Album review : VENOM – Live From The Hammersmith Odeon (CD/DVD Deluxe Digipak)

Cherry Red [Release date : 27.10.23]

Formed in England’s industrial North East in 1979, there was none heavier, none more extreme and indeed none more influential in the heavy metal genre than Venom.

The band’s reputation was born out of the brutality and intensity of their visceral sound, released from its cage on the debut album, Welcome To Hell, in 1981.

The volatility of the music’s punk/metal chemistry fast filtered out into the worlds of Metallica, Motorhead and others, simultaneously funnelling a thousand hardcore bands into the world of Death Metal and Thrash Metal.

Four albums on, the band, Abaddon, Cronos and Mantas lived out the musical nightmare of their anti establishment, anti mainstream message on stage at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1985.

It’s captured here on CD and DVD (in a Deluxe Digipak) by Cherry Red’s expert team of archivists , who might just have opened the gates to hell and let out the thrash and death metal hordes with this explosive setlist.

It’s drawn from the band’s 1981 debut, 1982’s Black Metal and 1985’s Possessed. Plus a handful of the early singles, most notably ‘Seven Gates Of Hell’ and ‘Warhead’.

‘Buried Alive’ and ‘Don’t Bury The Witch’ are key tracks. Guitar and bass fuse together in an inelegant chainsaw ballet. The drums sound like cardboard boxes, but really huge cardboard boxes, built to take a pummelling. It’s a primitive sound, but that’s the point.

In the live forum, these tightly structured songs, packed with electrifying dynamic shifts, (plus perhaps ‘Witching Hour’ and ‘Nightmare’), are perfectly pitched to spread the Death Metal Gospel.

Maybe the devil has all the best songs, after all. ****

Review by Brian McGowan

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Next session: Sunday 1 December

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio

David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 6 October 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 8 October 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com

Power Plays w/c 28 October 2024

IZZY REIGN Spooky Scary Skeletons (FiXT)
THE RASMUS Rest In Pieces (Better Noise Music)
THE PLAGUE What Else Can I Do (FiXT)
STAR CIRCUS Turn The Tide (indie)
DEFENCES Breathe It In (Long Branch Records)

Featured Albums w/c 28 October 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)