It’s really hard to get your head around the fact that Venom were responsible for a whole movement if you witnessed their birth. I was never sure if this was just done for shits and giggles. If you listen to the end of At War With Satan there is a track called AAARRGH!! It’s basically just them thrashing around with Cronos singing the word “aaarrgh” over the top until near the end when he pronounces “more aaarrgh than the last time”. That moment alone told me they were just having fun. Sure, it got more evil when they found out the kids started to love it all.
I digress, they appeared at the end of the original burst of NWOBHM bands. The production is raw to say the least, and it was recorded at Neat Records Impulse studios HQ in Newcastle. Musically, it’s not all death metal as that wasn’t a thing just yet. Opener and title track is a speedy thrash that lives up to the image they were trying to create. However, the more subtle tracks like Buried Alive have far more of an eerie evil feel than the all out speed assault. Teachers Pet is a sped up punk blast. My favourite however is Down Burn The Witch, a straight up NWOBHM stomper with THAT riff.
This was a bit like punk for me, yeah it was fun for five minutes then normal service was soon resumed.
6.5/10 from The Grooveman.
