To say Chicago was frigid last night would be an understatement. One might even say the Windy City had turned into a “Temple of Ice”, so to speak. Yet this didn’t stop Venom Inc.’s faithful legions from running wild in the nearby suburb of West Chicago for an evening of black metal mania! Considering Cronos and company only come around our shores for the odd Maryland Deathfest appearance once every blue moon, Venom Inc., spearheaded by Prime Evil era frontman Tony “Demolition Man” Dolan, is our only opportunity to hear those classic Venom anthems in all their wicked glory.
When Venom Inc. initially formed, it saw the Prime Evil lineup of Demolition Man, Mantas, and Abaddon reunited together again. In the years since, Abaddon stepped out and Mantas retired due to health concerns, leaving Demolition Man as the lone wolf. Demolition Man was gracious enough to discuss these personnel changes and the future of Venom Inc. in an extensive interview, which can be found here. However from my perspective, any doubts that may have lied in the depths of my subconscious regarding an Abaddon and Mantas-less Venom Inc. were squashed with last nights utterly crushing performance.
Armed with new drummer and guitarist, JXN and Beleth, Venom Inc. delivered a set that spanned nearly 45 years of black metal history in the course of 90 minutes. No stone was left unturned, and just as Demolition Man promised, all eras of Venom were celebrated. From the recent output of Avé (2017) and There’s Only Black (2022), to those early ’80s classics we all know and love, to the painfully underrated Prime Evil era (the personal highlight of the set for me), Venom Inc. played it all, unleashing metallic hellfire and brimstone at the speed of Satan. No soul was left unscathed.
For a lineup that just came together last year, Demolition Man, Beleth, and JXN play with the finesse of a unit that’s been together for ages. I especially must commend Beleth, AKA Curran Murphy, who has played in the past with Annihilator and Nevermore. While it was surreal to see the return of Calm Before the Storm era guitarist Mykus on Venom Inc.’s 2022 jaunt, Beleth channels Mantas’ playing so freakishly that if one closed their eyes, it would be hard to believe the Venom founder wasn’t present. From the playing style and amplifier tone, to the over the top onstage energy, Beleth is a HUGE asset for the Venom Inc. camp, and clearly in it for the long haul, paying homage to the mighty Mantas while carving his own style.
Come the homestretch, the diehard (pun fully intended) crowd were headbanging and shouting along with the band to “In League with Satan”, “Black Metal”, and “Countess Bathory”: Timeless hymns that are part of metal’s very fabric. It’s evenings like these, subzero temperature and an hour drive from home in the middle of nowhere and all, that I’m yet again reminded: This is what heavy metal is all about. From the stage to the crowd, you could feel the passion in the air. When the band is feeding off the crowd, and the crowd is feeding off the band, and the volume is absolutely eardrum-crushing, and all you care about is hearing your favorite song, work and bills and bullshit be damned, that, my friends, is heavy metal. What more can I say? “LAY DOWN YOUR SOUL TO THE GODS ROCK N’ ROLL!!!”
Setlist
- “There’s Only Black”
- “Witching Hour”
- “War”
- “Come to Me”
- “Bloodlust”
- “Welcome to Hell”
- “Blackened Are the Priests”
- “Carnivorous”
- “Poison”
- “Live Like an Angel (Die Like a Devil)”
- “Parasite”
- “In Nomine Satanas”
- “Inferno”
- “Time to Die”
- “Don’t Burn the Witch”
- “Metal We Bleed”
- “In League with Satan”
- “Black Metal”
- “Countess Bathory”
- “Sons of Satan”
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