Hell Ain’t A Bad Place To Be

“WHEN PEOPLE SAY, ‘OH, VENOM, THEY CAN’T PLAY,’ THEY FORGET THAT WAS A JOKE THAT WE MADE UP IN THE EARLY DAYS”

Nobody, it’s fair to say, was ready for Venom.

Erupting like a lanced boil from the confines of Newcastle’s burgeoning UK heavy metal scene just as the 70s segued into the 80s, the Geordie trio stunned even the gnarliest of punters with their uniquely unholy music. Combining the flamboyance of Judas Priest, the heaviness of Black Sabbath, and the righteous swagger of Motörhead with a beer-soaked punk frenzy, Venom took everything to the extreme. Visually and aurally arresting, the band thrived on shock and awe, as audiences scrabbled to make sense of the chaos taking place on record and on stage. To timid