Black Metal

"'twas i who fucked the dragon "

There is lots of decent or even good metal out there. Why is this on the list? (So that was my first reaction. Then I read up on it, and apparently they were really pioneers of several sub-genres of metal in the late 70s-early 80s. And so like with the Brian Eno stuff, part of why they merit inclusion on this list is the influence they had on what came after? In that case, do I boost their rating based on the impact they had? Do I rate the music in a vacuum, based totally on what I hear? Or do I rate it based on its historical context?)

In the early ’80’s, I was riding with the Hell’s Angels and selling PCP in Bakersfield. I listened to this record ALL. THE. TIME. Nowadays, I need a pint of virgin blood and a nap halfway thru to make it through the album once. There’s lots of noise here on this album and the devil lyrics are on high. As a matter of fact, the lyrics are where this Black Metal shines. Who can dismiss “do you believe in God, he’s chained up like a dog and every hour he screams 'SATAN RULES SUPREME!" ?? [whoa!] And, though there's nothing fancy about the drumming, the guitar is show-y, fast and intricate at times. As a matter of fact, this band makes me think a lot of TSO. Yep, TSO - The Trans-Siberian Orchestra. I’m quite certain these Venom guys could’ve been real competition to the TSO if the devil-worshiping thing ever caught on. There are plenty of similarities between the two. Both are rock’n’roll crusaders for a higher power and tolerable in small doses, played ONLY during special occasions. For example, TSO, is often heard during Christmas season, while Venom's Black Metal, I'm assuming, gets a lot of play during sacrificing your first-born or throwing a surprise birthday party for Lucifer. Two stars.

It’s a little bit silly (ok it’s very silly) and objectively the songs are not very good and the whole thing sounds like it was recorded in their bathroom. But as massive fan of 80s thrash metal I cannot ignore the influence this album had on that genre. And it’s fun too.

This album might be difficult to appreciated if you're not into metal, but I swear this one is very important in the history of the genre. Its title even became the name of an evergrowing style of metal, the black metal. This album is so explosive, energetic, fast and grimy, it was a revelation back in 1982. The lyrics and imagery also had a major influence on the shape of metal to come. To me, it sounds like an influencial classic, so... 5 stars!

Is this a Tenacious D album?

I can't recall if I've ever listened to this one before, but my expectations were low and the album exceeded them on almost every level. It's fascinating to me that the sub-genre this album spawned has so little in common with the actual music on the record. It's like a bunch of Norwegian teenagers just saw the artwork and decided to take what they thought Venom probably sounded and looked like and made up their own bands based around that. I can't quite explain how else they got from this album to corpsepaint screeching blast-beat insanity that sounds like it was recorded on an electric can opener. Not to dismiss the whole genre, because there are moments that really work for me. I just don't understand the evolution here. Which is too bad, as well, because I really dig what this album actually is. In essence, it's just a grimier Satanic infused version of Motorhead. That's a winning recipe in my kitchen and I'd have no problem with other bands stealing and modifying that recipe. (see: High on Fire and/or Kvelertak!) Also, how the hell does a church-burning bandmate murdering Norwegian black metal diehard brush off the inarguably terrible song "Teacher's Pet"? (Naturally, it's the longest song on the album.) Worse than the half-baked blues riff bullshit, did you see the lyrics to that one? Good god. I'll give them credit for beating Van Halen to the party, but that song's an X-rated joke that damn near derails the whole album. Keep it in your pants, fellas. Even so, I'll stand up for this one. You know what I love? Songs where they literally spell out words. "Sacrifice" is a banger. "Countess Bathory" rules. "Buried Alive" is tortured and creepy. I wish I had found this at age 12.

Heavy metal is awesome but Venom has never done it for me. They got lucky in that they were one of the (if not THE) first bands to get really gritty. None of it is particularly good - it just plods along, a mix of noisy and boring. About the best I can say is that it influenced a lot of the more extreme end of metal, which I love. Within a year or two of this, Venom had been completely outclassed and made obsolete. Why the hell would you listen to this when 2 years later you can have ride the lightning? 2 points but I gotta grudgingly bump it up to 3 because it was so influential. 3/5.

Very consistent (thrash? black? power?) metal album, consists of great songs such as "Black Metal", "Sacrifice", "Teacher's Pet" and "Countless Bathory"

Intelligible metal is good metal. I feel like this album could have benefited from a producer saying, "Hey, this would be much more listenable if you dialed it back by 5 or 10 percent." Then again, what kind of metal band listens to that kind of advice? Best track: Don't Burn the Witch

Well this is an absolute assault. Unfortunately, what it's assaulting me with is tedium. Yes, yes, you bleed an unexpected amount. Yes yes, you worship the devil. I expect you've got a teatowel with a picture of Baphomet on his throne on it. Your mum bought it for you, because while she doesn't exactly approve, well, it's harmless isn't it and the least she can do is encourage you to get out of yourself a bit. I get that this inspired a genre, but I honestly think that 2/3rds of this album could easily have been left out and we'd all still get the point. I wish my mum had bought me a teatowel with a picture of Baphomet on his throne on it.

Nearly 70 albums in and I've managed to get by without any metal... until now. It was never going to be a big hit with me, and I can generally appreciate the influence these albums have had, but it didn't make this one any easier to get through. Everything about Venom's "Black Metal" is sloppy, from the hackneyed lyrics to the performance and production. There's absolutely no range to it, it's sludgy riffs caked in distortion, thrashy drums and endlessly bellowed vocals. It's hard to tell if this is Venom's intention, or they're taking their satanism and musicianship very seriously and just not landing it. It might feel spontaneous and on the fly, but so does a plane crash. The lyrics are unbelievably trite, "let's be edgy because we're a metal band" sort of material that ends up feeling eye-rollingly try-hard. Satan worshipping? Virgins bleeding? Ooh, you're hard. And then, in the middle of devil worshipping and the re-animated undead, comes "Teacher's Pet": a juvenile, graphic sexual fantasy that feels out of place even here. I cringed throughout the whole thing. "Bathory" and "Raise the Dead" were the only ones I could tolerate, and they're the best of a bad bunch. The last track, "At War with Satan", is a two minute preview of what would become a side-long epic on their next album, a bit like a post-credits tease. It's either a tantalising marketing move or just a lazy way to fill up space. Either way, it feels odd and closes things on a duff note with an abrupt fade-out. I'm not into metal in general, but I'm still glad I heard this effort from a band who were on the edge of the NWOBHM (an acronym I didn't know meant New Wave of British Heavy Metal until today- that's how little experience I have with the genre). This might have made it to 2* if it hadn't come up on a day I'm feeling lousy and hungover, as possibly the worst album I could have drawn. While I can appreciate its significance, it's almost certain I'll never seek out "Black Metal" again.

Fuckin’ Venom! While this record may not sound anything like modern black metal, or even the original wave of Norwegian black metal, it’s still insanely influential. It’s more of a speed/thrash metal record, but it’s got a lot of aspects that really defined the later iterations of black metal. There isn’t a single bad song on this album. In fact, there’s not a single song on this record that doesn’t fucking rip. Deep guttural vocals, tremolo picking, heavy drums, and some of the best satanic imagery of the 1980’s. I can’t say anything bad about this one. Easy 5*. Hail Venom.

1982. Venom's second album. The first proto-black metal album! This one inspired a lot of trash and death bands in early 90-s. Black Metal song has been covered dozen of times (more than 100)!

This feels like something I would listen to if I was riding motorcycles and selling PCP. But I respect the album, I can for sure feel the influence of this album. It's got some pretty rad guitars and the lyrics are pretty metal. Full on Satan. I don't mind it at all.

Meh

4/5. Surprisingly, despite the terrible production, this has aged well, music wise. Sure, some (most) of the lyrics can be a little cringe (Teacher's Pet). The direct songs about Satan and revolution are the best of course, and the heaviness throughout the album really shines, especially on the second side. There are several staples here for the metal genre that have inspired so many. I don't want to say this is perfect, because it is not, but this was a fun listen and I did enjoy it overall. The unapologetic attitude talking about things that are not real but knows it will make people mad is pretty funny how over the top they go. Mad respect there. Best Song: Black Metal, Countess Bathory, Heaven's On Fire

The opening 15 seconds of electronic hiss are enticing. The joke was going to be that rest of the album doesn’t fulfil that early promise, but it was foiled by the record’s smeary pleasures: it has the wiggly riffage of Motörhead, the blistering chord sequences of Minor Threat, and the murk calls ahead to Portal. Sometimes crude, usually interesting, this is pretty good.

make metallica cornier and talk about satan more

Pretty silly, schoolboy stuff. Some of the music sounds like proto-shoegaze; "Buried Alive" could be a comedian reading a Hammer Horror script over early Ride. Other parts sound like Motorhead taking the piss out of a community theater production of Rosemary's Baby. Essential, eh?

Terrible music but was quite funny and made me laugh. How many different ways can you say Satan is the boss on proto thrash sounds? One apparently, just keep repeating it!

There is good metal out there, and this didn't sound like it. Genuinely a slog to get through, from the bad production to the lead's vocals. The music itself was uninspired and bland at times, but ultimately the best part of the album. The music + the influence keeps me from giving this a 1. Like, I *get* why this is on the list, but really? Y'all couldn't pick a better representation? Also I turned on the lyrics because I was having a difficult time understanding and tbh I wish I hadn't done that.

Oh…I was kinda hoping for the like…actual criminal Scandinavian black metal scene. Not…what I can only describe as your cousin’s band HE’S really proud of, but he’s like 35, and still lives at home because he just needs his big break. And I guess he got it. But like. He didn’t deserve it. I can hear the influence on a lot of things but who cares it sucks. It does suck in the special “this is so bad it’s hilarious” kind of way which is always nice. As a treat look at the band picture of Venom on Spotify, it’s 3 dudes who look like three different versions of the same metal head who’s into different genres of metal. What a joy.

Sounds like me doing bad screamy karaoke. Awful. I understand it is a genre, but nothing here for me.

I suppose that if you were 14 years old and missed the first wave of metal and punk was more your older brother's type of music, you could call this your own. But I have serious reservations about any non-teenagers still listening to, or admitting to listening to, this. I see that, of the 1001 albums it's got the #994 spot all locked up.

This was like a technically gifted school child was given a task to write a 'metal' album. A complete load of unimaginative rubbish.

As cheesy and on-the-nose as this gets, it's fun as fuck and very novel to me.

These dudes love satan.

I found my newest Christmas tradition! This album is impressive for 1982. By that metric it is four stars. If it was released a year or so ago then three stars. I love how rock music evolved from Little Richard to this album in a relatively short amount of time. A-wop-bop-a-loo-mop-a-lop-bam-Baphomet.

Super duper skraldet produktion, hvilket passer lige ind i den genre de er gået i gang med at opfinde her. At Mayhem og Bathory er inspireret af den her plade giver super god mening - De forfinede "kunsten", men Venom var O.G. (Original Goat)

not what i expected! good early thrash. will likely listen to again

For an album that spawned one of the most vicious music ever created under its name, Black Metal is a lot of fun. Maybe it's because we have a lot of hindsight on it, but it's kind of surprising how seriously this album was taken by the generation that would create the second wave of black metal. To me it's just a fun metal album with great riffs and some clumsy execution. But since BM is my favorite metal subgenre, I can only be thankful that Venom (and Bathory) helped creating some of the best music out there.

A genuine rush. You could feel Venom know they're onto something new, fresh and exciting. This gallops gleefully along, giving no gucks and taking no prisoners. Great stuff.

Thrash metal. Screaming and loud - very big. Would be great to lift to. Solid melody. Fast drums. Solid guitar. It must be boring to write all your songs about exactly the same thing. A clear setup for Metallica.

Meh

So as a rock fan, and a heavy metal guy (i.e. think Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Dio, Pantera, Tool, Ghost, etc.) – I was interested to see how this one would play out… I’m guessing for 1982, it was probably pretty popular with a very select group of fans… You’ll note with most of the bands that I mentioned, you have fairly complex musical compositions – which are incredibly performed by amazing musicians… You could argue that Judas Priest is the most basic of that group, but I found Venom to be fairly average in terms of the quality of the compositions, as well as the playing… Also – creative lyrics about some of those dark topics can be appealing, but there’s not a ton of imagination here… Here’s a sample from “Raise The Dead” – which overall, was one of the better tracks on the album IMO, but lyrically – bit much to wrote home about… “…Rising from my deadly tomb I've got maddened eyes with fright fingers bleeding fast heart beating the moons my only light Ashes to ashes, dust to dust If God won't have me, then the Devil must…” But hey, if some extreme sub-genre takes it’s name from your album – then that’s gotta be worth something, so a solid 2 creating a little slice of goodness for a few people…

My only previous exposure to Venom was the “Live at City Gardens” 7-inch, put out by Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore on his Ecstatic Peace! label. You should check it out, it’s on YouTube. So any chance of an unbiased review went out the window the moment I heard that. In fact, I can’t separate them. There’s almost no difference between this record and that hilarious 7” in my mind, only that this is like a super-sized version of that 7”. Sorry Venom fans, blame Thurston.

This is not timeless nor important.

Black Metal Yeah, lol, no. ⬛ Playlist submission: Countess Bathory

Spinal Tap without the humor...

just when you think metal can't get any worse

Interminable and forgettable. One of the worst albums on this, or any other, list.

pfffft

This sort of reminds me of disco in that, are they serious? When they sing about hell and satan and songs like "Raise the Dead" is it meant to be a bit tongue in cheek? Or does it just seem that way because it's so dated sounding. The last track is the perfect example of this. It's a spoken word track about satan: "At War with Satan." It all sounds very dramatic and when I take a look at a picture of the band I get the sense they probably are serious. Cause they kind of look like ren fair people who would get real into the acting part of it. There is some metal I like and will listen to, but this isn't it. Maybe this is too proto-metal and not quite refined enough in style and substance.

meh

Awful

No thanks

heard it, couldn't tell you anything about it

Venom’s Black Metal is an atrocity. Then again, I don’t like metal, but still. This album is hot trash, with only one mediocre song. Everything else sounds the same: terrible. All in all, Black Metal is a trash album. Best Song: Teacher's Pet Worst Song: Countless Bathory

Sounds like a bad parody of metal. Crappy music and cringe lyrics.

More meh...

Impossible to take even a little bit seriously.

Took me 3 attempts to finish this. like wtf - srsly the best. Irritating af. Not sure I needed to listen to this before I died. I'm annoyed

Bad ass metal. It’s like a concoction of Motorhead, MetallicA and Sepultura born in the depths of hell and sent to Earth as a true “Metal up your ass!” album. “Don’t Burn The Witch” is heavy!! It’s a bit of a long album, but I’ll forgive them as some of the tracks from the Radio 1 Session go hard. Some have mentioned Tenacious D. LOL. “Punk rock tried to kill The Metal, but they failed as they were smite to ground”

Let's not beat around the bush here. Is this album simple? Yeah. Is it stupid? Yeah, a little. Is it primitive? Sure sounds like. Is it not mixed the best? I can't tell production apart most of the time, and even I can tell you that this isn't the greatest production job in the world. To most people, any combination of those things would be enough to condemn this thing to the realm of low ratings. But let's be real: to people like me, this is what makes this album awesome. There's quite a few genres of music out there where I don't ask much from them. Country music is probably the biggest, but coming right up behind it is metal music. And, I mean, we get into how I feel about all of the various sub- and micro-genres of metal, but let's just stick to the base level, and on that front... I mean, jeez, as long as there's loud, chugging riffs and some lyrics about war, mythology, The Devil or how great metal is, I'd be hard pressed to dislike it. That doesn't mean I'll just eat up any old slop; I **do** have standards. It's just that BLACK METAL easily meets them, and then some. Frankly, it's one of those "I don't have much to say about this album" albums, 'coz I'm not sure how I could really express my feelings on this thing besides just motioning to the music and going "Yeh?" And if you don't get it, well, then I really don't know what to tell you. It's like... OK, so I've seen some reviews of this album compare it to Tenacious D, right? Or even just straight-up call it parody in a derisive way. Well, I'm not only someone who loves Weird Al, but also someone who loves Meat Loaf's BAT OUT OF HELL precisely because it comes across as so parodic that it wraps back around to being awesome. And, yeah, that's BLACK METAL to me. Besides "Teacher's Pet", there's nothing I can think of to knock it for — and even then, if I'm fine with a song like "Hot For Teacher"... Honestly, I feel like I really hafta appreciate an album like BLACK METAL. There's no pretensions to it, and I don't hafta think up any big, deep reasons why I like it. There's no poetry I hafta scrutinize; no complex musicality I hafta squint my ears at; no long history I need to know; no big emotions I hafta pull out if it... All I need is my raw, gut reaction of "Hell yeah." And as much as I do enjoy albums that give me a bit more to chew on, every now and then, it's just nice to have something I can enjoy so simply. For me, you can chalk this up as another victory for the New Wave Of British Metal, right alongside Iron Maiden and Motörhead. Good-ass shit. ('N really, I'm glad this is only "black metal" in name only and not in sound. Now **that's** a sub-genre I don't recall being too hot on, I tell yah...)

Truly kickass metal, through and through. Solid 5 Stars.

I’m at a 4.5 that I’m gonna just barely bump up to a 5 because how well it stuck the landing on the last track. Seriously, “Don’t Burn the Witch” is that fucking good. If it were even a little bit worse, I’d be at a 4 that I admire a lot, but it seriously nails it, and I think I have to go up. It’s very weird for me to give a 5 to an album with a sort of slower start, because the first 2 tracks here set a really awkward tone. Literally, that first track starts off with a truly awful tone, with whatever that scratchy-ass sound is. The mixing is off, the lyricism is bland, the vocals feel a little sickly, and the reverb muzzles some of the bite it’s going for. There’s still something compelling there, though, & while the second track builds upon it nicely with some great guitar work, this album still doesn’t really break through until “Buried Alive” starts. It is really a vibe shift once that slower, grungier guitar comes in – the album finds a brand new level of confidence that it never really lets go of; the production feels better, the grit in the vocals gets a really nice presence, the reverb is used more effectively, & the lyricism expands to provide way more imagery, in a way that makes each track feel more vivid, for better or for worse (especially for ‘worse’ on “Teacher’s Pet”). It really makes the album feel better for the rest of its run time, and it hits a pretty damn good stride. I have to acknowledge it – “Teacher’s Pet” is an insanely awkward song. It sticks out here for how different it is from the rest of the album, lyrically, & it’s just an insane thing to write a song about to begin with. There’s a clear difference from something like “Hot for Teacher” by Van Halen & this, and one’s enjoyment of the track really depends on the tolerance for the lyrics. I don’t think I have the tolerance for the lyrics, but obnoxiously enough, I think the track might have either the best or second-best production on the album. At its very, very worst, it’s got some consensually awkward shaming involved that feels far too intimate for my tastes, even in a comically exaggerated way. It’s not a bad listen at all, though, which is why it’s not knocking this album down to a 4. Sure as hell not a playlist track, though. Really, the most impressive thing here is that this is from 1982 – it’s not the craziest heavy metal in the world, but all of the proper tones for the faster advancements of heavy metal throughout the 80s are here, especially in terms of setting the stage for a band like Metallica to take it to another level. I would even argue this is a pretty handy prototype for some of the 90s grunge to come as well. I don’t think this sounds quite the same as what modern “black metal” is considered to be, but it all has to start somewhere. Objectively, this is probably a 4, but between its historical significance, & the way it just nails the finish so well, that I feel safe about bumping it up to a 5. At the very, very least, I don’t think it’s deserving of a 2.46 average on the site. That’s criminally wrong. P.S.: I’ve never really heard an album end with a teaser for the next one. That’s pretty fucking cool.

kind of shocked by the relative apathy a lot of ppl seem to hold for this! obviously this sows the seeds of extreme metal w/ the lofi sound and the earnestly Evil aesthetic and the running w/ the hardest fastest edge of NWOBHM's fringes, but it hasnt quite crossed over and thus its fundamental appeals lie almost entirely in heavy metal. there is still a clarity of direction and a tunefulness that has yet to be stripped down to pure riffs and vibes, yet in a way that still represents a leap forward in abrasiveness and aggression (as opposed to say, later meloblack, which is a conscious de-escalation). short and sweet, extremely fun! dont know whats not to love tbh

Happy to see this show up. The first couple tracks come out hard and fast. Let's be clear - it's not black metal as we know it now. But if you wanted Motorhead to be more extreme, this is it. There's still catchy songwriting here and the production is effective with the raw guitar tone and unyielding drum and bass backbone. Buried Alive slows things down and has a groovier feel with some great lead work. The tempo kicks way back up on Raise the Dead and stays there for the next few tracks. Just punishing riffs and dark, grimy speed metal. Sacrifice is a highlight, and then Heaven's on Fire is even more aggressive, especially the drumming. Countess Bathory is more mid tempo with a killer riff and heavy drumming. Maybe the best track so far, but Don't Burn the Witch opens with a twisted, evil riff and then pummels you into submission. Bang your fucking head. I even love the spooky outro (which is actually the intro to their next album) and then it fades out. Required listening for metalheads, but this may appeal to other folks too.

Cool

Glad I’m not the only one to immediately think of Tenacious D - weird growing up with and knowing deeply the parody of something, then only experiencing the real deal at age 29. Totally skews the experience - feel similarly about Flight of the Conchords and a lot of folk music

I am a big fan.

Brutally perfect!

No soy demasiado fan de Venom, pero este disco marcó un antes y un después

Hail satan

My early metal memories in one perfect banger of an album 666 stars or 5 cause that option ain’t avail

Really good album. Awesome drum lines. Very 80s metal sound.

"Black Metal" is the second album by English heavy metal band Venom. It was released in 1982 during the new wave of British heavy metal but unlike the music of those particular bands, this is firmly planted in the thrash, speed, death and black metal scenes. There's actually disagreements as to which one but who cares; I heard elements and songs in all of them. They cover all the basic metal themes: Satanism, witchcraft, nightmares, horror mythology and teenage sexual fantasy. The album received critical acclaim and is considered one of the most influential albums released, especially in the Norwegian black metal scene. The first side "Black" opens with a chainsaw on steel plates in the self-titled "Black Metal." And why wouldn't you open like that. It goes right into a thrash metal style and sounds like it was recorded underwate. But, it works. Lead singing Conrad "Cronos "Lant repeating "black metal." Impressive drumming by Anthony "Abaddon" Brey. Sand and a cardboard box were used to create the sound of dirt being shovelled on a coffin in "Buried Alive." A priest delivers a prayer as a gong strikes. Eerie guitar notes lead into a heavy sludgy/grungy bass and drums. "Summon the dead!" A ripping guitar opens "Sacrifice." A thunderous rhythm section. This is melodic speed metal. Yes, I said that. "The moon is black and the witches dance, heaven is denied. Sacrifice!" A guitar riff based on the children show "The Magic Roundabout" opens "Countess Bathory." Dave Grohl said that the open to "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is actually based on that riff. Yes, I hear it. The song just kicks into a heavy groove. Pretty standard heavy metal but just rocks. I also hear Randy Rhoads' "Over the Mountain" in the guitar riff. Great song. This album is fantastic. I needed this today. The band does change their style throughout from speed to thrash to more heavy and sludgy. I heard a lot of future metal in their songs especially Metallica's "Kill 'Em All." What they lack in technical ability they make up in attitude and delivery. At times, the production did sound muddled but it didn't bother me too much. This album is an essential must listen to if you're a metal or even hardcore punk fan.

I much prefer their previous album to Black Metal, but this album solidifies Venom’s influence in what would become the extreme metal subgenres.

Great Metal classic. I enjoyed it a lot and listened to it twice.

good heavy metal

Rips.

This what started extreme metal. Thrash and black metal (and by expansion death metal) would not exist without the sloppy but heavy sound of Cronos, Mantas and Abaddon. It is very much a product of it's time, since nowadays it could be considered cheesy and messy. Back in it's day however this was the epitome of evil.

Over the top imagery, speed and subject matter. They really got it right and its no surprise they got copied by so many bands to come after them. I love hearing the little things they did on this album that other bands capitalized on, my favorite being the palm muted chugging rhythm guitar on a couple songs like Countess Bathory. They really missed the mark with Teacher's Pet though, should have let Van Halen blaze that trail alone. That being said, if you don't like or understand metal you probably wont like this. HAIL SANTA!

Honestly this album reminds me so much of when i first moved to san francisco. Listneing to High on Fire, Witchcraft, pentagram, electric wizard. For some reason living in the mission made me hellbent on being a motorcycle riding skateboarding metalhead that lived on 24th st. Great memmys.

This is exactly the kind of trash I love. I saw the other reviews and kept wondering when it would fall off, but this did everything right for me. It’s high energy, ignorant, and fun. Perfect for lifting heavy at the gym or driving fast.

So many albums and bands inspired by this record. Some good riffs on here even if the production is ropey at best. Well deserves its place on the list.

This album has a long history for me. When I was 14, I started listening to black metal, and the first bands I listened to were Ulver, Burzum, Darkthrone, and Venom. I used to listen to this album every night, and I still feel melancholic when I hear those bands mentioned earlier. I rarely listen to black metal now, but when I came across this album again, I was very happy. It makes me want to go back to being a 14-year-old kid.

One thing for sure… this cover of this album pretty much had me expecting exactly what was delivered. The real surprise is how listenable this is. The music is catchy! The lyrics made me laugh quite often. Back in 1982 this would seem like a sure sign my soul was in peril. A terrified 14 year old me would have been clutching my pearls and plagued with nightmares. Today an amused 55 year old me hears a quaint parody of evil. Simpler times… *sigh* Maybe if it were any other day I’d give this a lower score… but Black Metal is a perfect romp on a Halloween afternoon!

LOVE this!!!! Opener is FIRE! / Buried Alive is giving goth/metal anthem! Raise The Dead is fun. Album so far is a 5. Maybe a very strong 4, just because there are other metal albums I would consider a 5, that I find more iconic (for me), that deserve some distinction. So perhaps just to acknowledge the others, I will give this 4, but objectively a perfect album that deserves a 5. Maybe I’ll give it a 5. Let’s wait and see… Fuck it. It’s a 5. So fun.

Vaak over gehoord, nooit geluisterd. Dit is top. Lekker ruig. Mooie brug tussen Black Sabbath en Metallica.

Objectively, this is a terrible album. From Amy other perspective, it's a work of raw genius. Hilarious and deadly serious in equal measure, not much else comes close to capturing the excitement and anger of being a teenage metalhead - not to mention it inspired an entire genre.

It's hard to think of a metal album that is so influential as this is, that is also equally unknown to the general public. But without the seeds planted here, we might not have thrash, death, or black metal. Not to mention the whole thing slaps front to back.

I was 13 when this came out. I was balls deep into zeppelin and never heard of this until I’m an old guy. Thanks 1001 thing. Thanks weed. Wonderful.

Truly a groundbreaking album in the world of metal!

Not a fan of metal usually, but I got to chnage my mind for this one ! fire !

There are better bands than Venom for sure, but this is still solid stuff. Their influence outweighs their enjoyability but without Venom it's hard to imagine Slayer existing. Without Venom who knows how the world of extreme metal might have been influenced? In the end I gotta throw this a 5. Especially because the people that can't handle a little metal have the average on this album waaaay too low.

This is great. Really fun, Satan worshipping thrash metal. The directness in they way they approach their subject matter is hilarious and the songs are narratively complex, the imagery within each evoking a clear story. The little interludes and extra sound effects really give off the impression they were having a great time making it. Teacher's Pet has dethroned Hot for Teacher as the definitive song about inappropriate student-teacher relations. I did find that the mixing on a few of the tracks made the instruments sound a bit hollow, but they get a pass for being one of the first thrash albums. Despite it's age, it holds up incredibly well, and to me this is the gold standard of great metal. Fav Tracks: Buried Alive, Raise The Dead, Teacher's Pet, Leave Me In Hell

FUCK. YES. Teenage Satan metal at its most delightfully neanderthal and teenage. The over the top, hydrogen bomb subtlety of the thing would, of course, have kind of grim repercussions a decade later, when a bunch of kids in Norway approached it without any irony and started setting things on fire... but for all that there's a certain magnificence in its recorded-in-a-week grottiness. I get far more joy from this than a lot of other "better", more reputable records.

cool

On paper I should have hated this but (never thought I'd say this) thought it was amazing. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it in an ironic (School of Rock/Spinal Tap) way. But it made me smile, it made me bop, it kept me entertained) and it plain rocks. Teacher's Pet especially made me laugh. In a good way

Black Metal!

A classic!

I can definitely understand why Venom is considered a major influence on all metal. Every song hits hard and is unique while maintaining a cohesive theme.

quite goofy but really fun

Interesting album today. These guys were responsible for starting the black metal sub genre in the 80's. It's more thrash/speed metal at the point of this record, but I can imagine at the time how revolutionary this album/sound was. I mean, I'm comparing it to the black metal we see nowadays and this is like super soft compared to that, but in the 80's, a British band singing about hell and Satan with dark "evil" lyrics would have been hard as fuck. Solid album! Favorite songs: Don't Burn the Witch, Bursting Out, Heaven's on Fire, Leave Me In Hell, Die Hard, Nightmare, Raise the Dead, Black Metal, Teacher's Pet Least favorite songs: Buried Alive 4/5

i forgot how goofy and corny this album is LOL

I enjoyed this album listen! Typically metal is not my thing but I was digging the heavy metal vibes of this one. It’s not something I normally gravitate towards but I would listen to it again and recommend it to others!

Most people initial takeaway is that it sounds likebitnwas recorded on a tape player in a bathroom but the importance of the album to the genre can't be understated. Great riffs, aggression and gnarly vocals.

Thumping!