BIOGRAPHY
A seminal influence on the evolution of thrash and black metal, Venom formed during the late '70s in Newcastle, England. Originally a five-piece group called Oberon, they eventually trimmed their lineup to a trio comprising singer/bassist Conrad "Cronos" Lant, guitarist Jeff "Mantas" Dunn, and drummer Tony "Abaddon" Bray. Influenced by the heavy intensity of Motörhead and the visual flash of Kiss, the newly rechristened Venom developed a dark, blistering sound which paved the way for the subsequent rise of thrash music; similarly, their macabre, proudly satanic image proved a major inspiration for the legions of black metal bands to appear in their wake, even lending the genre its name with the release of their 1982 sophomore LP, Black Metal. (Their debut, Welcome to Hell, preceded it by a year.)
Venom's third album, At War With Satan, followed in 1983, and two years later they released Possessed. Lineup changes plagued the group in the years to follow, with Mantas exiting in the wake of 1985's live Eine Kleine Nachtmusik; guitarists Matt Hickey and Jimmy Clare were tapped as his replacements, making their debut on 1987's Calm Before the Storm. Cronos then quit as well, however, mounting a solo career and taking both Hickey and Clare with him as he left; at that point Mantas rejoined Abaddon to form a new edition of Venom with onetime Atomkraft vocalist/bassist Tony "The Demolition Risk" Dolan and guitarist Al Barnes. The new lineup made its bow on 1989's Prime Evil; Tear Your Soul Apart appeared a year later.
After 1991's Temples of Ice, Barnes quit Venom; his absence was filled by guitarist Steve "War Maniac" White, who along with keyboardist V.X.S. was recruited in time for 1992's The Waste Lands before both quickly exited. The trio of Mantas, Abaddon, and Dolan continued touring throughout the middle years of the decade, although no more new studio recordings were forthcoming; finally, in 1996 Cronos returned to the Venom fold, making way for Dolan's departure. The original lineup's return to action was heralded by the release of the mini-album Venom '96, followed in 1997 by the full-length Made in Stone. After a world tour, Venom issued the two-disc New, Live & Rare in mid-1998. Buried Alive appeared a year later, and in the spring of 2000 the group returned with The Court of Death and Beauty and the Beast.
Conrad "Cronos" Lant - Vocals & Bass (1979-1987, 1995-) (Dwarfstar, Cronos)
Jeff "Mantas" Dunn - Guitar (1979-1985, 1989-2000) (Warfare, Scooter, Mantas) MOST WELL-KNOWN LINE-UP: Cronos-bass, vocals Mantas-Guitar Abaddon-Drums
CURRENT MEMBERS:
Rage - Guitar (2007-)
Antony "Antton" Lant - Drums (2000-) (Nu:Future Cowboys)
FORMER MEMBERS:
Tony "Abaddon" Bray - Drums (1979-1997) (Warfare)
Jimmy Clare - Guitar (1987) (Cronos)
Steve "War Maniac" White - Guitar (1992) (Atomkraft, War Machine)
Al Barnes - Guitar (1989-1991) (Mantas, XLR8R)
Clive "Jesus Christ" Archer - Vocals (1979) (Oberon)
Mike "Mykus" Hickey - Guitar (1987, 2005-2007) (Cronos, Cathedral)
Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan - Vocals & Bass (1989-1992) (Atomkraft, Mantas)
Alan Winston - Bass
Note: Due to the fact that Venom has a TON of best of compilations, only ones that contain unreleased material will be included here. There will be a seperate section added with all the compilations later.
DISCOGRAPHY
Welcome To Hell (1981)
1.)Sons Of Satan
2.)Welcome To Hell
3.)Schizo
4.)Mayhem With Mercy
5.)Poison
6.)Live Like An Angel (Die Like A Devil)
7.)Witching Hour
8.)One Thousand Days In Sodom
9.)Angel Dust
10.)In League With Satan
11.)Red Light Fever
12). Angel Dust [Lead Weight version]
13). In League With Satan [7" Version]
14). Live Like An Angel [7" Version]
15). Bloodlust [7" version]
16). In Nomine Satanas [7" version]
17). Angel Dust [demo]
18). Raise The Dead [demo]
19). Red Light Fever [demo]
20). Welcome To Hell [demo]
21). Bitch Witch [outtake]
22). Snots Shit [outtake]
Note: Tracks 12-22 are bonus tracks on the new Re-master of the album.
Black Metal (1982)
1.)Black Metal
2.)To Hell And Back
3.)Buried Alive
4.)Raise The Dead
5.)Teachers Pet
6.)Leave Me In Hell
7.)Sacrifice
8.)Heaven's On Fire
9.)Countess Bathory
10.)Don't Burn The Witch
11.)At War With Satan (Preview)
12: Bursting Out (60min+ version)
13: Black Metal (Radio One Session)
14: Nightmare (Radio One Session)
15: Too Loud For The Crowd (Radio One Session)
16: Bloodlust (Radio One Session)
17: Die Hard (12" Version)
18: Acid Queen (12" Version)
19: Bursting Out (12" Version)
20: Hounds Of Hell (Outtake)
Note: Tracks 12-20 are bonus tracks on the re-master
At War With Satan (1983)
1.)At War With Satan
2.)Rip Ride
3.)Genocide
4.)Cry Wolf
5.)Stand Up (And Be Counted)
6.)Women, Leather, And Hell
7.)Aaaaaaarrghh
8.)At War With Satan (TV Adverts)
9.)Warhead (12' Version)
10.)Lady Lust (12' Version)
11.)The Seven Gates Of Hell (12' Version)
12.)Manitou (12' Version)
13.)Woman (12' Version)
14.)Dead Of Night (12' Version)
15.)Manitou (Abbey Road Uncut Mix)
Note: Tracks 8-15 are bonus tracks on the re-master.
Possessed (1985)
1.)Powerdrive
2.)Flytrap
3.)Satanchrist
4.)Burn This Place (To The Ground)
5.)Harmony Dies
6.)Possessed
7.)Hellchild
8.)Moonshine
9.)Wing And A Prayer
10.)Suffer Not The Children
11.)Voyeur
12.)Mystique
13.)Too Loud (For The Crowd)
14.)Nightmare (12" version)
15.)F.O.A.D. (12" version)
16.)Warhead (12" version)
17.)Possessed (Remix)
18.)Witching Hour (Live)
19.)Teachers Pet/Poison/Teachers Pet (Live)
Note: Tracks 14-19 are bonus tracks on the remaster.
Offical Bootleg (Live 1985)
1.)Leave Me In Hell
2.)Countess Bathory
3.)Die Heard
4.)Seven Gates Of Hell
5.)Buried Alive
6.)Don't Burn The Witch
7.)In Nomine Satanas
8.)Welcome To Hell
9.)Warhead
10.)Stand Up And Be Counted
11.)Bloodlust
Neat Records Cover
Deadline Records Cover
Calm Before The Storm (1987)
1.)Black Xmas
2.)Chanting Of The Priests
3.)Metal Punk
4.)Under A Spell
5.)Calm Before The Storm
6.)Fire
7.)Krakin Up
8.)Beauty And The Beast
9.)Deadline
10.)Gypsy
11.)Muscle
Prime Evil (1989)
1.)Prime Evil
2.)Parasite
3.)Blackened Are The Priests
4.)Carnivorous
5.)Skeletal Dance
6.)Megalomania
7.)I Agree
8.)Harder Than Ever
9.)Into The Fire
10.)School Daze
11.)Live Like An Angel
Tear Your Soul Apart (EP 1990)
1.)Skool Daze
2.)Bursting Out (Live)
3.)The Ark
4.)Civilized
5.)Angel Dust (Live)
6.)Hellbent (Live)
Notes: "The Ark" and "Civilised" are studio outtakes that didn't appear on Prime Evil. "Hellbent" is a live cover of the Judas Priest song "Hellbent For Leather" with the main lyrics changed to hellbent for metal.
Temples Of Ice (1991)
1.)Tribes
2.)Even In Heaven
3.)Trinity MCMXLV 0530
4.)In Memory Of (Paul Miller 1964-1990)
5.)Faerie Tale
6.)Playtime
7.)Acid
8.)Arachnid
9.)Speed King
10.)Temples Of Ice
Notes: "Speed King" is a Deep Purple cover.
The Waste Lands (1992)
1.)Cursed
2.)I'm Paralysed
3.)Black Leigons
4.)Riddle Of Steel
5.)Need To Kill
6.)Kissing The Beast
7.)Crucified
8.)Shadow King
9.)Wolverine
10.)Clarisse
Original 1993 cover
2002 Re-release cover
Skeletons In The Closet (Compilation 1993)
1.)Tour Intro Tape '83-'84/Welcome To Hell
2.)Dead On Arrival
3.)Snots Shit
4.)Black Metal (Remix)
5.)Hounds Of Hell
6.)At War With Satan (TV Adverts)
7.)At War With Satan (Full Re-edited Version)
8.)Bitch Witch
9.)Intro Tapes (Tours '85-'86)
10.)Possessed (Remix)
11.)Sadist (Mistress Of The Whip)
12.)Manitou (Abbey Road Uncut Mix)
13.)Angel Dust
14.)Raise The Dead
15.)Red Light Fever
16.)Venom Station ID's For America And Spain
Notes: Compilation featuring rare demos, remixes, and unreleased songs from early in Venom's career.
Venom '96 (EP 1996)
1.)Seven Gates Of Hell
2.)Welcome To Hell
3.)In Nomine Satanas
4.)Black Metal
5.)The Evil One
Notes: This EP was released to promote the reunion of the original Venom line-up in 1996. The first four tracks are re-recordings of some Venom classics and track 5 is a new song that would appear on the "Cast In Stone" album.
Cast In Stone (1996)
1.)The Evil One
2.)Raised In Hell
3.)All Devils Eve
4.)Bleeding
5.)Destroyed And Damned
6.)Domus Mundi
7.)Flight Of The Hydra
8.)God's Forsaken
9.)Mortals
10.)Infectious
11.)Kings Of Evil
12.)You're All Gonna Die
13.)Judgement Day
14.)Swarm
Notes: The original line-up reunites on this album. There were some versions that came with a bonus disc of re-recorded tracks. The tracklisting for that disc was:
1.)Intro
2.) Bloodlust
3.) Die Hard
4.) Acid Queen
5.) Bursting Out
6.) Warhead
7.) Lady Lust
8.) Manitou
9.) Rip Ride
10.) Venom
This album was also re-released in an expanded edition by Sanctuary/Castle Music. The second disc of that re-release was the rare limited edition "Venom '96" EP.
The Second Coming (Live 1997)
1.)Seven Gates Of Hell
2.)Die Hard
3.)Welcome To Hell
4.)Leave Me In Hell
5.)Countess Bathory
6.)Buried Alive
7.)Don't Burn The Witch
8.)In Nomine Satanas
9.)Schitzo
10.)Nightmare
11.)Black Metal
12.)Witching Hour
Notes: VHS & CD double pack. The CD doesn't contain track 9. The video also includes the usual bonus materials.
New, Live, And Rare (Compilation 1998)
Disc 1:
1.)Harder Than Ever (Live)
2.)Skeletal Dance
3.)Speed King (Deep Purple Cover)
4.)Welcome To Hell
5.)Blackened Are The Priests
6.)Playtime
7.)Carnivorous (Live)
8.)Die Hard
9.)Hellbent For Leather (Live Judas Priest Cover)
10.)Burstin' Out (Live)
Disc 2:
1.)Prime Evil
2.)Black Metal (Live)
3.)Megalomania (Black Sabbath Cover)
4.)Faerie Tale
5.)Civilized (Live)
6.)Clarrise
7.)Temples Of Ice
8.)Angel Dust
9.)Teacher's Pet (Live)
10.)Witching Hour (Live)
Notes: Double CD best of collection with previously unreleased material as well.
Resurrection (2000)
1.)Resurrection
2.)Vengeance
3.)War Against Christ
4.)All There Is Fear
5.)Pain
6.)Pandemonium
7.)Loaded
8.)Firelight
9.)Black Flame (Of Satan)
10.)Control Freak
11.)Disbeliever
12.)Man, Myth & Magic
13.)Thirteen
14.)Leviathan
Bitten (Live 2002)
1.)Welcome To Hell
2.)Insane
3.)Blackened Are The Priests
4.)Harder Than Ever
5.)Prime Evil
6.)Burstin' Out
7.)Countess Bathory
8.)Carnivorous
9.)Hellbent For Metal
10.)Witching Hour
Notes: This album was recorded in 1990 on the Prime Evil tour, and features Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan on vocals.
Witching Hour (Live 2003)
1.)Angel Dust
2.)Megalomania (Black Sabbath cover)
3.)Prime Evil
4.)Buried Alive
5.)Civilised
6.)Welcome To Hell
7.)Skool Daze
8.)Live Like An Angel (Die Like A Devil)
9.)Witching Hour
10.)Countess Bathory
11.)Bloodlust
MMV (Boxset 2005)
Disc 1:
1. Raise The Dead (Demo)
2. Red Light Fever (Demo)
3. Angel Dust (Demo)
4. Welcome To Hell (Demo)
5. Sons Of Satan
6. Schizo
7. 1000 Days In Sodom
8. In League With Satan (Single)
9. Live Like An Angel (Die Like A Devil) (Single)
10. Bitch Witch (Outtake)
11. Manitou (Abbey Road Uncut Version)
12. Countess Bathory (audio sample)
13. Heaven's On Fire
14. To Hell And Back
15. Black Metal (remix)
16. Hounds Of Hell (Outtake)
17. Bloodlust
18. In Nomine Satanas
19. Die Hard (12 inch Version)
20. Acid Queen (12 inch Version)
21. At War With Satan (Preview)
Disc 2:
1. Intro: Tape 83/84
2. At War With Satan
3. At War With Satan (TV Spots)
4. Rip Ride
5. Cry Wolf
6. Stand Up (And Be Counted)
7. Lady Lust
8. 7 Gates Of Hell
9. Warhead
10. Venom Radio 1 I.D.
11. Angel Dust
12. Mystique
13. Wing And A Prayer
14. Possessed (Remix)
15. Intro Tape 85/86
16. Nightmare (12 inch Remix)
17. Satanachrist
18. F.O.A.D.
Disc 3:
1. Intro: Bloodlust
2. The Evil One
3. All Devils Eye
4. God's Forsaken
5. Judgement Day
6. Senile Decay (outtake)
7. Snots Shit
8. Dead On Arrival
9. Sadist (Mistress Of the Whip)
10. The Chanting Of Priests
11. Buried Alive/Love Amongst The Dead
12. Flytrap
13. Welcome To Hell/Bloodlust
14. Witching Hour (live)
15. Teachers Pet/Poison/Teachers Pet
Disc 4 Assault:
1. Scandinavian Assault: Nightmare (Re-Recorded Version)
2. Too Loud For The Crowd (Re-Recorded Version)
3. Bloodlust (Re-Recorded Version)
4. German Assault: Black Metal (Re-Recorded Version)
5. French Assault: Bursting Out (Re-Recorded Version)
6. American Assault: 7 Gates Of Hell (Live - Hammersmith '84)
7. Countess Bathory (Live - Hammersmith '84)
8. Welcome To Hell (Live - Hammersmith)
9. Scandinavian Assault: Warhead (Live - Hammersmith '84)
10. Canadian Assault: Die Hard (Live - Hammersmith '84)
11. In Nomine Satanas (Live - Hammersmith '84)
12. Buried Alive (Live - Hammersmith '84)
13. Manitou (Abbey Road version)
14. Metro Radio Interview
15. Venom (bonus track).
Metal Black (2006)
1.)Antechrist
2.)Burn In Hell
3.)House Of Pain
4.)Death & Dying
5.)Rege Satanas
6.)Darkest Realm
7.)A Good Day To Die
8.)Assassin
9.)Lucifer Rising
10.)Blessed Dead
11.)Hours Of Darkness
12.)Sleep When I'm Dead
13.)Maleficarvm
14.)Metal Black