Venom: From The Very Depths

Inaugurators of black metal return with 14th studio album.

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Venom make a mockery of their North East England origins, for they belong not just to the world but to the bowels of the earth. Their very names seal their legendary status – leader Cronos on bass, Dante on drums and Rage on guitar.

They don’t disappoint with any new direction on From The Very Depths. Opener Eruptus rises like an eviscerated goat’s head from a lake of boiling ooze, before the title track sets the tone for the entire album – frills-free, ultra-kinetic, skull-trepanning metal as black as Satan’s worst intentions.

David Stubbs

David Stubbs is a music, film, TV and football journalist. He has written for The Guardian, NME, The Wire and Uncut, and has written books on Jimi Hendrix, Eminem, Electronic Music and the footballer Charlie Nicholas.