Venom – “From The Very Depths” [Album Review]

From The Very Depths, the latest release from British extreme metal icons Venom, is by far one of the best albums they’ve made in their 30+ year career. I know that is a bold statement, but this legendary group (who helped spawn the black metal genre, and was highly influential in the NWOBHM movement) never really played what we consider to be “true black metal.” Moreover, they haven’t always had the best reputation as players and musicians. That said, their brand of loud music always had a raw, thrash/punk, under-produced vibe, not to mention a heavy dose of the devil.

From The Very Depths continues along those same lines, but with one major exception: the playing and the performances are light years ahead of band’s earlier works. Relative newcomers Stuart “La Rage” Dixon (guitar – 2007) and Danny “Dante” Needham (drums – 2009) have really upped the ante with both razor-sharp guitar solos that slice through the malevolent chaos and tight, and turn-on-a-dime drumming that keeps the tunes galloping along. Needless to say, bassist/vocalist Cronos (the only remaining founding member) ties this all together with his punchy, booming bass riffs and signature, sneering vocal delivery.

For me, “Long Haired Punks” and “The Death Of Rock N Roll,” are standout tracks, filled with attitude and rawness that I just cant get enough of. This is classic metal at its best! The remaining dozen or so tracks are short and sweet allowing the record to flow very well from top to bottom. With solid, thrashy “black and roll”-type tunes, From The Very Depths is a definite crowd-pleaser.

Track Listing:

01. Eruptus
02. From The Very Depths
03. The Death Of Rock N Roll
04. Smoke
05. Temptation
06. Long Haired Punks
07. Stigmata Satanas
08. Crucified
09. Evil Law
10. Grinding Teeth
11. Ouverture
12. Mephistopheles
13. Wings Of Valkyrie
14. Rise

Run Time 53:25
Release Date: January 27, 2015

Check out the song “Long Haired Punks”