Satan”, we would all be far better off for it, and abominations such as “brutal death/grind” and “elitist suicidal antihuman black metal” would have scarcely any reason to exist. It does frustrate me that Venom are ubiquitously regarded as a crucial monument in the germination and evolution of extreme metal, but are spoken of as though they are a forgotten relic, a mere point of reference in comparison to more extreme bands. I don't mean to be dogmatic about this, but such ludicrous behavior must CEASE immediately- these albums are BIBLES that must be revisited and revered eternally!

All that being said, Venom's output since 'Possessed' has left lasting chinks in otherwise impervious armor. Tony Dolan's stint with the band (though he was GREAT in Atomkraft!) was rather ill-advised, Cronos' solo output being of far more interest to me. While recent spins/revisits have been kinder to 'Cast In Stone' and 'Resurrection', I was somewhat ambivalent about both records when I purchased them years ago. Certainly, I have warmed up to 'Resurrection' over the years, even grown to enjoy a number of the album's highlights. This all happened, of course, once I ceased to grapple with what I disliked about the record and instead embraced the facets of the album that I absolutely adored (A host of great, if a little rudimentary riffs, anthemic choruses) and the aspects I absolutely loathed (no Abbadon, pinch harmonics, Pantera -isms, some suspect vocal choices by Cronos).

For those of you still bristling from the departure of Abaddon, let it be known that Mantas is absent on this recording as well, in turn rendering Venom into little more than a glorified equivalent of Cronos. Certain vehement naysayers have suggested that 'Metal Black' would be far easier to stomach if Cronos did, indeed, brand the project as a solo endeavor instead of milking the obvious commercial promise of the Venom moniker, and I'd have to say that I can only agree with such an assessment. One can harp on ceaselessly about how crucial Cronos is to the Venom experience, but I believe it should be glaringly obvious to all but the most oblivious mallrat that Mantas and Abbadon have been equally inextricable from the band's legacy, spirit and sound. Once you have begun to confront the departure of Mantas (evidently, to focus on his utterly shite solo project, Mantas 669 or whatever), it will be rather obvious to you that this album exhibits all the positives and odious negatives of its predecessor, though I am utterly convinced that this album exhibits far more distinct hues of vintage Venom than 'Resurrection', which suggests that Mantas' resignation hasn't had as profound of an influence as one might be led to believe.

Yup, there's a LOT more of the raucous, beer-swilling, legitimately FIERCE satanic speed metal that Venom made their own with everyone's favorite LPs/singles. Of course, the sumptuousness of it all is diluted and obscured by a host of less appetizing seasonings, Pantera-esque ‘90s thrash and modern-day Destruction-ish flourishes being two of the more contemptible culprits. Still, the sum of all the album's obvious cons (annoying “modern” production, absence of Abbadon, some of the more meatheaded riffing) are not, upon great reflection on my part, entirely significant enough for me to discourage you from checking out what is an otherwise enjoyable album.

Many have suggested before me that “Antechrist” is the highlight of the record, and I'm not entirely sure that this is a fair statement, for while it presents an energetic, convincing introduction to the record, it reflects less hints of classic Venom than, say, the track that immediately follows it, the fantastic “Burn In Hell”, which comes off like fucking “Rip Ride” with the odd pinch harmonic. LOTS of energy on this one, as well as a believably vigorous, impassioned display by all parties involved (great lead, I have to concede, and Cronos is in FINE form). At this point I have to commend the prudent and pragmatic songwriting approach here- Cronos and company know what WORKS and they are still cognizant, to a large degree, of what makes a song a Venom song. “Regé Sathanas”, “A Good Day To Die”, “Lucifer Rising”, “Metal Black”, “Darkest Realm” all flaunt the hallmarks of Venom - bloodstained, alcohol-imbibing, blasphemous and irreverent BLACK METAL. While it's all packaged in a far more sterile package than, on, say, the 'Warhead' EP, and while the notorious "openness'' of the Venom sound has been replaced by something altogether “tighter” and “denser”, there is no disguising the fact that Conrad Lant isn't as far removed from his roots than many would have you believe. While the album is littered with double bass runs and generally “strong” drumming (by modern standards, at the very least), there is still a messiness and impish impetuousness to this material that should, in my estimation, please Venom aniacs the world over. Factor in the fact that Cronos sounds like he fucking MEANS it, and you have an album that, at the very least, has its heart in the right bloody place.

Of course, it's not all smooth sailing in the waters of Charon, and the album houses a number of tracks that I find rather reprehensible. “House Of Pain” is excruciatingly obvious and REALLY outstays its welcome, wringing the life out of an annoying vocal pattern and even more irritating chug-a-chug riff, Mykvs barely redeeming it with a tasteful melodic solo. “Death & Dying” comes across like 'Eternal Devastation' sans the imagination (ie Destruction's 'All Hell Breaks Loose'), complete with holler-along hook. I'm not entirely sure what's going on with “Blessed Dead”, which sounds like a castaway off Sodom's 'M-16' (Cronos, what on EARTH are you doing devoting your listening time to the less-commendable works of your disciples?), and depending on your opinion regarding latter day Sodom, this will either be received with elation or repulsion. Either way, I hesitate to say that it sounds at all like Venom. “Hours Of Darkness”, I suppose, is the album's “Buried Alive”, a slow-churn, grinding number that builds upon an ominous, ponderous riff and an exotic lead lick to swell into more rather juvenile jock-metal chugging. Thankfully, we are treated to more rather tastefully done lead work by Mykvs, who at this point is really starting to convince me that his place in the band is wholly deserved. Again, the song could have been trimmed. “Sleep When I'm Dead”, meanwhile, appears to be the greatest anomaly on this record, sounding STRANGELY like first album Arch Enemy (lead work is VERY Amott-y)…I'm still somewhat on the fence about this one.

A salient question should be posed at this point, which, I suppose, might make my scoring of this album somewhat dubious. If this album were released by any other band (one I had no prior history with, obviously), would I enjoy it quite as much? To be absolutely earnest, I'm quite certain that this would be a record that most bands could be reasonably proud of, though I must assert with determined confidence that there are certain numbers on this that could not have been written by anyone OTHER than Cronos. I am assured that this sounds more like Venom than either 'Resurrection' or, hell, 'Cast In Stone' (which featured the entire classic lineup!), and the degree of ingenuity that permeates this recording should attest to the fact that Cronos is nowhere near as divorced from the essence of Venom as self-righteous metal scribes have suggested over the years (hell, I was about to pan this record, but ten listens later I am CONVINCED). Stripped of about 15 minutes of extraneous fat, this would certainly have a place among my favorite albums this year. Worth a purchase if you see it at the used store.

June 5th, 2006