Reviews (page 5 of 7)
Speed metal To hell and back Raise the dead
Sounds like ai-generated NWOBM, taking samples from many so-so artists and aiming for "generic, teen-pleasing noise"
как будто пародия, калька на блэк
Didn't care for this one very much
Is this an album I must have listened to before I die? No. Was this enjoyable? Also, no. Should you listen to this, even with the knowledge that this album was a pioneering metal album? Well, no. Should you listen to this even though the drummer and guitarists are genuinely talented, and their talents shine through in this bad album? Nah.
Had this on at the gym and honestly thats the only occasion I would listen to this. Sounded a bit motorhead to me. Teachers pet maybe the most memorable of the songs but mostly for the cringe lyrics
Genuinely terrible production, vocals, and lyrics. Some decent riffs and fun energy though so it's not all bad
It wasn't bad, it was just boring
too metal
horrível
Some songs were ok
Pretty much what I expected from the title. Not really a fan, a little too "in your face" most of the time. They have a couple of cool rifts though, the voice is rough but can still be heard plainly, so that's a plus
I was bracing something as bad as Napalm Death from the year and the album name, but this was surprisingly better. The sound quality is absolutely bad. The songs themselves at least have musicality. If I'd discovered this when I was 15 or 16, I would probably have liked it a lot, but in hindsight, this is just okay. Would give 2.5 stars, but deciding to round it down.
I jive with metal, but Ill flat out say that I didnt love this. The wiki described how yuge their influence was, so maybe its one of those bands you needed to be there for… or maybe its just that the 80s sucked 😂 The intro lick of Leave Me In Hell was cool. I hear motley crue on that
Hated this, then hated it a little less. They really went for it. The instrumental moments are pretty fun. The vocals are tough. I like the differences in dynamics in Buried Alive. Main takeaway is that Metallica really needs more songs about jerking off in the middle of class.
I get it. This is an influential album, the one that literally coined the genre. That's why it's in the list. I actually enjoyed it a bit, hence the extra star. However, it's just not my cup of tea. Hope you get it, too.
Black metal... black metal... black metal... black metal... black metal... black metal... The lyrics and delivery are just too goofy for me.
That was boring.
This is silly.
It’s not good is it. Nice cover though
A quote from Leave Me In Hell: "I don't want to be bored". Well, I was.
Not really my bag, but seems early for thrash. Guessing it was influential. Reminded me of Motorhead somewhat.
The lyrics are a bit cringey, but maybe that's because they're the genesis of so much black metal aesthetic. Music overall was fine but I couldn't help but largely find the songs almost parody-like in their content.
Strange album. Somehow it makes me think of a band trying to make great metal by playing fast and concentrating their lyrics on hell, satan etc. But the music is simply not interesting. A few parts where you think 'ok, now it's starting' but no, nothing follows. Maybe it's simply since it was 1982. Of course at that time one hadn't heard all the music which was to come so it probably was different at that time. But if it is like that, the album should have been omitted from this list.
I can't tell whether this album sounds like all other Black Metal, or if all other Black Metal sounds like this album. Either way, not really my thing. I prefer singing to screaming/growling. Teacher's Pet is a pretty funny track, though.
★★½
Normally I despise most speed metal, but this has a sort of rare artistic balance between grating and easy sounds. So I don't hate it. But I also don't really like it.
Important to the creation of its genre? Sure. Enjoyable? I’d say no.
Igh
Standard sounding metal. Not terrible I guess. High 2.
The best thing I can about this album is I made it through the entire thing. The vocals are guttural and muddy and the lyrics are pretty stupid, but at least I could understand most of what he was "singing". Not as bad as some of the thrash and death metal on this list, but still far from good. 1.5 if possible.
I did finish it I guess but man was I happy when it was over.
An album I feel is more overrated because of its title and album art, especially when compared to contemporary proto-black metal albums. Reads more like an edgy album without much substance (and very poor performances at times), but picks up significantly with the last few tracks. Couple of decent songs, but a lot to skip. Top tracks: Countless Bathory, Don't Burn the Witch
I was kinda excited to get this album but ultimately disappointed. They used to play Venom videos once in a while on TV late at night when I was a kid, and they scared me a little. Listening now they are so silly. Too silly to be taken seriously. And the fidelity is awful. I might put this on out of curiosity, but then turn it off after a song or two.
I saw a Blue Rodeo show today. That was great. This, on the other hand, absolutely blows.
Not my thing.
Some of the riffs are good, I find the vocals to be the reason to not go back to this album
Lots of fun. There are some really great theatrical moments and fun stuff. Not hugely enjoyable for me though as a full listen through
Maybe a perfect representation of rating albums on influence, culture or just my personal experience? It’s repetitive, it’s rough, it’s tedious but seems extremely important in the evolution of (thrash) metal. So I don’t know 🤷🏻♂️ It’s very rare that I do this, but I think I’ve got the picture after 3 tracks and probably going to leave it there (don’t worry, I still got the message - you love satan). Tara
Very Ronseal, this one. Does exactly what it says on the tin. Didn't know it at first, but I must have the title track on a various album somewhere as I recognised it. Other than that there are a lot of bands out there that do this worse, so not a 1 from me, but still only worth a 2.
Ugh this sucked!!! Only a 2 because some of the guitar work is stellar but the production of it was awful
I can see how this has been a great influence on a lot of other bands and I feel that it might deserve a better verdict then I'm giving. However I can't really give this more then 2 stars... It's just so dated, lyrics about hell and satan, they just seem a bit childish now. Musically it isn't very well developed, even though I can see where bands like Metallica have taken inspiration from this. Production is also not great
Weird
I can see why this was influential, but it sounds like it was recorded in a rusty can of sardines. I had to bail after 1 song and a half.
Not for me.
Kinda old school metal for my modern sensibilities
nope
While I can appreciate this for what it's done for metal, Venom is the ultimate one-trick pony. Black Metal is a rad track though.
This isn’t a genre of music I’d normally listen to. It’s not great. It’s very repetitive and the lyrics are poor. Hasn’t convinced me that this is something I should be listening to.
Pretty sub-par metal. But hey, metal has to start somewhere! Best Song: Don't Burn the Witch Rating: 4/10 Stars: 2/5
In spite of, or perhaps because of, their relentless energy, I found this a bit boring after a fashion. Every song at the same tempo with only some minor variations in the lyrics just didn’t do it for me.
I understand many metal bands point to this album as their inspiration, but the first two songs, in their juvenile composition, really put me off, despite the other songs being a bit better. I hope the demons and their followers don’t get too mad at me.
I don't really feel qualified to review this. The speedier, heavier, darker shades of metal just don't do it for me. This one was not particularly difficult to listen to, but I also didn't take much from it. 2.4/5
Maybe I wasn't in the mood for metal when this one popped up, but I definitely wasn't in the mood for mediocre metal.
Actually a decent album and I respect its history. Lyrically, it's dumb. Didn't hate it, but wouldn't listen again
This feels like a parody of a metal album
I don’t like metal whatsoever.
Pretty boring. Not much else to it. Wasn’t offensively bad, just wasn’t good either. Didn’t think it was “speed metal” but I guess I wouldn’t know.
*1982. English heavy metal. *Sounds like British Metallica. *Fine for what it is. Just not my thing. RATING - 5.5/10
Ostatni raz coś takiego słyszałem jak byłem w gimnazjum. Ładne, szybkie gitary, doceniam historie, ale nie dla mnie. 2/5
This sounds like my cousin. I was yearning for something with adrenaline, but the production on this is noticeably poor. It's so muddy, and it feels as if there's a layer of Vaseline separating myself and the music.
Too shouty and dark for me. I did dig the punk+metal sound though and can understand how it would appeal to some.
2/5
Not sure how keen I am on metal, so this should be interesting. edit: Didn't finish :/ Not the biggest on metal.
1.5 Too bad the vocals stink because the rest is pretty sweet
Not a metal fan
2.2 meh
This was never gonna be for me
It really hasn’t aged well... and it probably wasn’t that good in the beginning. I think I heard this album when I was 15 (and already a metal fan), and even back then I thought it was rather primitive, raw and murky. It’s so badly recorded it’s painful – I had to push my speakers to high volume to hear anything beyond a soup of messy distortions and static. The riffs are pretty bad, but there’s a few catchy songs here and there if you listen with a kind ear. It’s actually not very "metal", except for the menacing, depressed voice of the singer. It could almost be crust before crust was a thing. I won’t deny it was an influential album that contributed to the birth of black metal (mainly by cranking up the ridiculous « Yeah ! Satan ! » vibe), but I’d rather listen to other proto-black metal bands. I’ll give it a 2* for historical interest.
Feels like a parody album. So much better metal out there that could’ve been on this list.
ty for tenacious d, venom.
Venom in the closing seconds of "Teacher's Pet": Oh, wow, that was good! That was real good! Narrator: It wasn't.
Not awful - but close.
I had to Google this, to find out in Venom had invited Black Metal. They did! Which, it turns out, makes sense, because the lyrics to the title track are so formulaic they're what I'd write if you asked me to do a black metal song as a joke.
Något bättre än förväntat.
Am not a fan
Pretty rudimentary metal if I'm being honest. Noisy and not super interesting. Given the time this was released, I could see how these guys may have been considered pioneers in the metal scene, specifically speed and thrash metal. I genuinely can't tell if they're meaning to be silly throughout the album, as the satanic and nightmarish themes feel heavy-handed and almost earnest. It all sounds very unpolished too, but it seems that was intentional. Just makes me want to listen to Motörhead more than anything I guess.
mislio sam da će bit dno dna, na kraju je bilo podnošljivo. al praktički isto sranje deset puta, zadnja je stvar donekle drukčija
Not my type of music, but surprisingly pleasantly mixed. Normally bounce off of heavy metal because it's harsh, but this is fine. Has an almost live feel, which would normally be a bad thing, but I think helps in this genre so it's not just a wall of sound. Lyrics are just plain silly. Nothing awesome here, but it's not the worst. 2.
So absurd in its lyricism that it reached the point where I thought, “oh surely they’re in on the joke.” No. They are not in on the joke. It’s like they saw the satanic panic of the 80’s as a premier marketing opportunity and leaned in as hard as possible with the corniest satanist lyrics you’ve ever heard. Compare this with an album I genuinely love, Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden, which was also released in 1982, and the difference couldn’t be harsher. It gets two stars for the guitarist and drummer rockin their hearts out, even if the lead singer is ruining all their aura.
Imagine you're a disillusioned, disenfranchised youth in 1982... your choices are Olivia Newton John, Joan Jett, or... this. I know which I'm pickin 10 times out of 10! Lyrics are silly and mastering is awful and some of the songs on the back half are a silly slog, but the core guitar work is great. Hard to imagine that this is only 3 guys making so much noise.
Nope. No longer my speed. Monotonous.
I’ll have to remember this for the next time I sacrifice someone for Lucifer. This music not my thing right now but I bet it would be fun to see them live.
Sometimes albums are a pleasant surprise. Other times, you kind of exactly what to expect from the cover and that's definitely the case here. Venom were a low budget death metal band, exploring the stereotypical themes of satan worship, while pushing the edges of the genre into faster, growlier territory. I can see how it was very influential, but on its own, it sort of feels like a caricature of the genre. The points are mainly for significance here, as I don't think I'll end up listening to this one again.
To much devil. Had the potential to be an ok metal album but missed the mark
This is drama. It must have contributed to the Satanic Panic. It’s hard to imagine how this sounded for the first time as a genre back then. Now it sounds less hardcore and more performative in a bad way. Honestly dug all the intense guitar, but metal just isn’t for me. The lyrics and vocals took me out. We get it, Satan is cool
Felt like a caricature. Like WWE & Fright Fest combined. Some decent guitar but the singing and lyrics are so cheesy. Easier to get through than the last album but felt repetitive and got boring.
I understood why some people like some of the songs. But 90% of this album was noise. I honestly had to listen to it while I was playing it in the living room and I was in the bedroom 😂
I’m open to heavy metal but this didn’t do it for me. Was fun going on a Wikipedia deep dive on heavy metal sub genres though. This album is more thrash metal than black metal, despite the album title.
2- Stars (4/15)
Feels like more modern punk/thrash metal for '81. Some good riffs, but album souded like it was recorded in the next room with 1 mic! Probably wouldn't listen to again.
Leaned so heavy into the Satan theme that it gets a bit cringey after a while. I'm guessing they were trying to be as shocking as possible especially for the time this came out. Album needs a remastered or something, vocals sounded like they were recorded down the hall from the mic. A better balance could really improve the experience
this album was whatever to me but im sure its for some people…
Black Metal - Music for edgelords by edgelords. 3/10
Started strong and silly. Teacher's pet was so bad though that I was taken out of this record entirely and now I have to give this album a soft 2/5
And I thought Black Sabbath had a lot of Satan talk! In this one, Satan gets they/them pronouns. Baphomet also receives several shoutouts. That's not why I'm giving it a 2, mind you; the lyrics are interesting enough. I just sure don't like this heavy guitar and this growly style of singing. Or the random foray into Literotica.com territory, even if it made me lol. Highlight: `[Countess Bathory]'s riff also bears resemblance to the intro of the 1991 Nirvana hit song "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Years later, Lant had the opportunity to ask Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, whom he collaborated with on Grohl's heavy metal side project Probot, if they had taken inspiration from the band's 1982 song. Grohl did not give Lant a response.' (from Wiki)
I’m just not a metal guy. That has been reaffirmed with this list as not a single one has been able to break through. I can hear how this was influential but it doesn’t make me like it. 2/5
Solid riffs. Lyrics need work.
A few cool riffs. But ultimately pretty terrible.
Not a shocker that "This is Spinal Tap" was released two years after this album came out.
I didn't like this. Bad production killed any interesting potential I could see in this. But it was influential, so deserved spot on the list.
4/10 It’s no Dean Blunt
Some songs aren't too annoying but the vocals certainly are. 2 stars or D-.
So mid. No good songs.
Didn't like the mixing, songs very similar
I just don't like metal. This one is kind of silly though.
'Buried Alive' is joyous and uplifting! There are some decent heavy riffs in here but the lyrics and voice are silly, especially the spoken stuff! I'd rather listen to this than some feeble 'Christian Rock' though.
Wie de Tetel seid esches halt Black Metal. S Deng a dem esch halt dass es e rächt begränzti Zuegänglechkeit hed. Ech zom Biispel fühle so die Art z Senge and t absänz vonere Rechige Melodie ond Akkörd of t Tuur ned so Geil. Ech ha drom au nie gross s Bedürfnis gha do wiiter z lose. Wenn Black Metal denn lieber öppis wie AC/DC. Trotzdem esch es för sis Genre no relativ guet.s Schlagzüüg esch no guet gspelt ond t Rockgitarre eigenltech au.
Day508 - i’m not a death metal fan by any means but i wonder what the reaction was forty years ago. listening now and reading the lyrics it sounds silly
I'm only really aware of Venom through the ridiculousness of their song titles In League With Satan...At War With Satan (come on guys, which one is it, make your mind up). The latter is previewed here at the end of this album but i don't really feel I need to go and check it out. Overall this is pretty silly and kind of fun, but the fact it inspired an entire genre (black metal) that is anathema to me from everything I have heard means that if anything I'm knocking a point off for influence rather than recognising it in my rating.
Scrapes a 2 because many of the lyrics hit well shortly after the death of the pope.
An oddity but maybe a step in metals evolution all pretty mono in texture and lyrics, part Motörhead but all devil worship. Not high pitched singing, not unlistenable but wouldn’t choose again.
Influential for many reasons yet... Some of the worst drumming in history
are they trying to be a parody type band? like Spinal Tap?
Very poorly mixed, and metal was a dumb genre to begin with...
I'm generally quite partial to a bit of metal, but I simply can't consider this album more than an OK listen. I've listened to my fair share of heavy metal throughout my life and I didn't find this album pulling me in like some others have. I am, however, well aware of this album's influence and standing, and I can definitely see it as well-deserved after listening to the whole thing.
Don't like metal
Maybe just not in the mood for the album but wasn't feeling the heavy metal
1982. Heavy rocking metal that seems pretty par.
This was better than expected, only because, after seeing the album name, band logo, picture of the dudes in spotify, etc., the bar was waaaaaaaaaay too low
Sehr dunkler Metal, ein paar melodisch schöne Stellen. Aber überwiegend gehen die Stimmen in Richtung "Geschrei", das ist nicht meins. 2/5
Influence has to be taken into consideration, but it isn't all that great
Thank fuck that's over. Awful
Sounds like a punk band impersonating a metal band. Not awful but not sure why I would listen to this over other thrash records
Black metal is not really my taste.
This is 100% not for middle-aged guy me. That being said, it reminded me a lot of the nonsense that teenage me was listening to in the 80's. So I just couldn't bring myself to hate it.
Goofy as hell
This is probably as good a score as I can give any metal record. It's silly, it's brash, it's fun. So I only just about don't like it.
not my jam really. black metal is cool, but i wouldn’t choose to listen to it.
Assim disse Gino: parece metálica só que pro demônio Faço as palavras do Gino as minhas.
Medicore metal
Satan looks kind of cuddly on the cover doesn't he? Like you just want to scratch his chin and give him a little treat...awww...go play in the yard like a good little demon! Funny to hear the early 80s reverb on this - tends to kill the evil mood they're going for and combined with the lyrics it makes it sound appropriately back of the middle-school cafeteria comic book hilarious. This is not my bag in any way but it's *slightly* more melodic than the genre/s this spawned and I can obviously hear the influence on (much worse/more offensively-loud) speed metal to come. 3/10 2 stars.
C'est ok si on écoute l'album comme du punk, voire du trash. Mais dans le registre du heavy metal, on est tellement loin des meilleurs ...
Definitely not my taste but I think that the music is not bad in its style
Metal that os
So yeah, it had a huge influence on metal, yeah, it was shocking, and yeah, it hasn’t aged all that well. Some solid thrash and hardcore punk dynamics, for sure, but not that many, and the over-the-top cliché satanism—probably a reaction to the conservative climate of the ’80s—can (and should) now make us smile. “Sacrifice, oh so nice!” Take it with about fifteen layers of irony—unlike our Norwegian friends— and, at the end, it is quite funny.
Cute
I didn't manage to get into this album. Wasn't really my thing.
Even though I love metal, sometimes it's just *too* metal isn't it
It sounds like a parody at times. Not sure if it was meant to be. That would make it better. Self-awareness is certainly not an issue - when they sing 'brain haemorrhage is the cure' you have to applaud them for their perceptiveness. Henry Rollins said they were like Spinal Tap and he has a point. 'Teachers Pet' is the best song Spinal Tap never wrote. It's not abject. It's not Pantera levels of being execrable. It's just a bad attempt at Motörhead is all.
Edgy, but boring.
Reminds me of the black metal band they listen to in "Dark."
1 metal - 1.5 2. hell - 1.5 3. buried - 1 4. dead - 1.5 5. pet - 1.5 6. leave - 1.5 7. zacrifice - 2 8. fire - 1.5 9. countezz - 1 10. burn - 1.5 11. zatan - 1 12. out - 1.5 13. black - 1.5 14. night - 1 15. crouud - 1.5 16. blood - 1 17. hard - 1.5 18. acid - 1 19. burzting - 1 20. houndz - 1.5
Black Metal was the nickname of Lens 5th wife. He met her in a strip club! 1.5
This really was something, I'd imagine it was quite wild for early 80s hard rock. But ultimately pretty dire.
If only I were 12 years old. Or maybe one of their songs played over a Jackass segment and I did hear it when I was 12. Seems very likely! It’s influential but it’s also incredibly corny.
80s heavy metal. Speed metal, trash metal. Most certainly fast. Very influential. Does what it says on the tin. Production isn’t great.
No thank you. It's metal with bad vocals. I have liked some metal in the past, but the stuff I liked had some redeeming qualities, like melodies, interesting percussion, occasional strings, etc. This album has none of that.
njae inte så himla bra
God that was an effort to listen to. Granted, Metal is not my thing, and I’m sure it’s very good at what it’s trying to do. But I’d happily never listen to any of that ever again.
Really great satire of heavy metal. The devil worshipping and death shtick was funny. Wait, this isn’t satire? Oh dear, oh dear.
Satanic thrash and heavy metal, with muffled noisy production (which can be a detriment or bonus, depending on the person). The Satan stuff is really the focus, and while there are some cool riffs and shredddy solos, the music just didn’t really stand out to me. It comes in strong and hot, but the novelty wears off somewhat quickly. The speedy, thrash songs hit harder than the plodding ones. More influential than it is good.
Fairly generic metal. not interesting
The black metal songs are bad, and the melodious songs are too few.
i tried to enjoy this but i couldnt. i thought it was boring and redundant, i didnt like the production or the mixing, there were some cool guitar riffs here and there but the performances werent anything too great either. idk just an underwhelming album, is all. not completely terrible though, just pretty bad. but maybe its just me.
Despite the lo-fi production and the uninspired vocals—mainly just screaming—this album seems to have inspired the whole black/extreme metal genre. This may be an indication of low quality in that genre in general, but I won't go into that any further.
Black Metal with lots of noisy growling, the guitar is showy, fast and intricate at times.
Old school metal, it was okay
Yeah I heard these guys play back in '87. Except they were my teenage neighbors playing in a garage wearing cheap leather jackets and chains and playing everything off key and off beat. And they had a pentangle painted on the floor.
3/10…Black Metall…mit schlechter Soundqualität und mäßigen Songs
Not my fav
Eyeroll. I like metal, but this sounds like it was recorded in their mom's basement. Also the whole "I'm a badass satanist" is cringey.
Gear: Abyss DIANA MR Artwork: ⸸ 𖤐 ⁶⁶⁶ Production: 🧏♂️📏💩 Music: 🖤⌛🥱 Rating: 🐐(🐐)/5
Op zich niet heel slecht denk ik, maar ik vind het ook niet heel bijzonder. Het is geen ongeinspireerde bagger en het is ook niet heel melodieus. Geen idee. **
Always wished I could get into this type of music but it just sounds like noise.
I was well disappointed by Black Metal, given it should be right up my street and especially given what else was going on on the world of hard rock and metal around this time. The vocals are shit and most of the songs just really forgettable; the only one I liked was Burstin' Out, had strong Motorhead vibes, but that was on the bonus re-release stuff, so doesn't really give it much credit. 2.
Another bloated and not particularly good album. It's pretty one note, the vocals are so dull, and the instrumental bits aren't much better. Somehow they've managed to make a metal album without much energy - metal albums to benefit from slowing down in places but this one never really gets going. 2/5.
This genre doesn't appeal to me much. I would say it's historically significant, except earlier output from this genre (70s and early 80s) were more harmonically and rhythmically complex, had more discernible singing/lyrics, and overall represented a more "golden" era of metal. (Think Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy.) Another inclusion on this list that I don't really understand. Sure, there's a ton of energy and it's actually pretty fun to thrash your mullet to at first – but in the latter half, the unrelenting fury starts to sound a little artificial and repetitive. 2/5 Key tracks: Black Metal, To Hell and Back, Countess Bathory
I know this album is influential (and Don't Burn the Witch is a real banger), but I'd rather be listening to Motorhead.
Teacher's Pet is pretty terrible. The rest not quite so bad. I don't like the vocals, but the instrumentals are not too bad. A low two.
this felt like a metallica parody
Metal is generally the kind of thing you expect to elicit strong reactions in one direction or another, but I found this album surprisingly meh. It mostly strikes me as really corny -- it sounds like a caricature of whatever this kind of metal is. I also find the whole hail satan schtick to be really goofy and kinda lame. I really just don't get it or see the appeal. If the whole satanic angle doesn't do it for you, there's not a whole lot else to get excited about in this album. The production/sound quality is very low, the rhythms are very simple and very repetitive, the guitar is alternately very power chord and very deeleleleleleldleleleledleeleleleleledlelelee. The guy's voice is unpleasant to me. I don't hate it, but there's also nothing I particularly like about it. 4/10
Just ok, I guess. I didn't find it ground breaking. Though it might have been in '78. Just kinda fast, and kinda in sync. Mostly just sounded like a garage band. Not a fan of the singer's voice or melodies (or lack thereof). Just not my thing.
Was a bit of a slog to get through. Influential it is, but great it is not. 2/5
People, let's just stop pretending this is good. It sounds more like a bad version of motorhead than like the genre that was named after them. The lyrics are immature and silly. They don't play very well, the singer is pretty bad. I'm sure it was quite something when it was new, but nothing justifies listening to this album anymore.
nah
Shockingly not terrible
Just a bunch of silly guys doing silly stuff, even if they would have liked you to believe otherwise. I didn't have much fun with it at all, but clearly they did, so that counts for something.
Not bad for metal!!! Production sucked tho lol
It's the UK's version of Metallica. Take from that what you will. Favorite Song: "Raise The Dead"
As stale and generic as a name like Black Metal can be, definitely trying too hard
Yikes. No
I hear the influence, but I don't hear anything I like. Favorites were Don't Burn the Witch and Buried Alive.
You can definitely tell the influence this one had on subgenres like Thrash. Unfortunately I don’t think I would return to this one much. Everything also just sounds kinda muddy. Highlights were Black Metal, Leave Me In Hell, and Sacrifice.
Not bad. No Motorhead or the like.
We may be thankful to Venom for introduction, and basically creation, of new genre that so many of us love and appreciate, but it's honestly almost unlistenable 42 years later. Points for inspiration, but also a lot of points deducted for a pretty weak album.
without doubt a seminal album in the history of heavy metal, but I think it suffers from a lack of melody and is too relentlessly doomladen
Vrienden, ik weet niet wat ik heb misdaan maar het algoritme wil me breken. Ik luister vandaag Tim Boklul (schel), Lighting Bolt (schel) en nu dit. Ook dit album bevat onderdelen die ik echt wel kan waarderen, maar de uitwerking is weer abominabel. Het klinkt als een soort bootleg opname van een (relatief strak, dat moet ik toegeven) liveoptreden in een uit de kluiten gewassen boerenschuur. En dan vanaf net buiten de grote schuifdeuren opgenomen. De zanger klinkt als iemand die niet kan grunten, die iemand die grunt nadoet. Op zich heb ik wel respect voor dit soort grondleggers, maar qua cijfer kan ik hier niet mee gaan stunten. 2 sterren, en dat is omdat ik net van Lightning Bolt af kom. En omdat de gitaren aardig hun best doen.
This just isn’t for me.
i just can't take satan oriented death metal seriously. reeks of "i'm 14 and this is edgy"
An interesting experience in the black metal space as aptly named.
2.5
I honestly don’t know how seriously I am meant to be taking this. I mean, I looked at the picture of Cronos on his Wikipedia page and he cannot be entirely serious surely? This is very masculine isn’t it, I picture the crowd all standing head banging and doing the rock horns with their pints of snakebite and black. Not for me. Apparently it was very influential though, so I’ll give them that
General impression: generic but well-executed thrash/speed metal Detailed review: It just gives off a very typical metalhead vibe. Unshaven, ragged and faded black t-shirt, long hair, a little beefy a little flabby, gravel-voiced, shouting about the darkness and Satan and rebelliousness. Nothing surprising or artsy. Deeper thoughts (context): The Number of the Beast came out this same year. Sorry to this band, but this just doesn’t compare. I guess Iron Maiden has a more polished sound, and these guys are more gritty, which some people probably prefer.
Metal is a genre overlooked on this project--it's no britpop, apparently. But I found myself less than impressed with Venom, though it is a great band name. Black Metal sounds like a bunch of tryhards, and I do understand they sound like that because they were pioneers. The lyrics were predictable. The song titles were right on brand at least. All in all, not a bad listen, just maybe cringe-worthy at times.
I have beat this topic like a dead horse, but here we are again: just because an album has historical and influential significance on music does NOT mean I should hear it before I die! This is not a music history project, this is (supposed to be) a best of the best list. This album no doubt played a part in pioneering some metal subgenres and the very outward heavy mentioning of Satanism, and is important in that regard. But so many bands did this all so much better and deserve a spot as a "must listen" over this. Parts of this album felt cringe and corny, despite trying very hard to be taken seriously.
Meh.
This was unintentionally hilarious.
Some of this was ok. What I struggled with were the lyrics and the vocal delivery.
It was ok, but a bit repetitive. I could see why people might like it, but it wasn't for me.
I'm sure this is here because its super influential and where black metal comes from, but as an album its simultaneously cool and a bit boring. Sound quality is poor, songwriting all kinda blends together, hard to understand and hear the lyrics, the whole album kinda sounds like if you stood outside a black metal concert to some extent and overhead "this is sort of what black metal sounds like"...
The fact that I got to the end of it, albeit only as background noise at work, merits a 2 in my rating system. Wouldn't want to listen to it again though.
I don't know, man. It was just silly. I didn't mind listening to it while doing something else, but to the extent that it was 'satanic', it seemed more performative than anything else. I just felt like they were trying too hard to be edgy. And I know that's the point, but also I don't care. I wouldn't give anything on here a second listen.
2.5 an influential album but by todays standards for metal it’s not great
Was digging it at 1st. Teachers Pet was absolutely awful. Then it just started feeling more & more like a bad parody of a metal album.
Sounds like shit
This was okay. I don’t really care for the drama or his voice
Where's the pipe organs? Where are the Norwegians? This wasn't what I thought it was going to be, but then I looked at the year. All in all this isn't bad, but is a product of it's time. It has some driving riffs and nice story telling lyrics, but all around is pretty forgettable. Not for me.
Never heard of this band before, but I can see why this was included, as it's seems this band were one of the trail blazers where UK heavy metal was concerned. There are a couple of decent songs, and a few laughably terrible ones, but apart from the sheer heaviness and volume, I don't think Venom really pushed the envelope that much, considering other bands that were their contemporaries. Most of these songs really just sound like jokes, intended to get a rise out of the conservative parents of the 80s. I guess it's not really meant to be taken that seriously!
Still not my thing
There's a lot of heavy metal out there that I like, but the only thing that distinguishes this one is the so-over-the-top-it-has-to-be-parody-right Satanic lyrics. It's almost funny in its ridiculousness, but the fact that it spawned a whole subgenre of music that is responsible for some legitimately awful stuff is enough to keep from just dismissing it out of hand.
It is too long and almost sounds like a ridiculous stereotype of a metal album. There were some funny moments on it though
Ok we get it, you can play those same couple of power chords really really fast, but what else ya got? I much prefer the Black Sabbath variety of metal where the music is a lot more varied and there is a lot more melody to it rather than bashing their skulls in on the same couple of musical concepts for an hour plus.
unfortunately a lot of this was just noise in my opinion
Call it a 2.5. Surprisingly clear lyrics. I'm middling on the assortment of noises in addition to instruments.
4/10
Historical value but this really doesn't stand up in 2024
thank god not every song was like the first track this album is kinda corny but i appreciate its importance to the genre and it’s one that grew on me quite a bit as it went on but never particularly amazed me it is also a completely personal taste, but i really do not like the lead vocals on this album!!! 2/5 but it could be a 2.5/5 only for some of the very sick guitar work on this
This sounds much tamer than sm like Black Flag which is not so good for an album titled Black Metal. Also it doesn't sound too good.
Why? Why is this on this list?
Nothing special.
Like the guitar. Need earplugs
3.5/10
It's just noise, for the most part.
ughhhh. why are all metal albums long. Feel like I go back n forth on metal and today I just was not in the mood at all. the start of the album woke the poor cat from her nap 👎
3.5/10 - See System of a Down review but a few less H's
Metal still bad
Bearable but I wouldn’t go out of my way to listen to it. I’d definitely choose this over some of the black metal that came out later on but that’s just me
Honestly? I can appreciate what this has done for the metal genre, but as an album it’s not really that great.
Nothing terrible just didn't enjoy it really
holy moly make it stop. uninspired, boring and a weak voice, maybe i want my jazz albums back after all. i feel like i went to hell and back while listening to this cralbum (cralbum = crap album).
It's fascinating to listen to, as it's obviously very very influential. It's also very difficult to listen to as a drummer, as he's clearly terrible. It's a fun pastiche of every metal lyric but also bad. Presumably bad in a way that lots of very important musicians found to be good.
One of the better metal albums I’ve heard but still didn’t enjoy it. 2.5/5
Not for me.
Pretty cliché metal album. Great band name, though.
I think Countess Bathory saves this from an otherwise easy 1
Considering it's the namesake of one of the most extreme musical genres out there, and that its cover is literally just Satan's face, this is a surprisingly sludgy and unexciting album. The singer's deadpan grunt drags the tone down more often than not, and the guitar solos are pretty good but they're few and far between. All that said, I would have liked this less if it was actual black metal, so there weren't many ways to win me over here. Best song: Buried Alive
Venom seems to be inspired a lot by Motörhead, Deep Purple, and other heavy metal bands rather than strictly metal bands. But they also managed to pave the way for thrash metal, death metal, and of course black metal for which they lent the name. Generally I think I prefer the more melodic metal of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, or the even heavier thrash of Metallica. But the black metal of Venom did help certain specific Scandinavian metal genres develop which lead to bands like Opeth, Emperor, and others. I think Venom are unfortunately outclassed by Slayer who were doing similar things in the 80s.
There's a couple standouts here, but this album is kind of a prototype for the stuff that would end up being formative for me
This is not for me! I really don't enjoy the style of whatever was going on there, but I'm sure this is a band my dad loves.
didn't realize tom hardy had it in him! 2.5
Black Metal
Not completely terrible, but I did not enjoy it and I will never listen to it again. It was hard to tell if it was cliched, or the precursor to those cliches, but I've certainly heard a lot better metal.
Not my jam, not my genre But at least the screaming seems almost like signing, not just screaming. The guitar and drums are not always just loud noise, but actual music (that is pretty good at time). They are actually signing about something and not just whining about how horrible life is. These guys are making legit satanic music and are proud of it. They also might be angry and are at least doing it in a way that is musical. Not my thing...but at least it has elements of music in it.
This sounds pretty dated, but it was alright. Couldn’t really pick out a highlight. I could see how fans of Metallica or Megadeth would find this to be an interesting foundational step towards their favorite bands, but there’s not much else here of value. The production is pretty clunky and the songs aren’t very memorable.
Oooo I can just picture the Cheeto-eating, fedora wearing, ponytail having, katana wielding basement dweller who thinks this is the best album of all time.
Why?
Not bad. Not my sound but I can see some general appeal to the quality of musicality on the album.
To much, only make it thought the first song 2 stars
Boring and weird
Tässä on huvittavien lyriikoiden lisäksi sellaista aitoa asennetta, joka harvoin uudemmasta metallista välittyy. Mutta ei tälle silti voi kahta enempää antaa.
Huutista näille lyriikoille :D varmaan ollu kova joskus mutta nyt vaikee kuunnella vakavalla naamalla. 2/5 kun kuitenkin oli erilaista kun mitä listalla muuten.
Ali Express Motorhead
The unrefined Metallica
I might have dug this when I was 17, but not so much as an adult. Although I never really cared for the whole demon aesthetic. I can see how this could have been pretty influential though.
riff og riff hér og þar en frekar slappt. ekki mjög þungt eða kraftmikið. málmur fyrir vanvita.
Foundational? Yes! Enjoyable 42 years later? Not particularly as a whole. This record is one in which I would occasionally grab a track from to throw into a metal mix but not one that I would throw on in its entirety. While it may have sounded revolutionary at the time, in a genre that consistently pushes the "extreme" button it sounds tame today.
banal og tydeligvis indflydelsesrig. synes Buried Alive var fed
Plenty of better metal out there. I imagine I'd have to be pretty far down the metal rabbit hole to ever decide to listen to this again, and I'm definitely not there yet.
Could hear the makings of modern metal in it, but just wasn’t anything special otherwise.
Unlike most of the death metal I’ve been exposed to on here, these guys at least sound like they are trying to approximate music. In other words, not entirely unlistenable.
I do not know venom. It was not as bad as I thought it was going to be going into it, although the album is really long and pretty redundant.
There have been a lot of metal albums on this list that I liked, unfortunately this is not one of them.
I like the genre, but in small doses by better bands. This is overwhelming and repetitive after 2 songs.
Ja, metalig is dit zeker. Maar als de opnamekwaliteit bepalend was, had het ook punk kunnen heten. Want dit lijkt weer eens in een schuur opgenomen. Opnieuw spelen doe je niet in zo'n schuur. Dus we moeten het doen met de overslaande stem. De gitaren hoef je sowieso niet over te doen. Die zijn steeds het hele nummer exact hetzelfde. Het eerste nummer wordt lachwekkend afgesloten. Het is weer zo ver. Ik moet het internet op om er achter te komen, waarom dit dan zo goed is. Tot mijn stomme verbazing moeten het de teksten zijn. Nou ja zeg. Wat is daar dan zo bijzonder aan? Ze zijn wat donker. Maar net als bij de horror-films van die tijd is dat nauwelijks meer dan het concept. De uitvoering is gekunsteld. Wat niet zorgt voor sfeer, maar leidt tot horror-comedie. Maar die pulp-films hebben ook wel weer hun waarde als je ze wat minder serieus kan bekijken. En zo moeten we wellicht ook hier naar luisteren. Het lachwekkende kan zo'n album dan gewoon van 1 ster afhouden.
We krijgen hier weer eens een voorloper, een grondlegger en zelfs een naamgever van een genre. De gitaarpartijen zijn bij tijd en wijle vrij geniaal, de bas en de drums klinken alsof ze in een oud slachthuis zijn opgenomen (ik denk, ik hou de omschrijving maar een beetje in hun thema) en de zanger klinkt alsof hij net opgestaan is uit de door hem zelf bezongen dood. En bij dat laatste gaat het dus gigantisch fout. De teksten zijn echt van een treurig niveau, voor zover ik ze kan verstaan, want hij gromt maar wat door de microfoon. Ik heb nog liever dat zangers grunten of schreeuwen, dan dit gegrom. Waar dit genre muziek nog wel eens op een positieve review kan rekenen van mijn kant, haak ik bij dit soort flauwekul wel snel af. Het is zonde van het prima gitaarspel, dat verdient een betere muzikale omlijsting. Ik zie wel hoe dit later uit kon groeien tot betere muziek, maar de grondleggers zijn vaak niet bepaald goed te noemen. Fijn dat ze er waren, maar gelukkig hoeven we er maar 1x naar te luisteren. Ik geef 1 bonusster voor de prima gitaar. Blijft het op een verdorven 2 steken.
I get the history and the influence of this album, but I have also heard an overwhelming amount of significantly better black metal or even bm-esque albums. This is ugly and messy, but I get what it means for the development of metal. Doesn't mean I like it tho.
Definitely worth a listen, this album itself is decent but the sound created clearly influenced a lot of the music that I love, and I can certainly appreciate that. Much of this album sounds like early Type O stuff, a little more Satan-based instead of vampiric but probably a pioneering sound at the time (and definitely before my time). Worth a listen for sure.
I doubt there’s a more generic and predictable genre of music than thrash metal. But by what I gather Venom were one of the first to do this whole thing, and the likes of Slayer and Metallica took what they did and ran with it. All sounds a bit daft to me. Cannot get away with the whole ‘oooo look at me, im so hard and talk about the devil and that’. Suppose it was new back then. Quite liked Teachers Pet, found the rest a bit boring but I do respect them for what they did. Clearly influential. And in contrast to me saying how predictable they were, I wasnt expecting a ‘get ya tits out’ chant. Turns out theyre from Newcastle n’all. Didnt know that.
Nah.
I guess this was quite an influential album but today I'm just finding it a bit silly.
I'm sorry, I just don't get metal. This is pretty high energy, though, and the singing only partly unintelligible. Not that the lyrics are deep and meaningful.... they're not. "Lay down your soul to the gods' rock and roll... argh grrrr grumble... BLACK METAL!!!" or "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust / if god won't have me the devil must".... and not at all tongue-in-cheek…. The singing style reminded me a little of Trans Siberian Orchestra, and not in a good way. The production is remarkably disappointing, very muddled and muddy. Maybe as if recorded from an adjacent room. Really horrible, especially for 1982. Wikipedia refers to it as a "very unpolished and underproduced sound". Every song has the same sonic template, of all sort of blends into a constant drone. I don't know, maybe this was supposed to be cutting edge, or something. But really it's boring. That said, this is overall not nearly as bad as some other metal I've heard. I didn't give me a headache, at least. 2/5
Sounds Like they read a book about what black metal is and then wrote a bunch of songs "from hell" or about satan
1982?! That was quite a surprise.
Really not my thing, but I didn’t completely loathe the listening experience.
Couldn’t finish this
Where was this last week when I was summoning Satan? 2.
I was fairly bored listening to this. The lyrics are completely asinine. Devil Devil whooo Satan. Maybe it was super edgy in 1982, but today it sounds like something SNL would parody.
the combination of Motorhead and Kiss as influences combined with the macabre imagery is clearly revealed in Venom's music and sound, and the impact on future thrash and black metal is also clear. The musical influence of Motorhead is most clear, as the thrashing guitars and driving drums are prevalent throughout. Dark, almost goofy, interludes and sounds also add to the overall feel of the album. Not my cup of tea, but creative.
This is everything you want from heavy metal and I can appreciate the major influence they had on the genre (basically creating it). The lyrics are a bit too theatrical for me, maybe revisit some tracks on Halloween, though I did like it a lot more than expected. Good: rapid drumming, can actually understand the lyrics, no overuse of growling. Bad: recording quality, Teacher's Pet.
This exceeded my expectations as I went in fully prepared to endure an hour of demon-retch death metal. What I heard was actually relatively melodic lo-fi thrash that I was actually able to somewhat enjoy. I'm not really into metal but can appreciate the musical skill and showmanship it takes. I can see why this would be an influential album as it sounds like it lays the basics for a death/black metal album. It feels like it establishes the "tropes" of over the top satanic lyrics and imagery that I find ridiculous and sometimes makes me chuckle. I don't expect I'll listen ever again but I would rather revisit this than many of the other "classic" albums so far on this list. 2.1 stars
Blind album and artist. I can totally see how this album was ahead of its time, but I still dod not like it very much. Glad I tried it.
not a fan - dnf actually it's growing on me for sure -- wouldn't chose to listen to it, but not that bad
Probably would be fun to hear live, but not that interesting
I’m sure it’s influential but it’s influential on a genre I don’t really listen to. On its own, it felt a bit exhausting to listen to. Not for me
I can name at least 1001 albums more worthy of listening to
This was not my cup of tea but it was fine. Clearly a good metal record. Just not for me.
For what it was, it was good. I'm just not a fan of this genre.
En ole koskaan onnistunut vaalimaan itsessäni sitä vakavuutena ilmenevää huumorintajua, jota tämän tason camp edellyttää. Tykkään jostain syystä Amebixista, eli osa näistäkin biiseistä on ihan ok tai ok+. Tosiaalta monet ovat aika tylsiä - ja ai niin, koska en ole millään tavalla sidottu levyn klassisuuteen, otan vapauden kommentoida sanoja: haha, ei vittu.
80's metal.... 2-3 stars
This album didn't turn me into a metal fan. It starts out immediately setting the tone – heavy banging guitars and thumping drums. First track’s repetitive chanting of the song (and album’s) title got boring for me. “To Hell and Back” at least had some actual lyrics and its guitar work in the middle of the track was interesting. “Buried Alive” is interesting with 30 seconds of near silence, then a minute of gradual building of indistinct sound before establishing the metal sound and creepy lyrics. “Raise the Dead”, “Bloodlust”, “Teacher’s Pet” offer more of the same – they all sound pretty much the same to me. “Leave Me in Hell” seemed a little more interesting, but I didn’t figure out why. “Sacrifice” brought us back to “screaming angry rock” that isn’t for me. We stayed there through “Heavens on Fire” “Countess Bathory”, and “Don’t Burn the Witch” – I had lost all interest at this point. It ended with “At War with Satan”, which was consistent with the rest of the album.
It has been a while since I was "into" metal but there was a time when I would have claimed it as my primary genre (read Megadeath/Metallica era). I don't know if I've changed or if this is generic stuff that has nothing to offer but nothing stood out and I'll never listen again. Track by track: 1 - Semi-generic metal. It's fine. 2 - Didn't realize the track changed tbh. 3 - Get to the music! Oh that wasn't worth the wait. 4 - Is this whole album a trick? I couldn't help a snicker. I also cannot tell if this is just early metal still trying to figure it out or if it is generic on purpose. So far, there's nothing here I want to revisit. 5 - The instrumentation is completely fine and possibly excellent in some ways but I just am getting nothing from this. 6, 7, 8... I'm still listening. I don't hate it, I just don't really care. 9, 10, 11.... I'm so done.
Kiddie heavy metal, boy what stupid fucking lyrics even by Metal standards . The playing is decent, they even managed to throw some blues into the mix. Worst thing about it is that the production is pretty lousy, sounds like they’re playing in a cave. I would have loved this when I was 13.
Im not there. Can't take it
I love elements of black metal with how dweeby it feels. I mean look at that cover. Just saying black metal over and over. Talking about witches. The thought that this sort of thing horrified communities feels so funny with time. Instrumental stuff has some skill but it doesn't add to much. I won't be back but I like that this exists and that people love it.
It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t my jam.
Yeah metal is ...... not it..... not for moi
Emhhh no thank you. Maybe in another time i could have listened to this. But i am not so sure.
Its not bad. I get that it was influential, but everything it influenced is better.
I can respect the talent it takes to do this, but find it difficult to take death metal seriously.