Shane’s Music Challenge: VENOM – 1982 – Black Metal

Shane’s Music Challenge: VENOM – 1982 – Black Metal
9/10

Venom pretty much invented Black Metal, but even thirty years on the abysmal production on their early records still sounds infinitely more enjoyable than most of the bands who were influenced by them.

Perhaps that’s an experiential thing? I bought their vinyl records and every 7 inch single as it was released, and immersed into it. I loved the tongue in cheek, over the top cod-satanism, the obvious sense of humour involved, and the glaringly obvious cheap offense it all caused. Throw in good, catchy songs with diabolically fast riffs, ridiculously imaginative lyrics (well, some of the time!) and the ever-present melodies, and you have, in a nutshell, everything I love about heavy metal.

Most of those that followed locked into the brutality, the power, the so-called evil and the ease with which they offended “normal, decent folks’, and accordingly they lost all the humour and charm and for me, the appeal of the band.

Best bits here are the title track, the mad mayhem of Blood Lust and Die Hard, the Carry On film puerility of Teacher’s Pet and the over-the-top chaos of Countess Bathory, a song which is still heavy as fuck and completely in-your-face 3 decades later.

 

Category: Shane's Rock Challenge