walking upstream…
Venom
sourcesWikipedia · The Quietus · Louder
Venom came together in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1979 around bassist-vocalist Conrad 'Cronos' Lant, who described the band's whole aesthetic as 'all of our favorite bands thrown into a pot' — Kiss's stagecraft, Black Sabbath's occult lyrics, Motörhead's speed, Judas Priest's leather-and-studs look. Their 1981 debut 'Welcome to Hell' and 1982 follow-up 'Black Metal' pushed that mix faster and dirtier than any of their influences had, pairing shrieked, Satanic imagery with raw, barely-controlled playing; the latter album's title alone would go on to name an entire genre. Venom never achieved mainstream success themselves, but the records became foundational texts for thrash, black, and death metal alike, cited directly by Metallica, Slayer, and Chuck Schuldiner among many others.
the sound in question
1982
Black MetalVenom
walk the tributaries ↓
Black Sabbath1970s · Heavy metal / Hard rock
Cronos has described Venom's whole concept as everyone's favorite bands 'thrown into a pot,' naming Black Sabbath's occult lyricism specifically as the source of Venom's Satanic imagery and sense of menace. Where Sabbath kept that darkness slow and heavy, Venom kept the imagery but stripped away the space, running it through a much faster, cruder attack.
listen: upstream & here
1970
Black SabbathBlack Sabbath
1981
Sons of SatanVenom
listen forCompare the ominous, tritone-laced riff that opens 'Black Sabbath' with 'Sons of Satan' — both use a lurching, minor-key riff and a hushed-then-shouted vocal delivery to build a sense of ritual dread before the song turns aggressive.
Motörhead1980s · Heavy metal / Speed metal / Rock and roll
Cronos named Motörhead's sheer speed and volume as core to Venom's sound, and Lemmy Kilmister's distorted, overdriven bass-and-vocal approach on 'Ace of Spades' shaped Venom's own bass-forward, screamed vocal style — Cronos handled both bass and vocals himself, much as Lemmy did.
listen: upstream & here
1980
Ace of SpadesMotörhead
1981
In League with SatanVenom
listen forPut 'Ace of Spades' next to 'In League with Satan' — both are driven by a loud, distorted bass sitting right alongside the guitar, topped with a harsh, shouted vocal riding just ahead of the beat.
Judas Priest1980s · Heavy metal
In the same account of Venom's origins, Cronos credited Judas Priest's leather-and-studs image as a direct template for the band's visual identity, and Priest's twin-guitar attack on tracks like 'Sinner' fed into Venom's own two-guitar arrangements, even as Venom played them far rougher and faster.
listen: upstream & here
1977
SinnerJudas Priest
1981
Witching HourVenom
listen forHear how 'Sinner''s galloping, twin-guitar-driven verse reappears, sped up and roughened, in 'Witching Hour' — both ride a fast, insistent rhythm-guitar figure under a forceful, declarative vocal.