To say Venom revolutionized metal would be an understatement. Their early 80s output singlehandedly laid down the groundwork for all extreme metal to follow. One can argue Venom isn’t nearly as heavy by today’s standards as “band A” or “band B”, but that’s besides the point. What Venom is to extreme metal is what Black Sabbath is to heavy metal as a whole. Legendary status aside, Venom was not immune to their own turmoil. The original lineup of Cronos, Mantas, and Abaddon eventually splintered, then reunited, and then splintered again.
In between breakup #1, the band released an album entitled Prime Evil (1989) featuring Mantas, Abaddon, Demolition Man of Atomkraft fame in Cronos’ spot, and auxiliary guitarist Al Barnes (I guess they couldn’t think of a cool stage name for him). This lineup (sans Barnes) would reunite in 2010, first under the moniker M:Pire of Evil, before eventually rebranding themselves as Venom Inc. As Venom Inc., the band toured the globe and released an album entitled Avé (2017), but the honeymoon didn’t last long. By 2018, Abaddon was out of the fold, leaving Mantas and Demolition Man to pick up the pieces with new drummer War Machine. You follow?
Now while I haven’t listened to Avé since its release, I do remember it being a mostly faithful successor to Prime Evil. Sure the production owed more to the 2010s than the 1980s, but aside from a few gross missteps (What the hell was “Dein Fleisch”?), it was a rather solid release. Which is why I’m having a hard time reasoning why, aside from a few songs, they’ve all but abandoned this blackened heavy metal sound on their latest album, There’s Only Black. That’s right folks. Venom Inc. now lies somewhere between modern thrash and groove metal, and the end result is painfully mediocre.
I can’t help but think the inclusion of War Machine AKA Jeramie Kling on drums had something to do with this. Sure, Abaddon can lay down the high speed double bass with the best of them, but when you’ve got a guy who’s played with Massacre and Wombbath in your ranks, this fare is to be expected. There’s no denying Venom Inc. can unleash extremity with ease. Cuts like “How Many Can Die”, “Infinitum”, and “Nine” among others thrash and bash like it’s nobody’s business. Unfortunately, these brutal slabs of speed lack memorability, relying heavily on repetitive, one-dimensional riffs akin to latter day Testament, and I’m not just saying that because Demolition Man’s vocals resemble Chuck Billy’s these days.
Unsurprisingly, the most exciting moments on There’s Only Black are the ones that step outside of this predictable template. “Come to Me” boasts the sleazy swagger of early 80s Venom amidst a generous helping of thrashy Overkill-esque riffs. Dare I call it thrash n’ roll? The title track emphasizes the darkness of the Prime Evil era, and “Burn Liar Burn” deceives all: Building up as a lost NWOBHM era jam before segueing into sheer blackened thrash fury. It’s also no coincidence that my choice cut happens to be the one song that lies closest to classic Venom in riffs, atmosphere, and delivery, “Rampant”.
The biggest problem with There’s Only Black, beyond its overreliance on uninspired modern thrash metal, is that it sounds nothing like Venom. I’m not saying I expect Welcome to Hell or Black Metal II at this point in the game. However, I don’t think it’s too much to ask for something dark, heavy, and slightly old school. When you’ve got an entire crop of bands who owe their entire existence to you (i.e. Midnight, Toxic Holocaust, Hellripper, Whipstriker, Bewitcher, etc.), wouldn’t you want to celebrate that? Why deviate from the course with an album that, had you played it for me blindly, I’d assume was the new *insert 80s thrash band who fell off here*? Who knows? I just know this album is hardly evil and far from prime.
5 out of 10
Label: Nuclear Blast
Genre: Thrash Metal
For fans of: Testament, Destruction, Slayer