Venom - Hell

\r\nNext year they will close their third decade, they have released numerous albums and only their name it is capable even today to stimulate chills of emotion and fear to thousands new and old fans and non fans! Yes, Venom is once again here with a new album and a new line up. With Cronos the only remaining member from the original notorious and unholy trinity and Rage in the guitar section having replaced Mike "Mykus" Hickey, who left the band last year, Venom continue their blasphemous musical travel through time.  The forefathers of black metal and satanic image invite us once again to the immoral paths of hell with their new album "Hell". The album begins with the track "Straight To Hell" and with the characteristic sound of Venom although over polished but this is a small detail that’s not quite enough to spoil the general impression. I listened to the album many times in order to be able to get a more thorough opinion and to kick over the large reserves of subjectivity that possesses me regarding this particular band.  \r\n

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\r\nThe album is constituted by 13 songs which all are straight forward with many heavy - thrash passages, beautiful groovy moments, blasphemous lyrics and scattered blastbeats that grant a bigger savagery to the tracks. The guitars have a very crunchy sound and penetrating solos cutting and sewing the tracks without however reaching at my opinion Mantas’ feeling but the new guitarist stands worth fully to the height of the circumstances. The bass naturally from the other hand grants its thunderous present fluently while the drums are really painting here. Some nu metal hints ("The Power And The Glory") here and there are rather meaningless but fortunately they are only a few. And the song "Evil Perfection" comes to compensate for these small faux passes, Venom at its best!!As far as the leading figure of the band, the unrivalled, mighty Cronos what can anyone really say. In this age and still to be able to sing with the same steadfast passion and the same blasphemous disposal exuding diabolic fury without any particular effort only in the great pros of this album could be counted as well as the fact that Venom without Cronos do not exist!!! \r\n

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\r\nSumming up, I liked this album very much, at least more than their previous release "Metal Black". However although there are many really engaging songs, there are also several mediocre ones that lower somehow the bar of the album. And even though Venom don’t "frighten" or offend in the same degree or manner as they once did, nevertheless they are always a bearing point and you should really listen to their new effort and make your own conclusions.   \r\n

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\r\nVaso Prassa \r\n

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