Venom – ‘Live From Hammersmith Odeon Theatre’ (Dissonance/Cherry Red Records)

To understand just how influential (and indeed shocking) Venom, Newcastle’s very own masters of mayhem and metal, were back in the early to mid-‘80s you simply need to read Shane Embury’s sleeve notes which accompany this soon to be released reissue of the band’s second Hammersmith Odeon headline show from 1985. As sixteen-year-olds Venom really was the band we all wanted to be in, and alongside the Napalm Death man’s words of wisdom, Antton Lant (brother of Venom frontman Cronos/Conrad and one time drummer with the band too) also shares some insight into what it was like to not only grow up around, but also eventually be a part of, such a musical phenomenon.

With both musicians perfectly setting the scene for the madness to begin, I take a trip back in time and let Abaddon, Cronos and Mantas whisk me on the rip ride that was their World Possession Tour Part 2.

I was lucky enough to ride on the wings of the Hydra (or Fred Day’s mini bus to be exact) and catch Venom live on this very tour, attending the Birmingham Odeon show two nights before this Hammy O gig, this being a hastily arranged jaunt after the UK leg of the tour had been curtailed (and the Cardiff show I had front row tickets for was axed) following the band’s shock announcement that most of the venue’s booked wouldn’t allow the band to use their full pyrotechnic overloaded production. And having also been lucky enough to have witnessed the legendary Seventh Date of Hell show at Hammersmith Odeon back in the June of 1984, and still trying to grow my eyebrows back following that hotter than hell show, I was not about to miss the Godfathers of Black Metal return to the UK stage…so off to England’s second city we set. More of which in a second.

With the concert film having been initially released as ‘Alive in 85’ by Embassy video and then subsequently re-released on numerous formats by various companies over the years, this is, as far as I’m aware, the first time a UK record company have been audacious enough to bring together both the audio and the video from the band’s October 8th show into one hell of a value for money set. The live package capturing fifteen of the nineteen songs the trio played that night in London and fully utilising a multi camera unit to get (perhaps a little too) up close and personal with the band to showcase the metallic maelstrom that Venom always has been.

Then, newer tracks from the band’s fourth album ‘Possessed’ like set opener ‘Too Loud (For The Crowd)’, the anthemic lead single ‘Nightmare’ and a blistering ‘Satanachist’ all fit in faultlessly alongside such genre defining classics as ‘Black Metal’ and ‘In Nomine Satanas’ and whilst the show is nowhere near as chaotic as that initial Hammersmith headliner, what it lacks in levitating drum risers and bleeding/smashed guitars it more than makes up for in the band’s supersonic punch. The trio sounding and looking nothing like a band about to lose its guitarist (and resident ninja it would appear) watching the DVD once again.

The pyrotechnic bursts are conserved for a colossal sounding ‘7 Gates of Hell’ and the final flurry of ‘Bloodlust’ and encore ‘Witching Hour’, and I have to be honest and say that I distinctly remember coming away from the Birmingham show feeling somewhat underwhelmed by the band after the sonic and visual assault on the senses I had previously witnessed them deliver (it also didn’t help their cause that the Paul Baloff fronted Exodus supported them on the night and totally destroyed the place) but here thirty eight years on and without any of those “in the moment” distractions I found this ‘Live From Hammersmith Odeon Theatre’ to be one of the most rewarding (if that’s the right word to use here) re-issues I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing this year.

So, in the words of the mighty Cronos, “Come on, turn it up!”

‘Live From Hammersmith Odeon Theatre’ is released on 27th October 2023 via Dissonance/Cherry Red Records.

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Author: Johnny Hayward

The Venomous Pinks – ‘We Must Prevail’

Arizona-based, all-female punk band The Venomous Pinks are sharing their new song and music video “We Must Prevail,” made in collaboration with Eternal Film Productions and directors Nikki Carmela and Alexander Thomas. The video is a protest against the abortion bans

Venom – ‘In Nomine Satanas – 40 Years In Sodom’ (BMG/Sanctuary Records)

When the news initially broke earlier this year regarding this Limited Edition vinyl-only box set that brings together remastered editions of the four studio LPs and a double live album recorded by the original line up of Black Metal gods Venom, I was immediately intrigued.

Add into the mix a further double LP of previously unreleased demos, an exclusive shaped picture disc of ‘Bloodlust’, and a veritable cornucopia of memorabilia that includes amongst other things a stunning 40 page ‘History Of Venom’ hardback book along with (if you pre-ordered it from the band themselves) a 12×12 art print signed by Cronos himself, and before I could yell “C’MAAAAAAAAAAAN TURN IT UP’, I had bought a copy.

I actually received mine at the start of May well ahead of the official release date of May 31st but I wanted to really get to grips with this mammoth set before giving you my verdict simply because with a retail price of £150 this is never going to be an impulse purchase.

As I’ve mentioned the ‘History’ book already let’s begin with a little bit of my own history and how I first heard Venom. It was early 1983 and a close friend (who remains so to this very day) who first introduced me to ‘Black Metal’, oddly via a mate of his who had bought said LP (complete with poster) and as he thought it was shit, he had given it away. It wasn’t really like any of the other metal bands we were listening to at the time other than those noisy bastards Motorhead and Tank, in fact, it reminded me more of the relentless racket created by the UK82 punk bands my other school mates were listening to at the time like G.B.H and Discharge. I have to admit I wasn’t exactly an immediate fan but I did have a copy of ‘Black Metal’ taped for me (there’s a gag in there that I won’t need to explain to old school fans) so it did make numerous appearance on my Walkman over the summer of that year but it wasn’t until June 1984 when I just happened to buy a ticket on the door for the awe-inspiring Seventh Date Of Hell show at Hammersmith Odeon that I fully got what Venom were really all about.  

Picking up the “remastered from the original tapes” splatter and swirl LPs contained in this lavish box set (they all come with reproduction sleeves and inners) I actually begin my aural assault with ‘At War With Satan’ because that was the Venom record I first purchased for myself (on picture disc) at that legendary Seventh Date gig, and here pressed on heavyweight clear splatter vinyl it sounds absolutely magnificent. Okay, the gatefold doesn’t have the gold leaf cover of the original pressing or the original merch/poster inserts but that’s probably just me being a little bit too pernickety as otherwise this is stonking stuff.

I then go back to the band’s beginnings, with ‘Welcome to Hell’ and ‘Black Metal’ played back to back, and here the rumbling bottom end that bursts out the speakers is enough to wake the dead, or at the very least the neighbours. Both LPs come in embossed sleeves (and include replicas of the posters and lyric inners – here reproduced on the inner bags) and are again pressed on splatter vinyl, sounding as raw as they did back at the dawn of the eighties and equally just as ground-breaking.  The only small niggle I have here is my copy of ‘Black Metal’ came with nasty click on the run-in groove to side one, again I may be being over critical here but with the hefty price tag attached to this set I would expect nothing short of perfection.

Which is something I do get with the 74 tracks on offer here that’s for sure, with perhaps the real highlight for me being the chance to rediscover 1985’s (at the time) critically panned ‘Possessed’ LP. A record that has never sounded better than it does here, and coming as it does pressed upon splatter vinyl complete with the original inner bag and a huge poster it’s never looked as good either.

Moving on to ‘Eine Kleine Nachtmusik’ from 1986 and this double live LP for me has never really cut it, largely because some bright spark decided to leave silences between the tracks, so its not really like listening to a live album at all, and why would I want to listen to the band live just as they were falling apart at the seams when I could simply slip in my almost worn out VHS of The Seventh Date of Hell? The soundtrack of which I have always felt would have been a much better alternative as their official live album. Here ‘Nachtmusik’ is lovingly restored in a gatefold sleeve complete with the inner bags, so I’m sure I’ll get to play it more this time around.

With many Venom fans probably looking to buy this box set just for the 15 track ‘Sons Of Satan’ double LP I have to admit that if this were a standalone release I wouldn’t have been happy paying a top price for it. However, as a piece of Venom history contained within such an absorbing time capsule commemorating the band’s 40th anniversary it actually works well. Initially transporting us right back to 1979 via some very boomy cassette recordings of the band’s first line up complete with singer Christ, this is a world away from the Venom that would ultimately change heavy metal forever. However, by the time we get to the 1980 Impulse Studios demos that make up sides 2 and 3 of ‘Sons Of Satan’ the more recognisable “organised chaos” of the classic Venom sound is all but a few bottles of Jack Daniels away and waiting to take on the world. Something Cronos, Mantas and Abaddon were more than ready to do by the time they released the original ‘Bloodlust’/’In Nomine Satanas’ 7” single back in 1982 and thankfully it is included here as a shaped picture disc exclusive to this box set.

Whilst immersing myself in the satanic sounds of this box set I found the aforementioned ‘History Of Venom’ book to be the perfect accompanying piece, formed as it is from quotes from all the band members as well as being crammed with some of the cheesiest band photographs ever taken. This book for me is where this box set truly adds a bit of (black) magic to the mystery of Venom, as does the memory jogging reproduction tour programme.

Wrapping up the memorabilia part of this set you also get a huge Seven Dates Of Hell poster along with a Venom’s Legions back patch and if like me you order it from the band’s official store (linked below) you also get a very frameable art print signed by Count Cronos himself.

So, is it worth the £150 then I hear you cry?

Well, if you don’t already have these seminal albums on vinyl it most certainly is a must buy. If however you are a hardcore Venom collector and have these albums already a bazillion time over you’ll probably have done what I did and already have this box set filed away in your collection, in which case, “what the hell are you doing reading this review?” Ha!

‘In Nomine Satanas – 40 Years In Sodom’ will take a lot to top in the box set stakes that’s for sure and it once again proves that the devil really does still have all the very best tunes.

 

signed by Cronos Copy Here

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Double CD best of book edition Here

Author: Johnny Hayward

Venom – ‘Storm The Gates’ (Spinefarm Records)

With 2019 being the 40th anniversary of Venom, it’s well worth noting that it’s also the 10th anniversary of the band’s current line-up of Cronos (vocals and bass), Rage (guitar) and Dante (drums). Their recently released ‘Storm The Gates’ album is the band’s fifteenth to be bursting out with metal of the non-more black variety and thanks to a huge (very limited edition) Venom LP box set and 2 disc career retrospective being on the fire stoked horizon Spinefarm Records are giving this 13 tracker another push right now, which is great for me as this release somehow totally passed me by when it originally hit the shelves back in January of this year.

Which is something I can’t help but feel a bit annoyed with myself about really, simply because Venom are a band that not only reinvented heavy metal but also birthed a bazillion other subgenres, so why aren’t they lauded as all-conquering heroes and afforded multiple page tributes by the metal press like Motorhead always were every time they release a new record…and I then don’t end up missing them?”

Now there’s some food for thought eh?

In fact that Motorhead parallel is even more prevalent once you get to hear ‘Storm The Gates’ because just like what Lemmy did with the Mikkey and Phil line up, Cronos and Venom are doing pretty much the same here, by making some of the best full throttle black metal rackets they have made since their early to mid ‘80s heyday.

Opener ‘Bring Out Your Dead’ is an absolute barnstormer of a track with Cronos rattling his r’s over a pounding rhythm designed to get the heads banging and which seamlessly sets up the full on metal grind of ‘Notorious’ a track that sees Rage out Mantasing the band’s former guitar ninja with his use of the divebombing whammy bar, and the goodies don’t stop there either. ‘Dark Night (Of The Soul)’ is a fierce metal fist to the face as is the album’s title track ‘Storm The Gates’ a track that I can just see a pumped up Cronos stood arms folded 50 hole Dr Martins akimbo commanding his Legions to do his bidding in the live setting.

As a long-time fan of the band I have to admit I do find the flat out and nowt else approach the band take to their songwriting these days more than just a little relentless at times. So, for those of us who might still long an all new ‘At War With Satan’ or perhaps even a 21st century ‘Buried Alive’ you will not find anything remotely like that on ‘Storm The Gates’. In fact, tracks like ‘Over My Dead Body’ and ‘The Mighty Have Fallen’ are perhaps the most brutal the band have ever sounded, largely thanks to the superb almost out of control freight train drumming of Dante and the razor-sharp riffing of Rage.

‘Storm The Gates’ then is the sound of Venom heavier and angrier than ever before, I just hope that with this being such a special year for the band they finally get the credit and recognition they so rightly deserve as a truly ground-breaking metal band especially here in the UK where late-afternoon slots at Bloodstock aside we’re lucky to get to see them live at all.

C’MAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!!!!

Buy Storm The Gates Here

Author: John Hayward

 

 

 

 

Black Metal Legends Venom release new video

Lock the church doors Everyone’s favourite Black Metal band are back with a bruising tune.  Accept no substitute Venom are in the house and Cronos has a simple request – ‘Bring Out Your Dead’ and make it snappy here just for you lot is the brand new video hot off the press

You can watch the video here which also coincides with the band announcing a special double picture disc version of the album which is out on 19th April.

LATEST STUDIO ALBUM, ‘STORM THE GATES’, OUT NOW VIA SPINEFARM RECORDS
NEW DOUBLE PIC DISC PRESSING AVAILABLE FROM APRIL 19th 
Venom, the unholy trinity of Cronos, Rage and Dante, closed 2018 with new studio album, STORM THE GATES, released on CD / digital in December, with the double coloured vinyl LP format following in January of this year…
 
 A classic call-to-arms, STORM THE GATES is a record from a legendary band who can legitimately be classed as both ‘original’ and ‘genre-defining’.
 
Now Venom have shared a lyric video for latest single ‘Bring Out Your Dead’, an anthem for blasphemers, fornicators and the forever cursed. Produced by the mighty Cronos himself, this is the raw sound of a band who don’t need tricks of technology to make their point. Watch now – 
Order STORM THE GATES –  Here
 
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Midnight – ‘Hellish Expectations’ (Metal Blade Records)

As night follows day the last few years have been peppered with album releases and UK tours from the mighty Cleveland noisemakers known as Midnight. such is their output and the quality of it I feel like a kid at Christmas waiting, knowing it’s coming. The album drops and I get the cans in the fridge and prime the stereo because the unholy racket is a coming. You know already that before you’ve clapped eyes on the artwork it’s going to tickle your pleasure receptors and have you nodding like head bobbler on an F1 car with your bullet belt and leather gloves on it’s time to give in and offer up your undivided attention because Athenar and the gang are on the stereo. Beelzebub is ying the bellows for some ‘Hellish Expectations’ and enough fast as fuck punk/metal to tide you over until the apocalypse or next years release and tour.

2003 was the year that Satan belched these bad boys out on an unsuspecting world all looking for a fix of Motorhead, Venom and Tank fuelled noise. Filthy, belligerent and obnoxious, Midnight makes music to start fights to and drink beer until you can’t physically carry on its slayer for scum. Athenar has been calling the shots for this ungodly racket, and ‘Hellish Expectations’ won’t disappoint – there are no curveballs, no letdown and plenty of life-affirming noise.

‘Hellish Expectations’ is blunt force trauma set to music – no nonsense, no mucking about just pure fuckin’ hell and some. Imagine all the previous albums thus far rolled into one concise record – Ten songs equally noisy and all as intense and rapid as the last.

Athenar alleges these songs were all written in a weekend after being pissed at the demos of the last album ‘Let There Be Witchery’ (Don’t be hard on yourself mate that album was a belter). Opening track ‘Expect Total Hell’ (Obviously, what else would we expect?) not so much creeps out of the speakers but builds up a head of steam sounding so raw and vital you can feel the head on your back as the chopper your on spews out of the ground as you burst out of Hell. The first thing you notice is how live it all sounds it has the feel of a one take deal and the energy is spot on. The song titles have long since had me properly laughing out loud and ‘Gash Scrape’ is no exception as Cronos must be looking over his shoulder upon his blackest stallion wondering how Venom at their peak never sounded so fuckin’ vital. As you get comfortable ‘Masked And Deadly’ has already been and gone before the old school ‘Slave Of The Blade’ has you windmilling in a pool of sweat.

Side two is underway with ‘Nuclear Savior’ is going through the gears and we’re just warming up never mind a tipper sticker this should carry a government health warning. It’s brutal, raw and insanely addictive like fentinal audio crack.

My heart pacemaker was put out of sync after the last tour and almost caved in my chest so loud was the PA I’m now turning this bad boy past 11 on the stereo as ‘Mercyless Slaughtor’ grinds my ears into submission before ‘Doom Death Desire’ has the Lemmy like a wall of noise hit me like dropping a breezeblock off a ten story building onto my chest but wait, there no time left except to thrash like fuck as ‘F.O.A.L’ races to the finish line and we’re done. It’s not long enough, clocking in at a ‘Reigning Blood’ length album. I mean one song on Venoms ‘At War With Satan’ is almost the length of the entire ‘Hellish Expectations’ album some will complain but I accept it for what it is pure fuckin armageddon in a nutshell and besides the music is top fuckin notch, that’s a given the artwork has two pencil drawn demon women with 70s bushes and a nun swinging from a Bell Midnight at truly Satanic Royalty and have to accept their place at the top of the Black heavy metal/punk ranking. They have no peers and as well as being in a league with Satan nobody can touch them. Vital album right here, buy and F.O.A.L. because you’re worth it.

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Various Artists – ‘All Systems Go – The Neat Singles Volume 1’ (HNE Recordings/Cherry Red Records)

One of the most fascinating books you are ever likely to pick up regarding the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (or NWOBHM) is John Tucker’s fact packed “Neat & Tidy – The Story of Neat Records”.  Granted it might just focus on the evolution of one of the scene’s many influential players during the dawn of the 1980s, but what a player Neat Records were. The Northeast of England based label provides us denim and leather clad rockers both here in the UK and worldwide early exposure to such seminal names as Tygers of Pan Tang, Venom, Raven, Tobruk, and err Crucifixion, all supported by their groundbreaking (for the time) mail order business.

It’s perhaps no surprise then that HNE Recordings have asked Tucker to not only annotate but also compile this outstanding 4CD salute to the label, ‘All Systems Go – The Neat Singles Volume 1’.

Kicking off with Tygers Of Pan Tang’s 1979 debut ‘Don’t Touch Me There’, and taking us through to Venom’s mighty ‘Warhead’, released in 1984, this set takes in the 37 singles label boss (and studio owner) David Wood’s unleashed on the world during that timeframe (he also released 20+ albums in the same period). Which is an incredible amount of new music from an independent record label, and one that earned Neat Records the tagline of ‘Allegedly Britain’s No.1 Independent Heavy Metal Label’.

My first experience of the label came via a then mate of mine who had picked up a copy of Venom’s classic debut ‘Welcome To Hell’ upon its release back in 1981, which promptly confused the fuck out of us teenage rockers all crammed into his bedroom trying to get our heads around, and not really getting to grips with, just how much of a landmark recording that album actually was, and still is to this very day.

The likes of Tygers Of Pan Tang, White Spirit, and Fist – the first three NWOBHM bands to release singles via Neat (and all captured back to back here as the introduction to the set’s first CD) – had already been snapped up by MCA by this time, so for us, we were immediately playing catch up via records by like likes of Raven, Blitzkrieg, and of course from the very depths of hell, the mighty Venom.  

It’s the lesser-known bands such as (the surprisingly very good, and Celtic Frost approved) Aragorn, Bitches Sin, and Raw Deal (again, all captured on the set’s first CD) that have me taking that same voyage of discovery all over again, albeit four decades on. Plus, as this set progresses it also throws up such other lesser known names (well they were to me anyway) as Steel (who somehow manage to blend Maiden riffs with KISS-like melodies and are fronted by a Jon Deverill wannabe), Valhalla, and the aforementioned Crucifixion, so there’s plenty to get stuck into within this set even if you consider yourself to be something of a die-hard (see what I did there?) fan of Neat Records.

If you have been around the NWOBHM block more than once or twice you may notice that this set is actually very similar to Sanctuary Records’ long since deleted ‘The Neat Singles Collection’ volumes one and two (both of which command an eye watering price on online auction sites right now), however, what this set does that those didn’t, is run the singles’ A and B Sides concurrently, so you’re not having to flip CDs or create playlists simply to play all of Venom’s ‘Warhead’ for example (sadly though the 12” extended version of ‘Warhead’ is once again missing here), plus with ‘All Systems Go – The Neat Singles Volume 1’ you also have a  glorious 20-page booklet with John Tucker’s excellent sleeve notes expanded to forensic levels to completely fill in any knowledge gaps you might have regarding the releases.

If you were too young to experience the NWOBHM first time around, this 82-track collection (which hits the shops on 16th February 2024) is as fine a place as any to visit to inspire you to construct your first denim cut-off, or perhaps step out wearing a bullet belt or studded gauntlet, whilst for those of us with slightly more faded denim cut-offs (that no longer fit us) this is a most welcome trip down memory lane, one that stinks of fags, patchouli oil, Newcastle Brown and is the very birthplace of Black Metal.  

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Author: Johnny ‘Double Denim’ Hayward

New Model Army – ‘Unbroken’ (Ear Music)

Cue rough uptempo vigorous repetitive electric guitar lick quickly followed by the warm earthy tones of Justin Sullivan’s vocals soon to be joined by an acoustic guitar being attacked with venom and purpose before the drums join in with a ricocheting tribal rhythm and ‘First Summer After’ is burrowing into your brain with a sound and attack that is the first new New Model Army track of the 2024 album whilst also drawing on early sounds made by the band who on this opening evidence have lost none of the anger and attack that fuelled them over the past decades. The Bass line is struck with force that drives you into the second song which opens with an equally aggressive Bass line. ‘Language’ is a snarling throbbing uptempo slice of old school-stripped back New Model Army. I like where this is taking me, I’m liking it a lot with every play.

It’s unfussy bare boned NMA there are no strings no hushed tones or lush deliveries this is toe to toe in your face. You can feel the breath from the vocals being howled out in your ear being ably backed by the band’s most aggressive-sounding album for a while. ‘Reload’ is the sound of the UK or the parts of the UK that are tuned in and switched on and fed up to fuck with the current incumbents of parliament and their hollow rhetoric and constant bullshit. The Riff is a grunting poked beast that is salivating as it strains on the leash to be set free. A most excellent song and nails the mood of the lyrics.

Sullivan expressed the story behind ‘I Did Nothing Wrong’ and the latest miscarriage of Justice engulfing the UK for the past few weeks with every Tory jumping on the bandwaggon expressing outrage at the poor predicament of ex-postmasters who got fucked over by a corrupt system. some insight into the lyrics adds gravitas and weight to the song and elevates this body of work even further. ‘Cold Wind’ is the first hushed intro on the record with acoustic guitar and some twisted samples paving the way as the darker side of the record takes you on a journey that enables you to take stock and breathe in what’s already come before it.

The reflective mood of 2019s ‘From Here’ is swept aside on ‘Unbroken’ for a darker more aggressive edge none more evident than the Early Nirvana ‘Blew’ era post-punk of ‘Coming Or Going’ if you’re looking for an album to lift you for the political fights about to engulf the UK and USA then let this album take the strain. It’s punching and swinging haymakers that would terrify bands half their age and some. Sullivan is moving towards retirement age and is up for the fight on this record. The self-reflecting continues on ‘If I’m Still Me’ which might explain the sound of this album and I can assure you – Fuckin’ right you are still you. This album is a nugget of solid gold with eleven of the finest New Model Army songs you could wish to hear. To come up with an album this strong is a testament to the talent of the band and its main protagonist Justin Sullivan for continuing this journey over many decades and still having the ability to write the best most complete album for several decades (and I’m someone who loves this band and has always championed their records even in the years where they weren’t a chart bothering beat combo).

I love the delay and reverb on the bass line in ‘Legend’ proper ‘Vengence’ tip of the hat there. The more I’ve played this album the better it gets with different songs jostling for my attention every time. Uncomplicating their core sound and stripping it back wasn’t something I expected at all especially after ‘Sinfonia’.

As the album reaches its climax you are taken on a late night stripped bare ‘Idumea’ with harmonies that are rich and warm and after the softer intro, the tribal rhythms take you off on another journey with some folky melodies and a softer song to offer hope with big choir vocals. but hold onto your strides there is one last push as the record is signed off with ‘Deserters’ and its thumping bass-driven song.

New Model Army have delivered the good and an album that will be riding high in my end-of-year top album list without a shadow of a doubt. A band I’ve had playing in my ears since the mid-80s and who have delivered some of the best albums I’ve had in my collection on multiple formats for all of my youth and adulthood and I still get excited when a new album hits and having the privilege of hearing it before its release is an honor, and for me to try and do it justice and get you as excited as I was when I first heard it. Simple this one – Buy it!

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Black Metal: Evolution Of The Cult Restored, Expanded & Definitive Edition – Dayal Patterson (Cult Never Dies)

What a fascinating genre of extreme music Black Metal is, from the complicated riffs to the even more complicated lives of some of the individuals involved, it’s been a fascination of mine since I first read an article on Venom or heard one of their demonic riffs. Dayal Patterson has pawed his way through the most comprehensive compendium and go-to book of knowledge about this most out-there brand of extreme music available.

This tome is a hefty coffee table book with 340,000 words, over 650 pictures, and 23 new chapters that’s how well-researched this bad boy is. It lays out the movers and shakers of the scene and whilst it might be the go-to book for people drawn towards the genre it’s also a fascinating insight for those (like me) who find the whole scene fascinating but don’t necessarily like all the music. Sure the genre is vast and trawls through all corners of the genre it’s also one of those styles of heavy metal that is fiercely loyal and protective of its style. It’s not Death Metal it’s not NWOBHM it’s not hard rock and the arguments over who is in the club and who is outside the tent rage like teenagers arguing over their favourite bands since time began.

The layout of this revised edition is easy on the eye and an impeccable tribute to the style and depth of knowledge is exceptional. I first flicked through the amazing pictures and pawed over the fascinating bounty of band pics that pepper this tome it’s broken down into easy-to-navigate sections from the Venom, and Hellhammer origins right the way through the most known territories bursting with opinions and interviews it gives a cool overview of the main players and shakers whilst giving enough detail without boring the reader with detail but giving enough to expand one’s knowledge.

What Dayal has done is create the go-to book of everything and anything you need or didn’t need to know about Black Metal from its humble beginnings to the rise in Norweigan kids through the subgenres and all the jaw-dropping tales of murder and suicide as well as the subgenres within the scene. It really is the go-to book of its kind and whilst thumbing through bands I’d never listened to I found myself searching out their playlists to get a fuller picture of how they sound as well maybe a side project would be for Dayal to curate a compilation piece of audio to go with this paper book.

The book comes in at a very reasonable £35 of your British pounds and for something this hefty is a bargain but it is something that Dayal can be extremely proud of putting together. For example, I obviously knew the history of Mayhem and their twisted path to infamy and fame and I was well aware of the likes o fVenom and Hellhammer from the birth of the genre but I wasn’t at all clued up on the horrible tale of Dissection and main players horrible history and subsequent end it’s a dark tale and just one of many dark tales I also found myself chuckling at some of the evilest bands who have one or two fully committed corpse painted players allied alongside someone in shellsuit pants and grubby trainers truly a legion of doom and disciple of Beelzebub. It’s on my table in the lounge so if any visitor needs to flick through something then this is my offering to the metal gods to pass on the word and enthrall others with a book worthy of such a fascinating style of music. ‘Evolution Of The Cult’ is the go-to book on Black Metal and that’s a fact and its an exceptional read and wonderfully put together. There is even a deluxe edition available through Cult Never Dies website (Here) Buy It!

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Author: Dom Daley

Animal Shithouse – ‘Who Taught You To Hate?’ (Lockjaw Records)

Yeah, you read that right, Animal Shithouse is the name synth agit punk is the name of the game. Settle in make sure you’re comfortable and turn that shit up! Six tracks full of venom and craft that will ultimately earworm into your skull and fuck you up! It’s a simple plan – play chaotic punk rock with as much force as you can muster then sit back and watch the carnage unfold. It’s what punk rock could and should be in 2023 that’s for sure. From the minute ‘Downloading A Red Stripe And Punching An Old Lady Called Penny’ sets you on the path to being fair. Plenty of frenzied shouting time changes more screeching, chaotic noises, and sample drum beats all intended to set your pulse racing. To be fair job done. ‘Snowing In March’ is like the inside of Richey Manic’s head when he was writing his frenzied poems.

‘CK’ is a modern digital race pounding with drum machine tics and sample throbs before a Peter Hook bassline plays out. Love it.

‘MoreMoreMore’ is a bit of screamo hardcore punk that these Tunbridge Wells punks thrash out with vim and vigor relentless to the end or they run out of breath.

‘Enemy’ closes off this exhausting hardcore attack with a relentless romp. Raw, pulsating, and boundless energy. To be fair I enjoyed my introduction to Animal Shithouse and a finer band name I’ve not stumbled across in a long time. Get into em!

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