Reviews (page 2 of 8)
Dirty, Dirty, evil music
Holy shit dude. When I was 12-13 years old this is exactly what my tortured soul was searching for! This record was a decade old by then so I assumed it was stupid. Yes dude I know you love satan, trust me we all get it.
didn't liked not matching my taste i tried to like it but nop it's a next for me
Very generic.
too edgy, it insists upon itself
- it's fun .... it's also kinda crappy but I can see where it was ahead of the curve. -
You can hear every metal band after this. Sick stuff.
I just couldn't with this one...
Honestly, I don't love thrash metal, but I just found this really boring either way. Uninteresting lyrics, plain drums. Just nothing to get excited about Favorite Song: Buried Alive, At War With Satan
BLACK METAL!!! 🤘🤘
If someone were to parody ‘80s metal today, it would sound exactly like this. I couldn’t stop myself from laughing a few times at the cheesy, over-the-top lyrics and the theatrical, self-serious delivery. I can’t tell if it’s an act or if they were genuinely enthused about the idea of demons and such. Reminds me of a lot of early punk in its abrasiveness-for-abrasiveness’s sake. Musically I can see a through-line from Sabbath to Judas Priest to this, but these guys left behind the feeling and nuance and all that’s left is the monotonous pounding and thrashing of the instruments. Or maybe this dark metal just isn’t my thing. Who am I to judge? I give it two stars rather than one because it was, at least, interesting to listen to as a curiosity.
After a great opening track, it devolves into fairly standard NWOBHM with bad production quality. It's better as a historical artifact than a record you listen to.
Ik houd op zich best van metal, maar ik voel het niet... ik weet niet hoe ik het moet omschrijven maar het voelt heel leeg. De instrumenten komen niet tot hun recht (kan ook kwaliteit zijn, idk). Heb wel iets meer over de geschiedenis gelezen en als je het in zijn tijd plaatst dan neemt de kwaliteit wel iets toe denk ik. Maar toch geef ik 2 sterren, want er zijn andere metal albums die ik veel meer kan waarderen.
Better than Coldplay
Meh. Not something I'm really into.
pure slop, only satanist trash, this must be prohibited
Hell…. As in hell nah.
I can see the vision, and I can see this is foundational to a subgenre. That said, teacher’s pet is an absolute piece of shit of misogynist dross.
Could use some mastering so you can actually hear the vocals, but the instrumentation bangs
This is so fun! Repetitive, but fun. Probably not gonna choose it, but I thoroughly enjoy having listened to
Repeat listen
"Lay Down Your Soul To The Gods Rock N' Roll!"
In the week that Cronos died it’s cool to spin this. It’s not my personal favourite album, but it’s undeniable that without Venoms music, basically the whole world of extreme underground music I listen to would be different, so it has to get credit for being so influential on things I love.
It sure is dumb but it sure is fun!
Mood dependent? Not so good that I could listen to this whenever but ok?
el metal no es mi estilo, pero la verdad que tiene buena base. la voz es lo que me cuesta. pero pude escuchar la realidad, seria un 2,5. porque aunque no me gusta pude disfrutar
Me gustó, pero no sabría transitar muchos discos de este genero. Nota: 3.2
I mean, for metal this is kinda fun, no?
raw, old school metal. quite a good listen, but not one that I could do all in one go
N deu pra ouvir n
I can't tell if this is an act or not. Do Venom really love the Devil with all of their heart and can't wait to sing his praises in the form of a song? Or are Venom just putting on an act and laughing all the way to the bank and notoriety their music brings? This isn't terribly interesting music to me. If it is a put-on, I don't think it is clever and if this is serious then this music is pretty fucking juvenile. The lyrics would read like the diary entries from the goth kids in middle school. Am I supposed to like this ironically? There is much better thrash metal in this book and if Black Metal is in the book because of its influence on the genre, then I have to think there are better examples of this influence than this.
Mesmo que importante como surgimento de algo novo na cena, um dos discos que se tornou pilar do metal, ao mesmo tempo que, foi um dos culpados em criar uma das vertentes mais tenebrosas que existem: o black metal. Então musicalmente falando, é ok, há discos bem melhores inclusive. Nao me apetece muito
It wasn't good, but at least it wasn't boring?
Por fin un álbum de metal. No tocaba hace banda. Fundacional del género. Especialmente por la idea y visión en letras. En la música está en sonido llegando pero no es lo que luego se hizo. Es algo formativo. Basal en todo lo que vino después. 9/10
DNF. It’s what I thought it would be, with even more focus on gory death than expected.
Another classic album where I know and see the value of the album in music history for how it inspired other bands that came after them. There is nothing wrong with the music it self and I enjoyed some of the songs but its missing something for me. Or maybe its just the mixing and how the genre has evolved that made me accustom to metal with more going on and a clearer sound which I enjoy a lot more. I listened to a few of the bands newer songs and those had what I was missing so its more a sign of the time when this was made than anything else I think.
Very raw not great production but it gives it that raw sound on first listen I wasn't that impressed but it did grow on me once my ears adjusted to the weird production the vocals often felt recessed then way to forward but the guitar solos which are on most songs though recessed like it they were recorded way at the back of the room they were really good overall not bad a different sounds but grew on me
2.82
Mirá que no soy tan fan del género, pero este album me encanto!
Reminds me of van halen a lot
Shockingly shite
Absolute fucking garbage 🗑
Bit on the nose with all the Satanic shit. Can see why itd be banned. Bit of subtlety or creativity with lyrics would be better. Some Metallica esque parts and tuneful solos in parts but its just a bit of a Metal Satan wankfest innit. 1.5
Early Metallica feel
Talking or writing words about Venom, and about Black Metal as a record it is not talking or writing about one of the most iconic speed metal bands or albums. It is talking or writing about legacy and what comes with it. At first, Venom was thrown into the New Wave of British Heavy Metal with bands like Iron Maiden, and even Def Leppard. But the uncomfortable truth it's that wasn't their place. They were unique, special, charming, and they were challenging every label established by media releasing this album as their second one. Openly talking about witchcraft, satanism and sex without any kind of metaphor or description like most of rock and roll and heavy metal bands used to it (N.I.B by Black Sabbath it's probably the best example here) Venom took Heavy metal, speed metal and the recently born Thrash metal into a level of darkness no one had ever seen before. The aesthetic of the record influenced a whole generation of bands in Norway and gave a genre a name by itself. Euronymous used to describe his disdain for Death Metal bands, and actually Mayhem, his band in their first show played Black Metal as a statement. Quorthon from Bathory named the band thanks to Countess Bathory and so on and on. Many legends and stories, can be said, but With songs like the ones we just mentioned, along with Buried Alive or Sacrifice, this band from Newcastle took their previous album, Welcome to Hell and brought the darkness, the sorrow, and satanism to the extreme. And with them, came a generation of bands like Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth, Blitzkrieg, and in fact Pantera belongs on that group, since Phil Anselmo tattooed the wordmark and the cover of this record. As you can see, talking about this collection of songs in particular it is not talking about just a simply proto-black metal album. It is definitely more than that. It is talking about inspiration, legacy, projection and how much you can influence the whole world with a distinguished sound made to be remembered for generations. And with this record, the straight lyricism, the raw guitars tone, and the controversial imagery, Cronos, Mantas, and Abbadon achieved all of that. It is, without a doubt, A heritage to be proud of, forever and ever.
I understand why this made the list, I do like listening to sorta origin albums - it's clear this was at the start of an incredible era of music. Theres a couple songs I liked too! But overall it's not something I would put on again.
Not my thing at all.
Awful
The influence of this album is massive, I'm sure. I enjoyed it! (3.5)
Just because an album is considered important doesn’t make it good. I’ll grant the importance, and rate it on its musical merits.
A little much for me. But not as bad as I thought it would be. 2.5 stars
LOOK, I FIND IT MORE FUN WHEN K LISTEN TO +2 ALBUMS IN A DAY SO THIS TIME I'M PURPOSELY NOT LISTENING TO THEN The kind of album my grandparents would listen to me listening to and they'd freak out
More English bias. This album sounded like a parody. I kept thinking of the group Green Jellÿ from the ‘90s, who at least knew they were making dumb and fun music.
The guitar is good but the vocals feel so weak in comparison. I also thought I had a higher tolerance than most for cringy / hammy lyrics but apparently not. You can hear them so clearly too.
I will not include the bonus tracks from the 2002 CD reissue in this review. Ahh, yes, Venom. The band that would influence an entire new subgenre with the name of this here album, Black Metal, alongside the likes of thrash metal and extreme metal as a whole. I've been enjoying the band's music for nearly a decade now, so it comes as no surprise that I had a good time with this record, for the most part. The trademarks of Venom's sound are well represented here, with Cronos's gravelly vocals and thick bass riffs, Mantas's killer guitar riffs and soloing, and Abaddon's pummelling drumwork. The grainy production doesn't stop this band from unleashing unbridled fury across the title track, "Raise the Dead", "Leave Me in Hell", "Sacrifice", "Heaven's On Fire", and "Don't Burn the Witch", reveling in the Satanic imagery for the pure entertainment factor. It's fun and admittedly tongue-in-cheek in the presentation for a lot of these tunes. That said, for as much as I am accepting of the band's use of Satanism as a gimmick for their music, even I can't stomach the lyrics for the faux blues rock homage of "Teacher's Pet". The song, detailing a teenage boy's sexual encounter with his teacher, is not only grotesque but also just incongruent with the rest of this album. Now, some people will argue that Van Halen got away with similar subject matter on "Hot for Teacher" a few years later. To those people, I'm inclined to agree, because "Hot for Teacher" is fun, lighthearted, and nowhere near as graphically detailed as "Teacher's Pet". Finally, I wasn't as into closing out the album with a preview of the title track for the band's next record, At War With Satan. Apparently, Cronos thought it would be interesting to put a teaser for that album at the end of this one, as a "warning" to their fans of what was to come. Personally, if I enjoyed this album, I'm likely to pick up the next one; you don't need to resort to this marketing tactic, especially if it's going to cheapen the experience. All in all, despite a few glaring missteps, I had a good time with Black Metal. I'm sure there's a better record in Venom's catalog; their debut, Welcome to Hell, certainly comes to mind. But I get this album was likely included because its namesake was used in an entirely new subgenre of heavy music, and I can't argue with that.
Was okay
Surprisingly awesome 🤘
Hmmm People sometimes say to me "this is noisy and obnoxious - I'm sure you'll like it" Often this is true But this time, it really is just noisy and obnoxious I'm glad it's out there in the world, but it does not need to be in my collection
First introduction to black metal as a genre. Obviously this was quite influential but the sound just isn’t for me.
No private session used for Spotify. So many of these angry songs picked a basic theme, or lyric, and then just kept repeating it. I did not need to hear this before I die.
Thanks to Dedication by the Beastie Boys, I can't see this band's name without wanting to bellow: "Noo-castle! Where Venom comes from!" I would say if they're good enough for the Beasties, they're good enough for me, but I found this a bit tiresome.
2/5
Definitely not going to be everyone’s cup of tea but a massively influential album and band in the Metal scene. This is a really fun listen. Yes lyrically it’s a bit silly at times but for the most part it works, I could’ve lived without Teacher’s Pet though. Top Track - Raise The Dead
I'm not a fan of death metal or thrasher metal. I like more of the early metal or the type that others might pass off as hard rock. This album was not good for me. The first few songs weren't great, but I wasn't too annoyed.... until I heard Teacher's Pet. What a god awful song that was and the album did not improve from there. These guys made worshipping Satan seem lame. Not a fan; this will be my first 1 star album since beginning the project.
black metal? black metal.
Foundational metal album. Production sounds like a lot of others from that era but the music is pretty good if you can get past all of the lyrics. These guys sure do like to sing about Satan though. Album is totally fine.
A lot of fun! British metal kinda fell off in the 21st century huh
Incidentally I was just listening to a conversation on the value of inspirational media when the iterations of that inspiration that have come since are superior products. This conversation was in relation to the 2011 movie John Carter and how the 100 year old property was a major influence on the titans of science fiction and science fantasy that are far more familiar. While the original was innovative and inspirational its been surpassed by what it inspired. I feel the same way about this album which is the same age as me. At the time it was innovative and went on to inspire iterations that I find to be far superior. Is it worth listening to the originator? I suppose in a forensic dissection of the history of the genre, but am I excited to excavate those early unrefined works, not exactly. Was fine for the history lesson, but not something I'll revisit ever again.
These guys were apparently a formative influence on a lot of speed/thrash metal bands, which is not a genre I particularly care for. Unlike some of the other thrash bands I've listened to, they actually keep consistent tempos and stay in sync. The lyrics are still generic pseudo-Satanic gibberish growled in a variety of tempos, and the music still doesn't do much for me, but it's better than many other examples of the genre I've listened to.
Tight musicianship and raw power, but it's a bit over-the-top for me. I've read it was disruptive and set a foundation for new forms of metal to come, which makes the listen different
So things that I learned from this album - The abbreviation NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) - That these guys lied the ground work for heavier, darker, noisier metal music - That this isn't actually Black Metal, but heavy metal in stead So knowing all of this, it has been an interesting ride, putting it next to an Iron Maiden and Van Halen and Rush from a similar time, this one falls in the middle for me. I listened to it on quite nice headphones, so I could tell that the production wasn't fantastic, but as a former metalhead from the noughties, this hit home.
Interesting, with some truly moving moments along the way. If you're into labels, great—it's the beginning of a genre. But if you're more interested in the music, it's just a well-intentioned, generic heavy metal whatever 80's album.
5/10
Thoroughly enjoyed this for my shower day album. A little Motörhead, a little Metallica. It's nice to be able to understand the lyrics, and screaming guitar solos, balls to the wall drive and drums. I knew Venom from, kudos to Hairball John's metal radio show, In Memory Of, which was a banger. This whole album was a ride, shame my stereo doesn't go to 11. 4.
Its so corny and boring. i genuinely just couldnt get through all of it even though i tried. some cool solos though
A good metal album, for me I don't think it has something special to listen to it again
I'm not sure how I feel about this one before starting it. I like metal but it isn't something I listen to often. I've heard of Venom but haven not really ever listened to them. A low cumulative rating on this site doesn't necessarily mean I'm not going to like something, maybe this will be one of the exceptions? Ok so a minute in and I think this would be great if the vocals were better. It's going to be hard to make it through an hour of this voice. Halfway through and yeah the voice is a little off-putting for sure. The music is a bit repetitive, though well played. Production is awful. The lyrics are dumb bordering on asinine. All together though it kind of works and you can definitely see how much of an influence this album had on metal going forward. I don't know that I'd say I liked this album, but I didn't dislike it. A lot of the music was really great. I feel like if they had a better vocalist and better production, this would have been a great album. As it is, I'll give it 3/5.
A little too goofy and over the top for me. I can see the crumbs of influence of so many better bands from the years since this was released, but I’m not hearing anything worth listening to regularly here.
The correct way to approach this album is to think of it as homework. Hard it you don't get it, but once you do, you'll feel accomplished. Not an album I would listen to all the time, but then again I don't listen to Black Flag's Damaged, Bathory, or even Rakim on the regular for the same exact reason. I had a lot of fun hearing the early thrashy riffs and fast drumming. Vocals and Lyrics are doing something that had never been done before! A privilege that these recordings were documented!
Cringey lyrics. The guitar is actually kind of fun but still the songs are not great. Maybe if I was 14 years old when this came out I would've liked it.
Not for me.
I genuinely laughed when the singer managed to rhyme "Baphomets call" with "Aaarrgh!"
given all the negative reviews i read on here, i expected to hate this. i didn't hate this. the singer isn't great, and the lyrics seem like they may have inspired the creators of Spinal Tap, but I don't know, I thought it was kind of fun.
Are they for real or just taking the piss out of us?
I was a hard rock/metal kid and this album never made it into my musical ecosphere. One listen and you'll know why. Yet another Brit album that misses the mark and the point entirely of having a Top 1001 list of albums you must hear before you die. Vocal work is awful, he makes Lemmy Kilmeister sound like Freddy Mercury. The band is weak; one dimensional guitars, drums were recorded by a novice, the songs are dark and super corny ("To Hell & Back", "Raise The Dead", "Leave Me In Hell", "At War With Satan"). This album breaks no new ground, it has no hits, no one casually brings up the fact that they were a Venom fan before anyone else. Are they influential? I can see Danzig, King Diamond, Type O Negative and bands who came later listening to this and getting inspired. I am impressed by the listener counts though, the title track has 17M listens and a there's a 5M and 7M track, people are listening to this drivel somewhere. For such a dark unappealing album there's an audience out there lurking in a graveyard with their ouija board jammin' to Venom. Highlight: the short guitar solo in the sunshiney "Buried Alive". 2 stars. It's shit but I could listen to it if I had to. Take this off the list, please!
It sounds like what a non metal listener thinks metal sounds like. The singer screams like he’s set in flames, like he’s in pure agony every time.
Fantastic. I hear Melvins, Kyuss and lots of others in this.
Crazy to think that this was the beginning and influence which created mayhem 8 years later. Influential for sure, but unless from 3-4 tracks that were good... the rest was not received as great.
A solid listen, and an enjoyable relic of metal. The genre has come a long way and it may be influential, but I think there has been 5 or more better albums this year alone.
Álbum excelente de Thrash Metal. Muito influente e com um clima musical de terror muito legal. QoA Vesper.
Venom aus Newcastle upon Tyne nahmen ihr zweites Album innerhalb von nur sieben Tagen in den Impulse Studios auf, abgemischt wurde im Anschluss in den Utopia Studios in London; veröffentlicht wurde das Ergebnis 1982 über das britische Label Neat Records. Was als Heavy Metal der New Wave of British Heavy Metal begann, geriet unter den Händen von Cronos, Mantas und Abaddon zu einem rohen, fast unkontrollierten Lärm, der weit über die Genregrenzen seiner Zeit hinausging und dem späteren Black Metal nicht nur musikalisch, sondern auch namentlich den Weg bereitete. Der Klang ist bewusst schmutzig: kratzige Gitarren, ein dröhnender Bass und eine Produktion, die nichts glättet, sondern die Energie eines Kellerkonzerts einfängt. Songs wie "Black Metal", "Buried Alive" und "Countess Bathory" leben von dieser Kompromisslosigkeit – simple, treibende Riffs treffen auf eine Inszenierung aus Horror- und Satansimagerie, die damals schockierte und heute fast liebevoll altmodisch wirkt. Gerade die fehlende Politur macht die Wirkung aus; ein poliertes Studioalbum hätte diese Wucht nicht transportieren können. Im Rückblick wirkt "Black Metal" weniger wie ein fertiges Meisterwerk als wie eine Initialzündung – unperfekt, ungestüm, aber von historischer Tragweite. Man hört förmlich, wie hier ein ganzes Genre seinen Namen und seine erste Form bekommt. Ein roher Urknall, der einer ganzen Musikrichtung ihren Namen gab.
The Good: We get to bang our heads! The Bad: Got a haircut the other day, buzzcut not good for banging one’s head… The Ugly: Venom… I mean… You know… Poison… Metal is not my thing. I can handle a little here, and a little there… but these cats… wait, these bats, well, they are not my cup of Poison! Every Rose has it’s Thorns… am I right? Also, I am starting to get rating fatigue syndrome, and find myself with nothing to say about albums I don’t really care that much about. Will give the band 3* for effort
Perfect example of how an album can be historically relevant and barely tolerable
I don't be loving satan enough for this record lol
Overall: 7/10 The vocals are bad, the production is almost unlistenable and the instrumentation is kind of lackluster. None of that stopped me from having a really great time with album. Everybody has to start somewhere, and I hear so much of my favourite bands in this album that it wouldn't have shocked me if this came out a few years later than it did. If you enjoy bands like Slayer, Death or even Lamb of God, then you need to acknowledge how important this album is to the history of metal. I also enjoy that these guys don't take themselves seriously at all. For all of it's flaws, it's a fun album. Fav Song: Black Metal
4 out of 5. Breath of fresh air after getting Madonna and Sheryl Crow back-to-back.
Can we listen to Tenacious D? We have Tenacious D at home.
I have a tough time with the sound quality on this one. It's clearly so damn influential though. Will revisit.
hahaha absolutely not.
I have a play list called "Overly Dramatic Music" I'm resisting adding this ENTIRE album. Musically it's decent metal. You can tell its age based on it but still decent. The drum and guitar work are really good. The lyrics and singing.... I was in the car stopped at a light and went dude you need to bring this down to like an 8. I'm not mad he's going for it, but man, it's a lot during some of the songs. The lyrics are really basic too, like a kid trying to upset their parents and neighbor's. Combine that with the swinging for the fences singing and it's a bit cringe worthy. Not a bad listen. I'm not upset it's on the list but having never heard them before I want to know who heard them and started a band. I know there are a few out there.
This was lit; it reminds me of being in high school and binging Death's whole discography.
This genre just doesn’t do it for me
I expected this to be cheesier
This was better than I expected. I can see why this album inspired a whole sub genre of Metal. My problem was that most of the songs were about the same thing. So, that got to be a little boring. This album took me out of my comfort zone and I enjoyed myself. Would I listen to this album again? Probably not.
I was expecting not to like this at all but pleasantly surprised how much I did actually enjoy it.
Never heard of them before but they are clearly influential to the likes of Metallica, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath and Motörhead. A valiant effort but those who followed did it better.
It kinda grew on me a bit by the end, but there’s no getting over the fact the vocals are dreadful and spoil it. Missing link type album fair enough, but I’d much rather listen to what it spawned.
the good news is that i can tell what most of the lyrics are. the bad news is that a) most of them are pretty cheesy and b) the vocalist isn't, uh, particularly impressive. instrumentals are pretty decent at least.
I understand the significance of this record and why it's on here, but this just isn't for me.
It was interesting I'm glad I listened to it
Antes de mencionar qualquer aspecto subjetivo dessa gravação, preciso apontar o quão estéril é sua masterização, tudo tem um som plástico e plano, nada se destaca, é uma escuta totalmente banguela. A guitarra, que obviamente é o foco principal do álbum, fica escondida no fundo dos vocais anêmicos e de uma percussão monótona. Falta muita qualidade nessa gravação, muita mesmo. E aí entro na subjetividade do som e dos temas abordados, dos quais eu acho inteiramente toscos. Tudo soa como revolta pré adolescente, e um chamado incessante por atenção. Crianças do subúrbio, toquem isso pra irritar seus pais! Dito isso, há momentos ilustres, como o solo em Buried Alive, mas são poucos e curtos. Disco ruim. 2/5
Det här tillhör den sortens musik jag inte pallar. Var tvungen att stänga av efter tre låtar. Fattar inte storheten eller ens poängen. En etta
Like all metal, silly. Like the best, it's pretty fun. Lay down your soul to the gods rock and roll! All that needs to be said. Production still figuring out how to be heavy.
The more early metal I listen to, the more I think it was maybe just trash for a decade or two. Like I'm grateful for the influence and all, but this is not a very interesting album and sounds like it was written by a group of middle school boys who had too many Monsters.
The music is probably OK but the whole Satanic posing and faux fierce vocalist lost me almost immediately. I added the title track to my playlist.
obviously hugely influential to so much music i love but unfortunately just sounds bad and is stupid
not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue
Black metal genesis
I was an 80s thrash metal kid and respect the massive influence this band had on thrash and other extreme metal genres that followed. I only remember having 2 Venom albums as a kid and this wasn't one of them. They were 'At War With Satan' and 'Calm Before the Storm,' which were definitely albums to keep hidden from your parents in the 'Satanic Panic' era that swept the US in the 80s. That being said, I'm not a particularly big Venom fan. But I'll give this at least a 4 for the reaon that it was so highly influential. And Venom does still have one of the coolest logos in metal.
Incredibly iconic album. It's title and overall visual aesthetic spawned a whole, very controversial, genre. But not the music, however. This is definitely not Black Metal, but rather a humorous and fun take on 80's Speed Metal. Let's face it, it is meant to be funny. Just listen to "Teacher's Pet" and you get the idea. I liked it. And I'm very surprised such a carefree album influenced a genre known for how harsh and serious it is. There's no actual Black Metal on this list, which is a shame, but I encourage people to try some of the classics from the 90's, particularly those from Scandinavia. Bands like Darkthrone, Mayhem, Emperor, or Ulver are all good examples. Key tracks: Black Metal To Hell and Back Teacher's Pet
Not my genre but cool I guess
This was actually really fun to listen to in a quiet office of IT professionals
It's speedy
I enjoyed it and wouldn't say no to another listen but it didn’t have much variety it was a little monotonous.
It could have been the same song 11 times and I wouldn't have noticed.
I really enjoyed this album. I have heard of Venom before but had never listened. Really great metal in between a Black Sabbath tempo and the faster Maiden stuff.
Not a fan
Well, there's no guessing as to what this album is. I mean, the genre name is on the tin. I know very little about the metal subgenres, though I'm pretty sure black metal is quicker, more intense and more centered around occultic themes than your standard metal album. Ol' Satan on this album cover appears to be giving credence to my prediction. Anyways, here goes. Yeah. It's metal, awight. I'm not sure how to feel about this album, truth be told. It's another one of those releases where the first half failed to hook me, but I came to like the second half once I settled into the general style of the album. Now that I'm playing it back on shuffle as I write this review, there's a few things for me to appreciate. For one, the album features plenty of competent and tight guitar riffs. It also surprisingly benefits from the lo-fi sound. Normally, I hate lo-fi guitars (especially when they're on the more blown-out end of the spectrum), though this album toes the line quite well. The riffs are distinctive, purposeful and have a satisfying level of depth to them in both the audio fidelity and variety department. The percussion is also commendable, egging the crazy guitars along and underscoring their punchiness. The vocals aren't much to write home about, though they are enjoyable and do get the job done. I'm pretty far flung from being a metal fan, so I like to think it carries extra weight when I say this album was decent. Overall, I enjoyed this. Book time. This album coined the term black metal, whereas the origin of the genre can be traced to the Norwegian bands Mayhem and Emperor. The black metal genre came to international prominence in the 90s when a few black metal artists were arrested for murder and church burning. The style of this album was inspired by the charisma of Kiss and the lo-fi sound of punk. Venom lack the musical prowess of bands like Iron Maiden, but make up for it with imagination and humour. Part of the packaging for this album parodies anti-piracy disclaimers with the message that "Home taping is killing music ...So are Venom." That's amusing. Wikipedia says this album was an influential release in speed metal, thrash metal, death metal and black metal. Quite a lot of metals. While this album coined the "black metal" moniker, it's considered by revisionists to be a early form of extreme metal. Funnily enough, this album came full circle when its lyrics and general style influenced the trajectory of Norwegian black metal in the early 90s. The album was also well-received by critics and has received enduring acclaim in the years following release. It doesn't appear to have charted, however. Yeah, wow. I didn't think the album would have this much going for it, though it's evidently one of the most influential metal albums ever. Of course, it's a no-brainer as to whether I let this one through. I cosign this inclusion.
... wow... could not get into any tune... not sure why one would try. 1 hour and 5 minute play time on Apple; which correlates to 1 hour and 4 minutes too long...
Nerds
This is obviously an extremely influential album. Funnily enough, not for black metal, but for thrash such as Slayer, Metallica, et al. Regardless, this was a fantastic album, front to back.
This isn't exactly a work of art, but it's good fun
silly hearing br*tish bitches trying to be hard
Back and forth between noisy/annoying and good
Bien.
Ehhhh. Its some old school metal. Im glad it isnt what I know to be black metal, that atmospheric Scandinavian crap. Not into that. But this is fine. A bit too old-school for me but fine enough. Got some pep in its step and some cool guitars and drums. Not bad just not anything im looking to spin again. I like to see metal here on occasion just hoping the next one i get is a bit more interesting.
(light 7 out of 10) Venom as a band have more in common with Lordi than Celtic Frost or Mayhem, but that doesn't mean this isn't THAT corny or unserious. The band plays pretty gnarly sounding heavy and speed metal, the title track for instance is a declaration to metal's existence as a genre and is catchy as fuck. Other highlights for me are the slayer-adjacent "Raise the Dead" and the epic closer "Don't Burn The Witch" (even though it ends on a kind of confusing note). The main thing holding this record back for me is the production and sound. The guitars frankly, sound awful. When the bass guitar does make it's presence known it's pretty deep and rumbly (like the bass solo on Countess Bathory), but for the most part there's not a whole lot of low-end filling out the sound. The vocals are pretty much what you'd expect, but I prefer the overblown camp of say, Anvil, to this. It's just kind of grating after a while. Also the song "Teacher's Pet" just kind of sucks also lol. So yeah it's not perfect whatsoever, but it's pretty entertaining in pockets and I can definitely appreciate the importance of this band and this record in the greater picture of metal music, I just prefer what stemmed from this.
Eh. Not too bad but I was not massively impressed by it either.
They can certainly play their instruments but it's all a bit too raw for me.
Soundtrack for a sunny Sunday morning stroll through my neighborhood. Photographing birds that aren’t birds. Perfect.
I have to appreciate anyone that has the balls to say that they're the only Black Metal band in existence. Imagine looking at a band like Bathory or Mayhem and being like "you guys make that poser Death Metal stuff, my song about jerking it in front of my teacher is the real trve kvlt material." I can't appreciate the music as much. There's much better Metal on this list, although I can't really say that there's better Black Metal on the list since it's the only Black Metal album on the list. The title track is great and there are some good songs sprinkled about, but I'd rather be listening to another Slayer album instead.
Not as heavy as I anticipated. Wasn’t bad either tbf.
Too much. Too hard for my tastes.
Eh, not for me. 3.1/10
This is not for me. Not particularly interesting or original sounding.
In terms of actual sound, I kinda like this music; it's energetic and raw, the drums/guitar have some decent moments and get your head/feet moving... I think I have a hard time with the lyrics for the same reason that I have a hard time with growling in death metal. It's just this performative-edginess that comes across to me as really cringe. Doesn't help that I think the vocals are just the worst part anyway. Of its time, I guess, and maybe influenced some better stuff to come, but I'm definitely not a fan of Venom.
ngl I was low key excited for this to be an over the top blackened black metal album. Instead it sounds like an album made for people who like "REALLY HEAVY METAL" like imagine dragons. "look at me I listen to *black* metal aren't I cool" zzzz High 1
Eh, Metal isn't really my thing 2/5
Det var en fed oplevelse at høre! Klart i den bedre ende af metal scenen fra 80erne. Cool nok at kunne kalde sig Black metallens fædre.
Det fanger mig aldrig helt. Det er ikke dårligt, men jeg mangler noget. Måske nogle tempostift. Jeg skulle lige høre noget tidligt Metallica til sammenligning inden jeg kunne vurdere Venom. Og jeg må konstatere at Metallica er milevidt bedre.
Well, the name says it all
This is absolutely an album that needs to be on the list because of its influence but even in the mid 80s when I was an edgy high school kid the lyrics always seemed to border on parody
Musically speaking, this is incredibly sloppy, under produced speed metal that completely lacks structural complexity or technical finesse. However, from a historical metal perspective, its raw, unhinged energy and foundational role in birthing extreme metal subgenres earn it permanent respect.
15 minutes into this album it already started feeling tedious, which did not bode well for the following half hour. 80s metal struggled with recording quality, and Venom decided "you know what's better than generally poor recording? What if we just hung a single mic from a warehouse ceiling and played on the ground floor" and I mean here we go with the results. It's tedious to listen to, the bass is generally thin and muddy at the same time, and the vocals are shouted to the point of being out of breath every few words. It generally sounds more like punk than metal, which I'm not really opposed to punk, but there isn't a whole lot of musicality to what is put forth here. As another mark against it, it definitely feels very "I'm a teenage edgelord" with seemingly constant satanic references. I know the landscape was different in the early 80s but today it's more tired than shocking. Overall I recognize this is influential (to a genre I find no real positives in, but still) and I'm sure a lot of kids latched onto it back then, but it has aged very poorly and I don't find any value listening to it today, much less it being one of the albums I "have" to listen to before I die. I would have been perfectly fine without.
Super on the nose, an obvious product of its time. Favorite part of the album is the sound. Really dirty and garagey. Sets a tone that fits well with what they're out to accomplish. Some ripping guitar. I'm just not horny enough for Satan.
No
3.5 / 5 Best Song: Buried Alive Worst Song: Heaven's On Fire Weirdest Song: Buried Alive Honorable Mention: Countess Bathory ANGERYYYYYYY! No room for God here, not on this album! Satan rulezzz!!
#13 Prototypical thrash metal, with edgy lyrics about satan and death. It's just not my thing.
Tedious, unimaginative, and poorly executed Should be held to account
We get it, you hate religion. Now please stop screaming it in my damn ear.
OK
Fair play, I suppose on pushing the boundaries and creating a new sub-genre, though ultimately speed metal is one I can broadly live without
Very dull. The puking-sounding vocals get old immediately. I can't believe how long this album is relative to how uninspiring it is
Fucking loving this!! All the satanic lyrics, the sound, the voice. This gets 5 stars.
Solid, pretty hard hitting, nothing too mind-blowing
Goofy as hell but it's really not that bad.
Ugh
An extra star for being influencial, but still i couldnt listen to this.
I can imagine in '82 this was pretty revolutionary, but it's so hokey through my 21 century ears. I really want to honor the influence that this band had on so many others, but I was just embarrassed listening to it.
aight
If Ozzy and Spinal Tap spawned a tribute act that verged into comic parody then Venom is it's name
Actually a lot better than I expected
Sound becomes monotonous
Nope
Good thrash metal album just the singers vocal range was not impressive and the lyrics left a little lacking
uf no me gusta absolutamente nada esto 2/10
*Started off slow and I was thinking I would give it a 2. *By track 4 the speed metal kicked in and I was thinking a 4 or 5 *I settled on a 4 because its a 3 for the music with a bonus point for historical significance. The top tracks are great metal guitar.
Early metal album. Paving the way for bands like Metallica, megadeath and slayer. But it’s a bit too screamy and all over the place for me.
Dit heb ik altijd met Venom. Het mist gewoon muzikaliteit en vooral (muzikale) creativiteit. Echt niet te vergelijken met de rest van NWOBHM. Kortom, gebrek aan joie de vivre. Dit album is daar een pracht voorbeeld van, whack. Desondanks, wel echt veel invloed gehad op hardere metal stromingen dus dat moet ik ze meegeven. Bursting out 12” is goed.
Oh dear. Not a chance.
Hate it. Parts of the music is ok, but the overall sound is horrible.
Klassisk hård rock med råbe-vokal.
A sloppy mess but appreciate what's going on here. The hissing sound is a part of their charm. The goofy lyrical themes about Satan and death are it's charm. They paved the way for countless Black metal/Thrash/Speed metal bands. Hell, Bathory who technically invented Black Metal took their name from a song or maybe it was Elizabeth Bathory...who cares! So 5/5 for knowing the origins and what came after it. Don't be a dick and dismiss this album because it isn't your taste; you're here for a reason to challenge yourself with some difficult music or broaden your horizons. Know the history and don't judge it with current ears.
Puuh. Managed it through. Lot of what is expected by the album name. Also good that the singer needs to reassure us that it is "BLACK METAAAALLL"...
I don’t particularly like the guitars in metal songs. And when combined with lyrics I didn’t find particularly good, this is something I could do completely wirhout
I was tempted to give it 1 star just because of the genre but there was some actual good guitar work in there - now the singer and lyrics definitely deserve a 1 star!
I think I understand the significance of the album, but it doesn't make it any more enjoyable along the way. The lyrics are just on this side of parody.
Hopefully you aren’t hearing this album after you die
This was quite nice. Enjoy some short 80s metal. One of the songs had that tits out football chant in it too.
Not my thing
Horrible, just horrible.
Metallica meats Motorhead. Every song sounds the same. 3/10
My favourite genre of humour is 'let's pretend to be satanists and make deeply shit, boring and repetitive metal albums all about it.' Honestly hilarious. Rolled about laughing at that for a good hour this morning.
Not for me
Unsurprisingly, black metal
Why? My ears.
Definitely more into Iron Maiden but this was ok.
just not a metal guy, it all sounds the same
I am struggling to decide between 1 and 2 stars. Like, it's a 1 for me, but I can also appreciate their contribution to the genre. Or something.
Despite the title implying this to be a Black Metal project, Venom's 1982 release was in fact not that self proclaimed genre, but is instead considered Speed Metal and New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Venom's sophomore album is not nearly as egregious as I thought it would be as there were a few songs here I could get down with to a certain degree, but as an album the mixing and somewhat messy and inconsistent quality did unfortunately keep me from liking this project as a whole. You really have to pick your poison with this album in terms of what you are going to put up with and what can you move on from without too big of a deal. As with a lot of early Metal projects they can be very inconsistent because no one had a clear idea of what the genre could and should be until the mid to late 80s. I appreciate this being yet another early piece for the genre, but unfortunately it just isn't good enough for me to want to come back to ever.
I'm usually not a big fan of Speed Metal / NWOBHM, but in this case I found the gritty and dirty guitar distortion in combination with dark lyrics and growling vocals to be quite menacing and heavy, specially in the first three tracks, "Countess Bathory" and "Don't Burn the Witch". Among these song I've mentioned, I think "Black Metal" is the best one. It sets the tone of the album incredibly well and it has a really nice obscure tone to it, probably the darkest one too. The rest it is decent. The songs that I haven't mention feel way safer and aren't as menacing as the others, centering around on more conventional NWOBHM riffs, even though they keep the growls and lyricism about the devil, worshiping Satan, gore and other shocking themes. With all this being said, like many people, I have a big problem with this album, and it is the song "Teacher's Pet". Not only is this thing totally out of place, but the lyrics are also incredibly gross, which is funny to say when other songs have mentions to violations and gruesome deaths. It is basically a sexual fantasy about the singer and his teacher, but the worst offender is the guy confessing to be masturbating in class. Yikes. Either way, I think the album is decent. Regardless of enjoying the macabre aspect, it didn't change my opinion in NWOBHM.
More partial to progressive metal over heavy or black but this wasn't bad to listen to. The lyrics made me laugh with how utterly straight forward they are in their satanic focus. I would recommend this to metal fans if they haven't heard it yet and could find a place and time I would listen again depending on circumstance.
Historisch hat das sicherlich seinen Wert, aber mehr für mich dann auch nicht.
Would throw on again if I’m feeling edgy.
Quite a fun album for me as I tend to enjoy thrash metal! New to me band and I may explore more of their music in the future. I’m curious how much they were on Metallica and similar bands’ radar due to similar type music. Happy listening!
Nope!
1 - TERRIBLE
Grating, harsh and unpleasant... and yet the over-the-topness is pretty entertaining
1.6 This is what I think of when I hear “heavy metal.” This is crazy, death metal, just kinda yell-y over heavy bass. It’s interesting that people like it, and I guess I kind of don’t hate it? But I don’t enjoy it. I can respect that it commits to the satan worshiping craziness though
Well I can appreciate the technical accomplishment of the album and within its you know chronologically context release how it was embraced by the metal crowd, just really didn't do anything for me.
Honestly, that was pretty damn good. Am i metal head?
It didn’t last too long at least. Good for them for having so much influence but not my thing. Found it very lame. Rating: 1.3
Huge impact in the death metal culture but not a death metal fan.
This kind of stuff is not usually my jam. That said, I’d give the playing a 4. The vocals on the other hand are a good solid 2 (I know, not the point with this genre). Lyrical content mostly silly, another solid 2 (unfortunately I think this is somewhat the point of the genre). Glad to have heard it; probably don’t need to hear it again.
This may be the most accurately-titled album on the list. Musically it is just ok, although it wasn't until almost the end of the album that a track rose above the gravel into actually interesting territory. The lyrics are ridiculous, but that too is just an expected part of the genre. I'm sure that there are better examples to show this off. Favorite track: "Don't Burn the Witch" was OK
An album so influential it helped to create not only the aesthetic of a ehole genre it created one of it's own.
Pretty good proof that being "influential" isn't necessarily a good thing. Heavy enough to be in my sonic wheelhouse to some extent but deeply boring.
I appreciate the allusions to a distant past, reviving insane themes and stories. It's horror via the audio format. And I don't like horror so, not my cup of tea.
Metal is not my thing.
I'm assuming this band is responsible for the popularization of this genre. Because otherwise I don't see what's noteworthy about it.
is there a pro pedophilia song on here?? kind of like if Black Sabbath was a bunch of weird perverts (more than they already are)
Three stars because I appreciate what they did for the genre, but damn it was a lil repetitive
This certainly is an acquired taste that I don't share. I wouldn't say it's bad there's just nothing for me here. A lot of the songs kinda blend together, the lyrics not particularly deep. Feels like the parody metal music from Alan Wake. Expecting it to maybe have the lowest average score on here.
feels like if someone did a metal album as a joke
this is definitely not for me. but it's very well done and I can see why people would like it! I like the kind of unrefined sound it has and I feel like it accomplished what it sets out to achieve. I'm going to give it a 3 but it's definitely made me rethink my rating system as well.
I listened to this with headphones this morning. This one's pretty out there so I spared my wife's ears. Dig this album, it's a classic of the genre. Sometime in '83 I had a buddy give me this on cassette. It was probably a 3rd generation copy. The sound quality is pretty bad to begin with so my copy was mostly low volume and loud tape hiss. If you like this type of music you know how much it influenced the heavy styles that came after it. I don't listen to a lot of this type of music anymore, mostly because the lyrical content is so cheesy, I do enjoy the tempo and aggression of the music though. Totally deserves a spot on the list.
I’m done
I liked the theatrical quality of some songs but this genre is not for me.
I enjoyed the punk-y feel to this. Not terrible, but won't sit through the whole thing.
METAL.
Excellent hard driving metal album. Technically amazing but overall nothing standout for me personally.
HAIL SA-! Yeah, this a fun one
Some good metal
Jeg er en snydepels. Jeg kan simpelthen ikke lytte til hård metal i en time. Af alle genre nogensinde tror jeg faktisk godt jeg kan sige, at jeg hader metal mest.
hated this
Lyrics are repetitive, predictable, and at times cringe-worthy—“put it down towards her mound”? Vocals shout the same way through nearly every track, and the raw, chaotic energy just didn’t land for me. I can see why metal fans love it for attitude and influence, but as a casual listener, it’s a tough slog.
Fun lol
Well ok, list! This album is an interesting pick for inclusion. While it is influential, it's also known for sounding nothing like the subgenre of metal that shares its name. The book describes it as the "perfect parody", at least according to the album's Wikipedia article. As for the actual album, it's alright. The lyrics are dumb as hell(hence the parody bit), and the vocalist is the worst metal vocalist I've ever heard, but the majority of the album is fairly competent metal. It's not great, especially considering that the vastly superior Number of the Beast and Screaming for Vengeance(criminally not on the list) came out the same year. Being a metalhead, I want to like it, but I know that it's repetitive crap at the same time. Hell, even the riffs(the best part of any worthwhile metal song) are somehow more samey and repetitive than Motorhead, who are literally known for being repetitive. True Norwegian black metal is pretty much unlistenable, so this is at least a little better. Granted, it's offensively juvenile(Seriously, what the actual FUCK is Teacher's Pet?) and mostly terrible, but at least it's influential in some capacity.
I really thought that I wasn't going to enjoy this, but it turned out to not be too bad at all; even some quite good songs to be found on it!
This album is not really something that I would enjoy listening to nowadays, although I had a phase in school when I listened to music like that, but I mainly enjoyed the more melodic songs. In this album, there are a couple of songs that don't sound too bad, but it's just overall too intense to simply sit down and enjoy.
. A lot of screaming from the bowels of hell
Pretty decent speed/thrash. I prefer early Metallica to this. 2.5/5.
I really couldn't make it through the album.
Meh. Admittedly, I am not a big metal fan, but I can appreciate it. This just wasn’t my favorite of the genre.
It sounds like someone just released a boat load of religious frustration.
I’m bumping this one up one point, because I’m told it’s an influential album.
In 1982 I would dig this. Until I heard Ride The Lightning.
прослухала десь половину
Black Metal by Venom is a raw, chaotic, and hugely influential record that helped shape the future of extreme metal, even if it doesn’t sound like what we now call “black metal.” Built on fast, aggressive riffs, punk-like energy, and deliberately rough production, the album feels less like a polished work and more like a violent, rebellious statement—tracks like “Black Metal” and “Countess Bathory” hit with primal intensity rather than technical finesse. even though, im not a huge fan of it but it really peak my interest.
This is another one of those albums that has obviously been included because it was massively influential, but which has been completely eclipsed by those followers and has nothing more than historical significance.
Et album som ga navn til en sjanger. Derfor interessant at dette ikke akkurat er black metal slik vi kjenner det, men snarere en litt raskere og mer ekstrem heavy metal (altså speed metal). Jeg liker det i alle fall godt. Interessant tekst på Teacher’s Pet, må sies. Top 3: Countess Bathory, Buried Alive, Black Metal
Er Diavlo
Almost sounds like they’re trying too hard to soundike Metallica? Lyrics are more hell-related and not as deep.
Just no.
хитрый козел
We're buried alive, we're raising the dead, we're going to hell and back - crap then, crap now.
i was cringing the entire way through teacher's pet not gonna lie. otherwise i can respect this
This one isn't exactly 'my thing' but I did enjoy the listen. A bit rough but overall a decent metal record.
A gloriously stupid good time. Sophomoric satanism and schoolboy sexuality, power metal riffs chugging brilliantly, wild 80s lead guitar shredding \m/ it will never not be funny to think about the Christian illiterates getting trolled by this moronic bullshit.
Just a 1/5 through and through. Metallica is on this list a few times, so this record gets invalidated. Vocals that are so painfully on the nose. Really poor mix/master work, at least for the current version on Spotify. Couldn’t take it seriously after an honest 5 song effort
Not of My likeness, but this record is a huge influence in the gente, pioneers, is not easy to listen.
This is an undeniable classic, despite being such a niche sound that many will avoid it. So many dark metal bands have been influenced by this record. This was one of those "almost mainstream" type metal records that everyone was blown completely away by. Like or hate the whole "hail satan" thing, Venom is undeniable.
Not for me there's been way better metal on this list
Bueno
Truly horrible and unpleasant to listen to.
meh
Kann mit Metal nichts anfangen, aber hab schon schlimmeres aus der Ecke gehört.
Gute Gitarre, Gesang geht so, nichts besonderes
I like metal, especially nwobhm, but was never a fan of Venom
Interesting, fun, right up my street, but obviously not to everyone's taste. Clearly influential. Definitely a good one today.
these guys genuinely had nothing better to do than yell into a microphone for an hour
Was this one long awful song? My music has gotta have some melody. Sorry, fellas. Not for me.
capisco rilevanza storica, però mixaggio pessimo
4/10
Given this was 1983, I can hear echoes of its influences in industrial, grunge and various forms of metal from the late 80s and beyond. Still not my thing though.
I will preface by saying the I am not a big metal fan. The most I’ve done is accidentally go to a maiden concert but it was peak so… The volume for guitar and anything that’s not vocals sounds really muted like they’re playing through a wall. The guitar is actually pretty fun at times and sounds mean if not so muted. The lyrics are pretty boring I will say and usually just devolve into screaming the title or something which isn’t always a bad thing but a lot of the songs having this is boring. Opening to teachers pet actually pretty funny but most of these songs are just IM FROM HELLLLL!!! BURY ME IN CHAINS!!!!
I understand that it is influential and may have paved the way for what I think are just better thrash metal bands and albums, but I think it’s just a little boring and rough around the edges.
I like many genres of rock and metal but not so much any of this album. Some ok mosh type music but nothing I’ll remember in 20 minutes.
Initial reaction - this kinda rules 4 songs later - this is lame Next song - wait, is this cool? Very next song - no, this is not cool
I appreciate the energy and how wild this must have sounded in 1982 but I didn't really care for it even if it did inspire music I love.
Most people can agree that the Satanic Panic was overblown. Just because someone has dark themes in their music, it doesn't mean that they actually worship Satan. Fewer people on this site agree that "Black Metal" is a great album. I think it deserves more than a 2.4 overall rating. The drumming and riffs are so addictive. 4 stars for "Black Metal".
⭐️⭐️ No strong feelings. I'm sure this was a big deal when it came out, i just can't take it seriously. Bigger fans of metal would probably appreciate this album more than i did
3/5
Feels like one of those innovative kind of records that, while probably blowing minds at the time, does not hold up to current standards of today (at least for metal and for me). This is coming from someone who doesn't have the greatest knowledge/taste though i do love some classic metal bands/current ones.
ça me parle bien !
Not usually my thing but this was ok
Early metal cheesiness. It was hard to listen to at the start but it grew on me a bit the more I listened.
- Gets a lot of milage out of satanic imagery - Not as melodic as more famous metal bands - Liked 'Buried Alive' and 'Teacher's Pet'
Too heavy and 80’s
Tf is this shit
kut herrie
Not my genre but I really enjoyed it. I can understand why the album is on the list. If you enjoy any metal from the 80s and 90s you'll probably enjoy parts of this album
There is some cool stuff on here, but the recording is just so, so bad. I listened to some of their more modern stuff and it is much more enjoyable. That said...minus one star for Teacher's Pet. That song is gross and pure shit, right down to the twelve bar blues wank in the middle.
The music isn't that awful, but the bullshit shock rock satanism is just stupid. Takes me back to middle school with the wanna be headbangers walking around acting hard by drawing penatgrams on their books.
Tell me why I loved this??? Listened twice and then let Spotify play metal all day. I was so productive at my chores with this ơn.
1.75 - I like some metal, just not this metal.
I don't know if they genuinely worship the devil, but I imagine this album made a lot of parents concerned.
🎧TO HELL!! AND BACK!! 😈🤘🏻🎸
Thoughts before listening: Black metal is one genre I just don't get. I know this is an early version of the sound which hopefully won't have the Cookie Monster vocals, but I can't say I'm excited to hear this. I really don't have any interest in dark, satanic lyrics, and judging by the album cover this will likely have songs I won't want to hear. Review: Yeah so I'd say that this is not quite as extreme in either sound or lyrics as I had feared. I'd put their sound about in the same vein as Motorhead or even something like Iron Maiden. It's a bit murky and dense, but there are plenty of guitar solos sprinkled throughout and most songs gallop along at almost a punk pace. The lyrics are growled a bit, similar to Lemmy, but you can actually understand what they're saying. This of course means that I can hear the lyrics which are certainly dark, but more in a Misfits tongue in cheek/horror movie way. I still found myself skipping songs with lots of Satan references, but that wasn't the entire album. All in all this is a fine example of early metal that is nowhere near as extreme as the bands it influenced. Still though, I don't think I'll put any of these songs on the playlist. 3-stars
Not my thing, but definitely enjoyable enough. Is this where black metal gets its name?