Genre: Black Metal (Proto), Speed Metal, Thrash, NWOBHM Chaos
Formed: 1979 – Newcastle, England 🇬🇧
Known For: Inventing black metal (no, really), satanic swagger, and sounding like Motörhead if they’d been possessed by Beelzebub on cheap cider.
🧠 WHO THE HELL ARE VENOM?
Venom didn’t just flirt with the devil – they snogged him behind the bins, wrote an album about it, and scared the living hell out of 1980s Britain in the process.
These Geordie madlads didn’t care about being tight or clean – they wanted to be:
- ⚫ Louder than hell
- ⚫ Faster than punk
- ⚫ Eviler than your nan’s Victorian doll collection
Their sound? Messy, menacing, and magnificent.
Their legacy? The birth of black metal. Full stop.
Bands like Metallica, Slayer, Bathory, Mayhem, and pretty much every corpse-painted ghoul with a pentagram tattoo owe Venom their horns.
🧨 ORIGINAL LINE-UP OF SATAN’S HOUSE BAND:
- Cronos (Conrad Lant) – Bass/Vocals / The snarling icon
- Mantas (Jeff Dunn) – Guitar / Riff generator from the abyss
- Abaddon (Tony Bray) – Drums / Chaos incarnate on a kit
⚠️ Line-ups changed more than your teenage metal phase – but Cronos is the heart (and blackened soul) of Venom.
💿 VENOM’S DISCOGRAPHY – RAW, EVIL, AND BEAUTIFULLY UNHINGED 🔥🩸
🧨 Welcome to Hell (1981)
🚪 THE GATEWAY TO DARKNESS.
🎧 Sons of Satan, Welcome to Hell, In League With Satan
Riff Rating: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
*Lo-fi, dirty, dangerous. This is where black metal was born.
🕷️ Black Metal (1982)
🖤 THE ALBUM THAT NAMED A GENRE.
🎧 Black Metal, Buried Alive, Countess Bathory
Riff Rating: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Raw energy. Satanic lyrics. Musical anarchy. Essential.
🔪 At War with Satan (1984)
📜 Concept album madness. 20-minute title track.
🎧 At War with Satan, Rip Ride, Genocide
Riff Rating: 🔥🔥🔥
*Ambitious, theatrical, and still completely bonkers.
⚰️ Possessed (1985)
😈 More Satan. Less focus. Still bloody brilliant.
🎧 Powerdrive, Flytrap, Possessed
Riff Rating: 🔥🔥
*Venom starting to lose control in the best way possible.
💀 Calm Before the Storm (1987)
⚡ Cleaner production, but less evil bite
🎧 Metal Punk, Under a Spell
Riff Rating: 🔥🔥
*Not their finest hour – but still snarling.
🔥 Resurrection (2000)
🧟♂️ Cronos returns. Modern venom with classic venom bite.
🎧 Black Flame (Of Satan), Resurrection
Riff Rating: 🔥🔥🔥
*Proof Venom still had fire in the pit.
🩸 Storm the Gates (2018)
⚔️ Aging demons, still throwing fireballs.
🎧 Bring Out Your Dead, Dark Night (Of the Soul)
Riff Rating: 🔥🔥🔥
*Modern Venom = Old school attitude + updated chaos.
🎧 RIFF REPORT RIOTOUS VENOM ESSENTIALS:
🎸 Black Metal – The anthem that started a genre
🎸 Welcome to Hell – A filthy invitation to Satan’s moshpit
🎸 In League With Satan – “Eeeeeevil!” chants included
🎸 Countess Bathory – Melody meets menace
🎸 Rip Ride – Fast as hell, dumb as hell, fun as hell
🧡 WHY VENOM STILL MATTER IN THE METAL UNDERWORLD:
Because they:
- Invented a movement by accident
- Pioneered Satanic stage presence with DIY madness
- Inspired literally hundreds of bands
- Still tour, record, and terrify Daily Mail readers
- Don’t care what you think – and never did.
And because metal needed a little evil to get interesting.
🎤 FINAL VERDICT FROM THE RIFF REPORT:
VENOM are the rotten roots of the black metal tree.
You don’t get Mayhem, Bathory, or even Slayer’s darker days without this lot.
Their albums may sound like they were recorded in a haunted shed… but that’s the point.
“Lay down your souls to the gods rock ‘n’ roll!” – And Venom did.
They’re loud, lewd, lawless – and we fing love ’em for it.*** 🐍🔥🖤
Michael is the founder, editor, and chief riff wrangler behind The Riff Report, an independent Welsh rock and metal publication built by fans, for fans. With a lifelong passion for loud guitars, unforgettable live shows, and the incredible community that surrounds rock and metal, he created The Riff Report to celebrate everything that makes the scene special—from legendary headline acts and grassroots venues to rising bands that deserve to be heard.
A familiar face at festivals across the UK, Michael spends much of the year covering events including Download Festival, Bloodstock Open Air, Steelhouse Festival, Firevolt, Plumpton Revival, and many more. Whether he’s battling the Welsh weather on a mountainside, surviving a weekend in a muddy campsite, or squeezed against the front barrier with thousands of fellow fans, he’s always searching for the next great story to share.
As editor of The Riff Report, Michael writes festival guides, breaking news, album reviews, gig reviews, interviews, opinion pieces, nostalgia features, and behind-the-scenes stories from across the rock and metal world. His writing combines honest opinions, humour, and a genuine love for live music, bringing readers closer to the bands, festivals, venues, and people that keep the scene alive.
Michael is particularly passionate about supporting independent artists, local venues, charities, and the wider UK rock and metal community. He believes every band deserves a chance to be discovered and every festival has a story worth telling. Through The Riff Report, he aims to shine a spotlight on both the biggest names in rock and the future stars waiting to break through.
When he’s not writing or interviewing artists, you’ll probably find him exploring festival campsites, photographing live shows, chatting with fellow fans over a pint, or planning the next road trip in search of more riffs, bigger crowds, and unforgettable moments.
Above all, Michael believes rock and metal are about more than music—they’re about community, friendship, and creating memories that last a lifetime. That’s exactly what The Riff Report exists to celebrate.
Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. Always chasing the next great riff. 🤘
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