All of a sudden, I have more Venom CDs than any sane person needs. So why not waste the Bagatellen denizens' time with a tedious exploration of this ultimately second- (if not third- or fourth-) tier '80s thrash band? Why not, indeed?
Late last year, Venom got the boxed-set treatment; MMV piled up four discs with album cuts, non-album singles, outtakes, live tracks - the usual. All digitally remastered for optimum sound, of course. But here's the thing: "optimum sound" doesn't mean what you think it means, where Venom is concerned. See, these records sound like shit. And I'm a guy who doesn't mind a little rawness in his rawk.
I didn't buy the box, mind you; instead, I bought their first four albums - Welcome To Hell, Black Metal, At War With Satan and Possessed. They were available cheapish from Amazon third-party vendors, also in remastered editions slathered in bonus tracks, so why not, right? They were a band I'd heard about for years, but never bothered to listen to - I was busy with Motörhead, Slayer, and a zillion other bands. These forefathers of black metal (though frontman Cronos has expressed loud and public disgust with church burning, ritual murder, and all the other headline-grabbing antics that made the '90s Norwegian scene the non-stop fun-fest it was) had evaded my attention, until this year.
Well, once I actually listened to the albums, I realized my initial non-decision to not bother had been, in fact, the correct one.
Welcome To Hell, I recently learned from reading the boxed set's accompanying booklet, actually consists of demos for what the band hoped would be their first album. The label liked the cheap-ass, ultra-raw, drums-like-cardboard-boxes-hit-with-cardboard-tubes, guitars-half-as-loud-as-the-inept-vocals, bass-totally-inaudible-except-when-it's-out-of-tune-and-right-up-front sound and ran with it. And somehow, this band of knuckle-dragging Limey wankers, with their cartoonish lyrics about Satan and even more cartoonish lyrics about pussy, earned themselves a following. Was it that bad in the UK in 1981, that this took off?
Funnily enough, Cronos, guitarist Mantas and drummer Abaddon actually claim to have spent time working on the follow-up disc, Black Metal, with the specific aim of sounding better than the ultra-shitty WTH. Well, mission decidedly, abjectly not accomplished. Their second blast of lobotomized shriek 'n' rattle was, if anything, dumber than the debut. They set an all-time low mark for rock sexism with "Teacher's Pet," but that's about the only genuine achievement that can be credited to Black Metal - except, of course, for the title track and the whole genre it spawned.
The third album, At War With Satan, fills its entire first side with a 20-minute title track. Now, if you can barely keep a hold on your instruments for five minutes, why would you attempt a 20-minute concept suite? Oh, well; the thing exists, and it must be grappled with. Unless, unlike me, you've got some sense. The second half of the disc has some decent (by Venom standards) songs, including "Cry Wolf" and "Women, Leather and Hell." So keep your thumb on the skip button, listeners, for your own sake.
The fourth and final studio album from the "classic" trio lineup was Possessed, which lots of people claim represents a dropoff in quality. Damned if I can hear it. No band since the Ramones has better defined the phrase "more of the same" - in fact, Venom make the Ramones seem like the Mothers of Invention in terms of complexity and willingness to experiment (and technical skill).
Here's the thing, though. The three original members of Venom reunited in 1996 and recorded the album Cast In Stone, which I received in yesterday's mail. It's been reissued as a 2CD set, including on its second disc 15 re-recordings (circa the CIS sessions) of Venom "classics" from the first four albums. And you know what? When properly recorded and mixed, these are actually good songs. Fifteen years after their debut, Venom had pretty much learned how to play their instruments, and they were able to give the old songs some real punch. It's almost a shame they're known for their early, shitty records, and that those records have been as influential as they have. I made a lot of fun of "lo-fi" indie bands when that trend was buzzing, but it's even worse when metal, normally a genre that worships sonic hugeness, embraces crap sound as a virtue.
By the way, I got the boxed set in the same big padded envelope as Cast In Stone and the brand-new album (Cronos is the only original member in the band these days), Metal Black. Looking over its track listing, almost all its contents (and more) are contained on the single-album reissues I bought, and the CIS reissue. A few live tracks on Disc Four are no argument for keeping the whole shelf-space-hogging thing. So, to sum up: early Venom bad, bad, bad. A few good songs, and every once in awhile, against my better judgment, I find myself clicking them up on my iPod ("Warhead" and "In League With Satan" are their closest brushes with greatness), but generally speaking, inexplicably popular and bad, bad, bad. Middle-period Venom, especially re-recordings of old songs, actually pretty good. Present-day Venom a cover band with original singer. Venom boxed set mostly useless, as diehards will buy the reissued albums which contain all the rarities from the box, and a bunch more besides. Thank you for your time. Have a pleasant day.
is this feller out of his mind ?
first his facial hair preocuppations, now this ?...
where does it end ?
An essay on the Deleuzian ramifications of knuckle tatoos?
I'm not familiar with Venom & likely never will be, but that band shot strangely reminds me of a Boris Vallejo illustration (say, circa his Tarzan cover work for Ballantine books?).
Posted by: Great Mazinga at July 22, 2006 11:27 AMSo they're not ass-rapingly good, then?
Posted by: Alastair at July 23, 2006 2:34 PMBring the Wench to the Altar, Priest!
Posted by: Will at July 23, 2006 11:39 PMI thought "Metal Black" to be a fairly good record [I reviewed it favourably for another site], though I'm not sure the band has progressed by leaps and bounds over the last two decades? Then again, who needs change, right?
Posted by: Tom Sekowski at July 24, 2006 5:47 AMsend all unwanted venom cds to:
weasel walter
3127 telegraph #1R
oakland, ca 94609
thank you for this phil!
what you think of all this "new" trash-metal bands, like municipal waste?
Posted by: claudio at July 25, 2006 9:36 AMStrange world...They are members of cannibal tribus from Vitoria (Brazil). Visit my blog and listen jazz http://www.jazzseen.blogspot.com./Visite-nos para ouvir muito jazz e para ler algumas variações sobre o tema
Posted by: Salsa at July 27, 2006 8:47 PMRegarding some of his talking/playing pieces Bertram Turetzky said; "I am not a comedian, comedy is a high art".
I agree with him, if I need some comic relief I'll visit homestarrunner.com not bagatellen.
The ironic metal joke is way, way, way tired, it is neither controversial or funny.
PDF's last two articles have been about as funny as an ironic mustache.
I'd like to lay out a challenge to PDF to write just one article for Bags where actually tries his hand at some serious writing - some of his recent reviews for the Wire were not bad.
Otherwise he is just insulting Bags and it's readers - I'd bring back the Maneri thread in a second to have these two articles deleted.
I look forward to his pieces. He's the Anastasia Blue of bags.
Phil I went to Blockbuster the other night and got Jewel of the Nile and Road House 2: Last Call and I'm not making this up there's a scene where someone in the heat of conflict actually says "pain DOES hurt". I ejaculated, replayed it like twenty times.
Posted by: Michael Schaumann at July 29, 2006 11:52 AM>I'd like to lay out a challenge to PDF to write just one article for Bags where actually tries his hand at some serious writing - some of his recent reviews for the Wire were not bad.
I'm very serious about metal, Damon, which is why I dislike Venom. But even if I was just jacking off with this entry, faint praise like yours wouldn't exactly inspire me to glory. And if you choose to feel that I'm sullying Bagatellen with my stuff, well, that's your business and none of my concern. (The truth is, what I write for The Wire isn't all that different from what I write here. In both cases, I'm the token knuckle-dragger, brought in to amuse the editors and make the readership, a smug and insular lot for the most part, feel that much more cultivated by comparison with my Quasimodo-like print persona.)
Michael -
I've been a little skittish about Road House 2, because I love the original so much. But maybe I'll check it out. Does it have any lines as good as "I used to fuck guys like you in prison?"
Posted by: Phil at July 29, 2006 12:53 PMWhy not set your sights higher sometimes? Honestly, it sounds like your "knuckle dragger" status is a bit of a safety blanket for when you don't get your facts straight.
I'd still like see a (more) serious, (more) relevant piece for bags. You have been at this long enough to come up with something good.
You may be serious about metal but I am not going to believe there are no traces of "ironic jokes" in your subject matter for bags.
Posted by: Damon Smith at July 29, 2006 2:48 PM>(more) relevant
Relevant to what? Most of the discussion here is utterly irrelevant to me - for example, I couldn't possibly care less about AMM or what their ex-members are up to in almost any context (though do tip me off if the guitar-playing one, whose name escapes me at the moment, records an album with Gene Hoglan or Dave Lombardo), and I've listened to enough of their stuff, officially released and otherwise, to be utterly secure in my choice to lead a life free of any more. So "relevant" is relative.
Posted by: Phil at July 29, 2006 4:48 PMI see how that indelible verse fits tight in the bungchute of your Swayzers Bosch/Newmar triptych, but I find it overrated, impromptu tracheotomy notwithstanding.
I see you've found my trophy room, Phil. The only thing missing, is YOUR ASS.
Posted by: Michael Schaumann at July 29, 2006 9:54 PM"Relevant to what?"
-Well, your younger self wrote whole book about NYC free jazz -
maybe some of those topics could use an upgrade seeing as how both you and NYC free jazz is in another place. Nobody said anything about AMM.
I am not as enthralled by AMM as I'd like to be. I have been more drawn to the other projects of all three musicians.
You should know that my shipmates and I spent the latter part of our last outing at sea discussing which "dead" icon would be soon brought back into popular buzz, a la Chuck Norris. It was almost unanimous.
SWAYZE.
So, the petition for Patrick Swayze to join AMM starts here, then.
Posted by: Andrew Cox at July 30, 2006 1:42 AMPatrick Swayze is currently on stage in London's Guys and Dolls musical. His craggy face smiles at me from the phone box ad down my street.
'I ejaculated, replayed it like twenty times.'
'Does it have any lines as good as "I used to fuck guys like you in prison?"'
Further evidence of repressed homosexuality in Patrick Swayze films, and by thread association, cheesy metal.
I think the question of relevance can be, on a basic observational level, that subjects on Bags often appear thus:
Free Jazz by X
British Improv by X
Jazz/Improv-related musings by X
Obituary or label news by X
Metal post by Phil
etc.
So the metal postings can seem irrelevant. Whether that matters of course is another issue. However, even if Phil doesn't care about Keith Rowe, I find it rather odd that as a regular contributor to this site, he pretends to not even know his name (as it can be looked up very quickly before clicking 'Post').
Perhaps the question of relevance is not about the genre discussed, and more related to the nature of the posting. This would then apply to all postings and not just Phil's. Whether the posting is an attempt to convert teenage metal obsessions into an adult nostalgic experience, or to ensure all 60s/70s free improvisors are placed properly on the chess board, the question could be: is this relevant? What has any of this got to do with TODAY?
. . . just to take this discussion into a more philosphical realm, which I believe is more Seagal's territory.
Posted by: Michael at July 30, 2006 4:22 AM>Further evidence of repressed homosexuality in Patrick Swayze films
I've been thinking for some time about writing an essay about Patrick Swayze's bizarrely homoerotic trilogy of films from the early 1990s. First there was Road House, which has already been entered into discussion. Then came Point Break, the Swayze/Keanu Reeves love story set against a backdrop of surfing and bank robbery. Then he finally burst out completely, playing a transvestite in To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar. I'm not sure what this series of projects says about him or Hollywood, though.
Posted by: Phil at July 30, 2006 5:07 AM"for example, I couldn't possibly care less about AMM or what their ex-members are up to in almost any context (though do tip me off if the guitar-playing one, whose name escapes me at the moment, records an album with Gene Hoglan or Dave Lombardo), and I've listened to enough of their stuff, officially released and otherwise, to be utterly secure in my choice to lead a life free of any more. So "relevant" is relative."
- Liking or not liking music is for music fans. A serious music critic/writer/scholar can write about any piece of music and explain what is happening, what the aims are and how well they are being met.
I don't particularly care for major scales. However, that does not mean they do not take a up a major chunk of my days since it is just part of just being able to play the bass.
Posted by: Damon Smith at July 30, 2006 7:59 PM"the readership, a smug and insular lot for the most part"
Should I feel offended ?
Posted by: vincent at July 31, 2006 7:23 AMsomebody just sent me the venom box. thanks. dreams do come true.
also, sometimes one gets what one asks for.
ww
Posted by: weasel walter at August 16, 2006 11:13 AMyo this article is dumb
Posted by: fgrizzy at August 16, 2006 12:02 PM.................................................. © 2003 - 2006 bagatellen ..................................................