Venom – Hell

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impulse buy

Sanctuary Records
Produced by Conrad Lant

After just two years arguably the World’s first black metal band, and certainly the most pioneering, follow-up Metal Black with another new album which is so different and varied it completely belies the short time between the two.

Indeed where Metal Black was near enough Venom’s creative low-point, the sound of a band regurgitating their old ideas with standard riffs, black-metal-drumming-by-numbers and tired subject matter, Hell is completely the opposite. Well, apart from the subject matter perhaps. Yes, admittedly the band were intentionally trying to recreate the classic Venom sound with Metal Black, and weren’t taking any chances, but it made for an incredibly boring album.

Opener Straight To Hell sets the benchmark for Hell and instantly demonstrates that the band have taken all those chances this time and experimented a lot more with vocal melodies and riffs. It’s reasonably fast-paced black metal, without question Venom, but straight away more interesting than almost anything on Metal Black, and the almost Volbeat-ish mid section changes it up again right before a devastating raw solo from new guitarist ‘Rage’. Of course Conrad ‘Cronos’ Lant’s usual despicably evil vocals are unmistakable, but even on this count they’ve tried some different things. The Power And The Glory, for example, could just as easily be a nastier version of Motörhead as Venom.

In fact, a Motörhead-ish sound appears a few times, particularly in the excellent grooves of Hell, the driving Evil Perfection and Kill The Music. Much of the rest of the album is strong (a doomy feel on Blood Sky and anthemic Evilution Devilution), but there are a couple of slightly weaker links. There’re some twisting Down-style riffs in Stab U In The Back, but it isn’t quite a good enough song to do them justice, and a couple of other run-of-the-mill tracks in Armageddon and USA For Satan split up the stronger ones, while closing two-part instrumental Dirge/The Awakening is a little superfluous – the latter half containing the only really typical Venom riffs.

As a bonus four excellent choices of live tracks from the last tour complete the album. The first, In League With Satan is perhaps a bit obvious, but Burn In Hell, One Thousand Days In Sodom and a medley of Raised In Hell, Possessed Schitzo and Live Like An Angel (Die, Like A Devil) are unexpected selections which should please fans wanting something different from the back catalogue.

Although the mix on Hell is a little patchy in places, this is by far Venom’s strongest and most creative album since Carved In Stone, and maybe even before that. With the live bonus tracks stretching the overall length of the album to nearly 80 minutes, it’s also excellent value for money and all Venom fans, if there’s any doubt, should forget the drabness of Metal Black as this is a whole new lease of life for the band.

“ taken all those chances ”

Tracklist: Straight To Hell / The Power And The Glory / Hand of God / Fall From Grace / Hell / Evil Perfection / Stab U In The Back / Armageddon / Kill The Music / Evilution Devilution / Blood Sky / USA For Satan / Dirge/The Awakening / In League With Satan (Live) / Burn In Hell (Live) / Raised In Hell/Possessed/Schitzo/Live Like An Angel (Die, Like A Devil)/Possessed (Live) / One Thousand Days In Sodom (Live)

Written by Andy Lye
More: Albums, Black Metal, Venom