Venom – “Storm the Gates” [Heavy Haiku Album Review]

I am a huge Venom fan. I am also a realist when it comes to where they came from, and what they are today. As one of the most influential, original black n’ roll bands ever, they inspired the most notorious genre of heavy metal with an album and song simply entitled, “Black Metal.” In addition, I have listened to (and have a vast collection of) all their full-lengths, and the majority of their EPs and bootlegs. I pretty much consider myself a Venom SME (subject matter expert) so I have no reason but to be completely honest with this review.

With that being said, I just can’t get into Storm the Gates and I will not sugarcoat my rating just to appease my Venom SME fandom ego. In 2015, when Venom released From the very Depths, I thought this was their best album in years. It flirted with the attitude that spawned the classic early material. I thought they had rediscovered “the formula” and would just have to fine tune their next album to have something special to offer their legions.

Unfortunately, Storm the Gates sounds like they discovered some left over riffs from the Prime Evil demo tapes and let guitarist, The Rage, finish the rest of the album by himself. Storm the Gates is predictable, forgettable and should be downright offensive to any OG Venom fan. The first track, “Bring Out Your Dead” is the catchiest and best song by far and then it’s pretty much downhill after that. “Beaten to a Pulp” sounds like a 6th grader wrote it. Venom, you can do better…

Check a live clip of Venom performing “1000 Days in Sodom” at Oberhause in Turbinenhalle.

Heavy Haiku Review:

The gods rock n’ roll?
Sorry Venom, not this time.
This album is boring.

Storm the Gates Track Listing:

01. Bring Out Your Dead
02. Notorious
03. I Dark Lord
04. 100 Miles to Hell
05. Dark Night (Of the Soul)
06. Beaten to a Pulp
07. Destroyer
08. The Mighty Have Fallen
09. Over My Dead Body
10. Suffering Dictates
11. We the Loud
12. Immortal
13. Storm the Gates

Run Time: 53:04
Release Date: December 14, 2018
Record Label: Spinefarm Records