Formed in 1978 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England, Venom blazed a trail for a raw hybrid form of punk and metal, wrapped in an overtly Satanic image that is now credited with starting the Black Metal genre, as well as being an influence on the thrash and speed metal scenes that followed. Derided by the media but beloved of fans wanting a harder and faster fix of metal, Venom released three classic LP’s is quick succession; ‘Welcome To Hell’ (1981), ‘Black Metal’ (1982) and ‘At War With Satan’ (1984). Following a couple of patchy albums, the band split in 1986, but returned two years later with drummer Abaddon enlisting former Atomkraft frontman Tony Dolan on bass and vocal duties, together with returning original guitarist Mantas, backed by new recruit Al Barnes. The four- piece signed with Music for Nations imprint Under One Flag and unleashed the ‘Prime Evil’ record, which included a Black Sabbath cover. That album is bolstered here with the addition of six tracks from 1990’s ‘Tear Your Soul Apart’ EP, including a Judas Priest cover. This release is complimented with the addition of liner notes from writer Darren Sadler, who conducted brand new interviews with Tony Dolan and Al Barnes. Barnes also contributed photos from his personal archive. Dolan, Abaddon and Mantas formed Venom Inc. in 2015 from the ashes of Mpire of Evil and have released two albums to date. The band continues to tour globally, although Mantas recently left the lineup. Cronos meanwhile, tours under the Venom name with an alternative line up, the two acts co-existing uneasily, but both keeping the Venom name alive and active.
CD 1 features their 1989 full length recording ‘Prime Evil’, (including bonus tracks in the form of the ‘Tear Your Soul Apart’ EP) originally hailed as a triumphant return to form, while CD 2 features the follow up ‘Temples Of Ice’, originally released in 1991, which included a Deep Purple cover.
The final disc, CD 3, features the band’s 1992 full length ‘The Waste Lands’.
