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"Welcome To Hell was a classic! Black Metal, Speed Metal, Death Metal - Venom started it all in 1981 with that one album" Lars Ulrich (Metallica) - before losing his mind
"Venom were the first thrash band I heard on record - It Really pushed me to be the best" Kerry King (Slayer)
These words are written on the back cover of the Venom best-of "In Memorium." Now, we cannot debate how much Cronos' band influenced Slayer and Metallica, but I think that through the album "Welcome To Hell," their best release, Venom really started to shake up all the contemporary heavy metal (or more or less contemporary) of various bands like Iron Maiden, Saxon, Motorhead, Angel Witch, etc. by exaggerating the various NWOBHM stylistic elements, playing at much faster speeds than their colleagues, increasing the level of malevolence and pseudo-satanism in the lyrics, making the guitars much sharper and "in your face" as they say. In short, Venom never played pure thrash metal or black metal, but they certainly lent a good hand in ensuring that these genres emerged like mushrooms in the second half of the '80s (thrash) and the '90s (most of black).
There couldn't have been a better start with "Sons Of Satan," a piece reminiscent of the early Motorhead of Lemmy, but which stands out above all for the group's malice and tenacity in playing tightly and "aggressively" throughout the song, definitely a respectable opener. Much more in line with the heavy metal of the time is the following title track. The introduction of "Welcome To Hell" could easily fit on an early Maiden record, but it is clear that the chorus and general structure were definitely something new for the time and damn Venom-style, making it undoubtedly another gem of the album. Still fast-paced and skillful rhythms with the following "Schizo," Cronos continues to recite his lyrics with that evil attitude, but always very composed, never descending into screaming or growl (not yet used at that time), his style surely influenced Tom Araya, bass and vocals of the aforementioned Slayer; it must be said that the solos in the whole "Welcome to Hell" are never technical or long, but at the same time never trivial. A relaxed intermezzo for the arpeggiated and brief "Mayhem with Mercy," which serves to introduce another masterpiece of the album, the track "Poison" has an introductory riff that is proto-thrash metal 100 percent, catchy chorus, it sticks immediately in your ears and never tires, a good guitar work and very tight rhythms for drums and bass, beautiful solo! Another speed-song with a Motorhead flavor with "Live Like An Angel," good riffs and very simple overall structure, but effective; although a tad repetitive, the song is well composed, but surely does not shine among the others of the "master."
The first piece to really approach that form of extreme genre that will be called Black metal is "Witching Hour," a song with dark atmospheres and a speedy tempo, another small gem of the album, the same can be said about the following "One Thousand Days In Sodom," a piece very much in line with the rest of the compositions. A classic is undoubtedly "Angel Dust," a fast composition with biting guitars and a Cronos (the undisputed leader of the group) truly captivating and in shape.
Decidedly very different from the overall style of "Welcome To Hell" is "In League With Satan," an excellent piece much more relaxed and cadence-driven than the rest, but certainly malevolent and dark, with a semi-anthemic chorus. A violin similar to folk and festive introduces us to "Red Light Fever," but the joy quickly turns to terror with Cronos' screams and the attack of the real song, the longest of the entire album (at 5 minutes and 14 seconds) with which Venom close "Welcome To Hell," an impactful, compact, and extremely "heavy" album, certainly not that sense of "heaviness" we understand today, we are not facing the harshness of Suffocation or the obsessive music of Burzum, but without a doubt, this album is a metal music classic, and partly thanks to it, today we can listen to various bands from the extreme hard'n'heavy area.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
02 Welcome to Hell (03:12)
Fight, we will fight right
Living low in a world of our own
Destined to live right, fight
We're taking hell as our home
Burning lives burning,
Asking me for the mercy of God
Ancient cries crying
Acting fast upon the way of the dog
Welcome to hell
Welcome to hell
Welcome to hell
Welcome to hell
Kill we will kill death
Masturbating on the deeds we have done
Hell commands death kill
Argue not of feel the death of sun
Burning lives burning
Asking me for the mercy of God
Ancient cries crying
Acting fast upon the way of the dog
Welcome to hell
Welcome to hell
Welcome to hell
Welcome to hell
Leave your souls at his feet
Kiss the flames
Scorn defeat
Die we won't die live
Our choice of difference is what you'll never know
Mortal voids live die
Buried deep beneath the fall of the snow
Burning lives burning
Asking me for the mercy of God
Ancient cries crying
Acting fast upon the way of the dog
Welcome to hell
Welcome to hell
Welcome to hell
Welcome to hell
03 Schizo (03:30)
Children gather round him,
Mystery surrounds him,
What terrible secret does he hide,
An ordinary man,
Doing what he can,
But what goes on inside his mind.
The night draws nigh,
With darkened sky's,
Axe blade shines,
Midnight chimes.
Morning comes around,
Headless bodies found,
Our little friend just sits and smiles ha ha,
Take them home and love them,
Read the bible to them,
Be sure to kiss each one goodnight.
But come the night,
You'll freeze with fright,
Axe drawn high,
Another dies.
Creeping and searching for victims unknowing,
What fate doth await round each corner,
The take in the night,
He's got you in his sight.
Now that I have warned you,
Always look behind you,
You'll never know just who'll be there,
That harmless looking dear,
May be the one to fear,
So never trust those you don't know.
But come the night,
You'll freeze with fright,
Axe drawn high,
The bastards die.
05 Poison (04:28)
Your love is infectious
Your rotten to the core
Every body knows what you got
But they still come back for more
Your everybodys favourite
You give them all a good time
Your loves a total disaster
But when they sign the dotted line they're
Poisoned
One night with you and you've got me
Poisoned
Making love with the devils daughter
Poisoned
One night with you and you've got me
Poisoned
That dirty little bitch has got me
Poisoned
Sitting close beside me
Hand upon my zip
Don't bother to take it down, honey
It's about to rip
She's mammy's little virgin
Her daddy's all in pride
But she welcomed me with opened legs
Kept me satisfied
Tell me that you love me
Say you'll never leave
The more I give the more you take
The more that you receive
I got you down beneath me
Open wide (ha,ha..)
I'm gonna make you pay for all
The times you've cheated and lied
07 Witching Hour (03:40)
Come hear the moon is calling
The witching hour draws near
Come hear the bell is tolling
Mortals run in fear
Prepare the altar now and hear the virgin cry
Hold fast the sacrafice
For now it's the time to die
All hell breaks loose
Hell's breaking loose
Unveil the pentagram
And feel the demons lust
Come watch the holy men
Who look on in disgust
Come taste blood
And feel the heat of satan's breath
Look in the sky's and see
The warriors of death
All hell breaks loose
Hell's breaking loose
Witching hour
Our work is now complete
The blood runs fast and free
And satan takes his bride
And cry's of blasphemy
All hell rejoices at the child
That she will bear
And satans only son
Shall be the worlds despair
All hell breaks loose
Hell's breaking loose
Witching hour
08 One Thousand Days in Sodom (04:33)
Unholy city a sinners delight
No-one was spared out of mind, out of sight
Hatred and slaughter, degredation and lust
Self destruction never counting the cost
No-one knew the suffering
Behind the city walls
No-one heard the cry for help
No-one heard the call
One thousand days in sodom
One thousand days in sodom
The ways of god forgotten
One thousand days in sodom
Children slaughtered daily there mothers by their sides
No mercy given no matter how they cried
The smell of death was near
It's presence ever near
The priests lay bound in chains no-one would ever hear
No-one knew the blasphemy
The torture and the pain
No-one saw the madness
The priests, they died in vain
One thousand days in sodom
One thousand days in sodom
The ways of god forgotten
One thousand days in sodom
Day completes its cycle and night takes on its role
Satan's cloak shrouds the land and his children spill their fold
No golden cross of heaven
Or ancient key of kings
Could save the world of sinners when the midnight sabbath rings
Few could hear the suffering
And the pain of ripping flesh
But those who did were damned in hell
And breathed their final breath
One thousand days
One thousand years you've lived your life in hell
09 Angel Dust (02:39)
Living
Running
Out on the streets at night
Searching
Hoping
For the right connection coz'
I need it, want it
You know I've got to have it
Takes me higher than anything I know
Angel Dust
Need a shot to see me through the day
Angel Dust
Want a lot I've got to get away
I live my life
Like there's no tomorrow
Take no
chances
I'm drowning all my sorrows coz' I
Need it, want it
You know I've got to have it
Takes me higher than anything I know
Laughing
Crying
Every night and day
I know
You know
That I'm a different man because I
Need it, want it
You know I've got to have it
Takes me higher than anything I know
10 In League With Satan (03:32)
I'm in league with satan
I was raised in hell
I walk the streets of Salem
Amongst the living dead
I need no one to tell me
What's wrong or right
I drink the blood of children
Stalk my prey at night
Chorus . .
Look out beware
When the full moon's high n'bright
In every way I'm there
In every shadow in the night
Coz I'm evil in league with satan
Evil in league with satan
2 I'm in league with satan
Obey his commands
With the goat of Mendes
Sitting at his left hand
I'm in league with satan
I love the dead
No one prayed for Sodom
As the people fled
3 I'm in league with satan
I am the masters own
I drink the juice of women
As they lie alone
I'm in league with satan
I bear the devils mark
I kill the new born baby
Tear the infants flesh
11 Red Light Fever (05:10)
I need a woman oh so bad
You ever get the feeling you've been had
You pay your money you pay the price
You take a chance and it feels so nice
Later maybe you wonder why
This little lady's gonna suck you dry
Bitch
You walk the streets as the darkness falls
You try to pass but the red light calls
When it's done and you've had your fun
You gotta treat yourself like number one
Maybe, even though she treats me bad
She's not the only one I've ever had
Bitch
I need to feel it baby can't you see
I need a girl to set my venom free
I'm going in can't you feel
Feels so good now I've broke the seal
I tell you babe I'm never satisfied
Aint gonna die for those tears you cried
Bitch
Your makin love just like a young girl should
You move me baby like no other could
You give me love but I can see
Your lovin' isn't only meant for me
If it's a living what the hell
I see you've only got your love to sell
Bitch
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