Venom
Fallen Angels

THE REVIEW

Great rediscovery, these Venom: spiritual fathers of extreme metal, led by the legendary Chronos, or rather the trash essence (without an 'h') of bad music. I dust off "Black Metal" and it's pure ignorance, I pick up "Welcome To Hell" and the car speakers dangerously crackle (not because of the volume, just due to the recording quality at abysmally low levels). But they remain two masterpieces of metal vulgarity, back when people didn't take themselves too seriously: nothing like the Inner Circle, black lifestyle and misanthropy of pagan origin (aided by phrases "posted" on Facebook, the essence of the true metal elite).

Then I tell myself, "Oh well, long live ignorance, let's listen to something new from this former garbage man from New Castle". And I pick up this "Fallen Angels", very recent (2011) and somewhat criticized everywhere, like almost every Venom production after "At War With Satan". We're talking about 30 years ago, after Absolute Nothingness...

The first track, finely titled "Hammerhead," bursts in with all its violence and hits hard, very raw. The production is more or less clear, but the riffs form the classic wall of crude distortions. How can you not love titles such as "Hail Satanas," "Punk's Not Dead," "Blackened Blues." Then again, there's not much to say about the music. Pumped-up and obscenely basic thrash, without the slightest hint of avant-garde sounds or any more "digestible" moments to aim for the charts. Credit to them, it must be acknowledged.

Obviously, the album says nothing, but it's extremely useful for showing off in the car. Because sometimes you don't need beautiful music to make a beautiful album (... I'll write this one down...). In itself, "Fallen Angels" would be far from salvation, but since sympathy and obstinacy (?) come into play, I refrain from voting.

Recommended for fans of John Coltrane, perhaps.