There’s no doubt that when a band toys with the occult they can unleash dark forces beyond their control, and that was undoubtedly the case with Newcastle-Upon-Tyne’s Venom. Their first three albums were influential beyond belief and helped shape thrash, death and speed metal, but then it felt as if they’d been cursed as line-up changes and bad career moves derailed their progress whilst those very bands they inspired reaped all the commercial rewards. However, with a stable and (arguably) best ever line-up it feels as if that curse has finally been lifted and they return with their strongest work for decades with Into Oblivion. Featuring a (lucky) thirteen tracks, Venom are very much back…and they’ve come to claim their crown!
You can always tell how vibrant a band of Venom’s vintage is by the first track on their latest album: an elongated introduction is a sign that a band aren’t in ruddy health and are padding things out as a way to fill time (this is a good rule of thumb for gigs, too). On the flip side, if a band arrive with cannon’s firing and drums pounding, there’s a good chance they’re feeling the fire and primed for action. I’m pleased to report that with opening (and title) track, Venom very much fall into the second camp. ‘Into Oblivion’ evidences a band who are hungry and attacking their instruments like birds of prey devouring a carcass. There’s no excess fat or fluff on the needle, just three musicians doing what they do best, delivering a distorted, disconcerting, and downright dirty brand of metal that goes straight in for the kill. While many bands of Venom’s generation are playing it safe and shuffling off towards the heritage circuit, this terrible trio are having none of that and play with a ferocity that places them firmly in the present. That doesn’t mean they’ve torn up their roots, far from it as the title of the following ‘Lay Down Your Soul’ suggests. It alludes to the title track of their 1982 album, and that’s particularly pertinent because Into Oblivion bristles with the same kind of energy that Black Metal does.
As with many bands who operate as a trio, Venom create a sound that is far bigger than their individual parts. It’s something that shouldn’t work and it defies the laws of chemistry, and only happens when certain musicians combine: Motörhead had it, so did Budgie, and so do Venom and that turns cuts such as ‘Man & Beast’ into the musical equivalent of steamrollers which have the potential to crush all in their path. That doesn’t make them one dimensional, far from it, and whilst many of these songs are amphetamine-fuelled speed-freak workouts (‘Kicked Outta Hell’, ‘Deathwitch’) there’s enough variety in terms of tempo changes and switching of pace (‘Dogs Of War’) to ensure the listener’s attention never flags over the thirteen tumultuous tracks.
A welcome (to hell?) return to form by Venom, and one that suggests that they are once again in league with Satan.
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Into Oblivion is released via BMG on 1st May 2026.
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Track List:
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Into Oblivion
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Lay Down Your Soul
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Nevermore
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Man & Beast
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Death The Leveller
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As Above, So Below
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Kicked Outta Hell
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Legend
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Live Loud
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Metal Bloody Metal
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Dogs Of War
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Deathwitch
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Unholy Mother
