(June 2024) Episode 576 is VENOM. They emerged late phase of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) and became influential in extreme metal and thrash metal. And their album Black Metal gave the name to that subgenre. Lots of album and song titles featuring “Satan,” “hell,” “devil,” and “death,” and headbanging riffs, as we would expect. But listening from a four-decade distance, it’s hard to separate their music from the metal clichés that they helped create. I prefer the sound on the later (21st century) albums with a cleaner production.
Favorite album: Metal Black
Favorite song: A Good Day to Die
Compared to expectations: ↓
Recommendation: Metal fans will want to check out their first couple of albums to hear the influence, but I think there are better places to get your fix for thrash or black metal.
Opus Project 