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Another gem from Venom.

Advantages: Supreme catchiness with dark subject matter
Disadvantages: None

Venom's Black Metal album was released on the Neat label in November, 1982 - about 20 months after their debut album. This album retains a lot of the catchiness from the first but the production is considerably clearer and better, the musicianship is tighter but still a little sloppy, a lot of tracks start off with cracking riffs and the clear but croaky vocals belt out anthem like tracks with choruses necessary to sing a long to. It's not a carbon ...
...would become a mainstay of black metal (a genre which name derived from this album), just about every track has satanic lyrics, much more vivid and detailed than bands had done in the past and my favourite track of the album is "Buried Alive" which takes a while to get going due to the early instrumental work but proves to be a corker of a track. Countess Bathory also starts off with a wonderful retro sound, a top tune to bounce around to, if ever ...

dangaroo 24.11.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Black Metal [Remastered] - Venom

Welcome to Hell indeed!

Advantages: Aggressive/raw intensity, album lasts for 40 mins or so, very influential album
Disadvantages: Not entirely suitable for the non-metal/rocker, it may prove to be too heavy for their ears.

Welcome to Hell- Venom = Venom is regarded as the fathers to black metal; when in reality they were a New Wave of Heavy Metal band with black metal 'imagery'; any metal band today, you can trace it back to its origins: Venom. That is how much Venom in its early days influenced the entire metal world. The three main bands at the time- Judas Priest, Black Sabbath and Motorhead was doing their music and Venom just blew them away in terms ...
...bands to come along later. All bands afterwards (in death, thrash and black metal) took its raw intensity and aggressiveness influence from Venom and put their own creativeness to shape the two metal genres today: thrash and black metal. Now; the album. It is where the term black metal was taken and created an entire new genre of metal: Black metal. That is all Venom is responsible for; for the term of the genre, not the sound. This debut album, ...

Annallon 03.07.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Welcome To Hell [Remastered] - Venom

The Keys to the Kingdom

Advantages: Top vocals, guitars and metal
Disadvantages: none

Do you remember the eighties? Remember those eighties bands… sure you do: bands like Duran Duran, Tears for Fears, Human League and… Helloween. ‘Helloween?’ you shriek. What in blue blazes is that all about? Well, they were not an eighties band in the way ‘eighties bands’ are depicted, but they certainly were around at the time. Whereas the aforementioned bands played soft synth pop, Helloween played Metal… Heirs to The Scorpions, Helloween hail ...
...of Metal, Helloween play it fast, they were and are a Thrash Metal Act. Still at it now in 2007, I am reviewing their third album which was originally produced in February 1987 and then repackaged along with bonus tracks in 2006. They have been through a few band member changes since, but the line-up at the time of ‘Keeper of the 7 Keys Part 1’ was as follows: Michael Kiske – Lead Vocals Kai Hansen – Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals Marcus Grobkopt ...

Borg 08.06.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Keeper Of The Seven Keys Vol.1 (Expanded Edition) - Helloween

Black Metal Pioneers Opus III

Advantages: old-school, classic, true, bonus material
Disadvantages: somewhat bad sound

Venom released this, their third masterpiece, back in 1983, "Welcome to Hell" and "Black Metal" preceding it. Venom is one of the most influential bands in extreme metal, they have contributed to thrash, black and death metal and to other metal's sub-genres as well. Venom play very hard somewhat bluesy thrash metal with harsh vocals. They're also known for using satanic imagery though they themselves are not satanist and the lyrical themes are rather ...
...consistent, practically no weak links, this is also the reason why I don't have a favorite on this album, the whole album is best listened song-by-song, no hits really, but not a single screw-up neither. The lyrical themes are as always with Venom: Satan, death, war and other related themes. This was one of the 3 Venom's groundbreaking albums and is a must-have for every black metal maniac and extreme metaler. ...

gramortis 07.12.2006 · Read full review
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Review of At War With Satan [Remastered] - Venom

Rage Against The Machine Album Review

Advantages: Hard, unconventional rock
Disadvantages: An acquired taste

Rap-Metal group Rage Against the Machine released their self-titled debut album in 1992, but the music is just as relevant today as it was back then. Songs like 'Take the Power Back' and 'Freedom' are about individual exploitation by the cultural, social, and political systems in society, and how the people must be willing to rise up and overcome such oppression. You may have also recently heard about the small matter of 'Killing in the Name' beating ...
...when you first listen to Rage is that they mean business. The whole album is intended to provide voice to the silent minority: Those individuals that feel neglected and abused are given hope through the band's resonant, unashamed, confrontational expression. Guitarist Tom Morello's anomalous riffs, rhythmic special effects and extended tapping techniques were some of the most powerful sounds to come from a guitar in that era, and remain unchallenged ...

andycarrington 22.12.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Rage Against The Machine - Rage Against The Machine