Almost eight years after the release of Storm the Gates, the British pioneers and transcendent influence of Speed/Black Metal, return with Into Oblivion, the sixteenth studio album by Venom — a band whose historical relevance remains virtually uncontested within heavy metal. More than just founders of an aesthetic, Venom remain an unavoidable reference whenever the genesis of black metal, thrash and much of the extreme sound that would dominate the following decades is discussed. In this way, and more than 4 decades later, the trio led by Cronos reaffirms its identity and intends to honor the legacy that we all know the band carries with it.
From the very first seconds of the title track, it’s clear that this is an album of aesthetic continuity, not rupture. Into Oblivion deliberately bets on a sound that recovers the structural traits that made Venom a landmark of metal, that is, direct riffs, dirty and raw, yet muscular production, aggressive percussion and a vocal approach that prioritizes attitude over technicality. This is one of the traits we can notice right from the start and through the singles that were released, with no excessive modernization or a more polished and commercial sound. On the contrary, the album grows, in my view, compared to its two predecessors, precisely because of its refusal to abandon the rawness that has always defined the band and because it brings several elements that will awaken some nostalgia in its die hard fans, I have no doubt.
Still, it would be reductive to consider this work a mere exercise in nostalgia. Although it recovers several premises from the classic phase of Venom, Into Oblivion presents a more robust production and a technically more cohesive execution than many of the band’s later records.
Tracks like ‘Lay Down Your Soul’ emerge from the true DNA of Venom: fast, direct and built on immediately impactful choruses, condensing the essence of the primitive heavy/speed metal that the band helped to shape. Needless to say, just by its title and refrain the song already gains symbolism and weight, as it recovers one of the main lines of the song/album ex libris from their discography Black Metal from 1982. In turn, ‘Kicked Outta Hell’, one of the heaviest songs on the tracklist, emphasizes the more thrash and aggressive side of the album, demonstrating that Venom remain particularly effective when they pick up the pace. That being said, I believe the singles were very well done and reflect not only the band’s DNA, but also their current state.
I also want to highlight ‘Man and Beast’, which stands out as one of the most interesting moments of the first half of the album, exploring a more mid-tempo dynamic, with a heavy, cadenced riff, with a strong Groove inclination, letting the album breathe a little, creating a denser atmosphere.
‘Death the Leveller’, in turn, recovers, once again, the most direct facet of Venom, where we see a fusion between speed, short composition and explosive chorus coming from the mythical raspy voice of Cronos, reinforcing the consistency of the album and the band that, after 8 years, has invested heavily in its creativity, something that is noticeable not only in the versatility of the songs, but also in their diversity, in contrast to the band’s previous works of this century which, personally, did not impress me.
I couldn’t finish my review of the album without briefly mentioning the interesting track ‘As Above So Below’, especially since it’s perhaps the one where we can see all the ingredients of Venom in a single song. It is possibly the perfect summary of the album, being the darkest track, with the most tense atmosphere, the voice exuding fury and, in its final phase, a riff followed by one of the best solos on the record that fills the breathtaking final 2 minutes.
The album Into Oblivion does not attempt to compete with the technique of contemporary Black or Death Metal, but rather reflects what Venom do best: Pure Black ‘n’ Roll, aggression, raw energy and the satanic component that has always accompanied them throughout their career.
Thus, this new work does not intend to redefine extreme metal or enter the level of Welcome to Hell or Black Metal. It intends, yes, to reaffirm the permanence and relevance of a founding name, showing that Venom continues with the Old School spirit that has always characterized them and that they remain an unparalleled entity. In short, it’s always positive to see the return and hear new sounds from bands that have been making their mark on the music world for about half a century. It is also true that Venom, with all the legal processes, lineup changes and claims over their name between Venom and Venom Inc (a project with the remaining members who marked a large part of Venom‘s past, along with Cronos), remain active and continue to delight their fans, and in this respect, we must value the work of Cronos, with an album that portrays the conviction and roots of Venom as we all know them from ’82 onwards.