Venom

1979年的英格蘭正值動(dòng)蕩的春秋。重金屬音樂(lè)在朋克們曇花一現(xiàn)的光芒過(guò)后繼續(xù)散發(fā)著旺盛的活力。Venom，這支長(zhǎng)久來(lái)被主流社會(huì)所忽視的樂(lè)隊(duì)，Black Metal的鼻祖，出現(xiàn)在了紐卡斯?fàn)柕奶┒鞒牵ㄖ鞒?貝司手Conrad Lant/綽號(hào)Cronos（意思是懷有獸性惡意的瘋狂掠奪者）、鼓手Tony Bray/綽號(hào)Abaddon（意為地獄之門(mén)的野蠻守衛(wèi)）和吉他手Jeff Dunn/綽號(hào)Mantas（意為大獨(dú)裁者）三個(gè)邪惡的怪胎。
事實(shí)上，Venom的前身是一個(gè)叫Oberon的五人樂(lè)隊(duì)。當(dāng)Oberon的鼓手Abaddon在一次Judas Priest的演唱會(huì)上與舞臺(tái)工作人員Mantas碰面后，他們發(fā)現(xiàn)彼此間有很多共同之處，于是他們決定組建一個(gè)樂(lè)隊(duì)。樂(lè)隊(duì)的名字來(lái)自Mantas，當(dāng)時(shí)他是Motorhead的一員，在那里，他的綽號(hào)就叫Venom。不久后，Cronos作為吉他手加入Venom。不過(guò)當(dāng)MANTAS寫(xiě)了一首Live Like An Angel，Die Like A Devil后，他讓Cronos試著唱了唱，結(jié)果大家都很喜歡。同時(shí)，Abaddon聯(lián)系到一些俱樂(lè)部的演出活動(dòng)，但樂(lè)隊(duì)的貝司手卻離開(kāi)樂(lè)隊(duì)結(jié)婚去了，于是Cronos就試著操起了貝司，結(jié)果發(fā)現(xiàn)這并不是個(gè)很難擺弄的東西?，F(xiàn)在這樣的陣容大家都很滿(mǎn)意，于是就一直這樣繼續(xù)下去了。
1981年，他們發(fā)行了首張專(zhuān)輯《Welcome to hell》。這是一張可怕的專(zhuān)輯。首先是封面設(shè)計(jì)，一個(gè)大大的倒五角星中嵌著撒旦的山羊頭。到那時(shí)為止，曾經(jīng)提到過(guò)撒旦的樂(lè)隊(duì)只有Black Sabbath，但Venom覺(jué)得Sabbath仍然不夠黑，于是他們大膽采用了這樣一個(gè)在當(dāng)時(shí)可謂驚世駭俗的封面。音樂(lè)上，這張專(zhuān)輯更為可怕，Venom無(wú)疑是當(dāng)時(shí)世界上最重的樂(lè)隊(duì)。當(dāng)其他樂(lè)隊(duì)正在嘗試借鑒朋克樂(lè)做出稍微粗野一點(diǎn)的金屬音樂(lè)時(shí)，Venom在這張Welcome To Hell中已經(jīng)把時(shí)代提前了將近10年。沒(méi)有人能夠相信聽(tīng)到這張1981年專(zhuān)輯時(shí)的感覺(jué)：重型和邪惡。
樂(lè)隊(duì)本身很不尋常，證明這點(diǎn)的事實(shí)除了他們只花了三天遍錄完正張專(zhuān)輯外，還有這支樂(lè)隊(duì)從為參與過(guò)聯(lián)合演出。實(shí)際上，他們成為傳奇人物后，便拒絕與任何其他樂(lè)隊(duì)合作。1984年6月1日，在哈莫史密斯奧登，Venom舉行了他們?cè)谟?guó)的首次演出，Dumpy's Rusty Nuts樂(lè)隊(duì)為其暖場(chǎng)，那晚被人們稱(chēng)為“地獄里的第17天”。此次演出的門(mén)票被搶購(gòu)一空，但更驚人的大概還得數(shù)混雜在聽(tīng)眾中的那些朋克、吸毒者、紋身者以及摩托黨等，所有的人都來(lái)看這一瘋狂場(chǎng)面，從而使“Venom”成為少數(shù)幾個(gè)能吸引大量觀眾的金屬樂(lè)隊(duì)之一，過(guò)去只有Hawkwind、Motorhead、Rose Tattoo樂(lè)隊(duì)有過(guò)類(lèi)似場(chǎng)景。正如你從這些“超乎尋?！钡挠^眾群中所預(yù)料到的，演唱會(huì)上到處充斥著失真的噪音和沸騰的歌聲，仿佛舞臺(tái)上接有火焰噴射器，假如你站在會(huì)場(chǎng)后面便可身臨其境，到了高潮時(shí)，臺(tái)上每件物品都被打得粉碎！
Venom對(duì)此好不在乎，在接下來(lái)的一年里，他們推出了真正的不朽之作，可能是有史以來(lái)最好的金屬專(zhuān)輯之一：《Black metal》（當(dāng)然也許在今天看來(lái)無(wú)論是技術(shù)還是思想性都很一搬但在當(dāng)時(shí)作為開(kāi)拓者的身份確實(shí)十分不易。專(zhuān)輯中包括許多具有“危險(xiǎn)性”的經(jīng)典名曲，如《Leave me in the hell》和《Raise the dead》?；蛘哌@可算是當(dāng)時(shí)最“重”的重金屬唱片了，它的封套上印著一行格言：家庭錄音在扼殺音樂(lè)……毒液既是如此。很多歌都被日后數(shù)以萬(wàn)計(jì)的樂(lè)隊(duì)翻唱過(guò)，這些歌把金屬音樂(lè)足足推進(jìn)了一大步。也就是從這張專(zhuān)輯開(kāi)始，一個(gè)最為邪惡，最為極端的重金屬分支正式宣告誕生，它的名字就是：Black Metal，黑色金屬。黑色，地獄，邪惡，憎恨，反神....這一切都來(lái)自于Abaddon急速而激動(dòng)的鼓聲，Mantas暴戾而深沉的吉他，以及Cronos那沙啞惡毒的嗓音。這張出色的專(zhuān)輯使他們的地位在當(dāng)時(shí)的地下樂(lè)隊(duì)和真正的金屬樂(lè)迷心目中提升到和Iron Maiden同等的高度。
A seminal influence on the evolution of thrash and black metal, Venom formed during the late '70s in Newcastle, England. Originally a five-piece group called Oberon, they eventually trimmed their lineup to a trio comprising singer/bassist Conrad "Cronos" Lant, guitarist Jeff "Mantas" Dunn, and drummer Tony "Abaddon" Bray. Influenced by the heavy intensity of Mot?rhead and the visual flash of Kiss, the newly rechristened Venom developed a dark, blistering sound which paved the way for the subsequent rise of thrash music; similarly, their macabre, proudly satanic image proved a major inspiration for the legions of black metal bands to appear in their wake, even lending the genre its name with the release of their 1982 sophomore LP, Black Metal. (Their debut, Welcome to Hell, preceded it by a year.)
Venom's third album, At War with Satan, followed in 1983, and two years later they released Possessed. Lineup changes plagued the group in the years to follow, with Mantas exiting in the wake of 1985's live Eine Kleine Nachtmusik; guitarists Matt Hickey and Jimmy Clare were tapped as his replacements, making their debut on 1987's Calm Before the Storm. Cronos then quit as well, however, mounting a solo career and taking both Hickey and Clare with him as he left; at that point Mantas rejoined Abaddon to form a new edition of Venom with onetime Atomkraft vocalist/bassist Tony "The Demolition Risk" Dolan and guitarist Al Barnes. The new lineup made its bow on 1989's Prime Evil; Tear Your Soul Apart appeared a year later.
After 1991's Temples of Ice, Barnes quit Venom; his absence was filled by guitarist Steve "War Maniac" White, who along with keyboardist V.X.S. was recruited in time for 1992's The Waste Lands before both quickly exited. The trio of Mantas, Abaddon, and Dolan continued touring throughout the middle years of the decade, although no more new studio recordings were forthcoming; finally, in 1996 Cronos returned to the Venom fold, making way for Dolan's departure. The original lineup's return to action was heralded by the release of the mini-album Venom '96, followed in 1997 by the full-length Made in Stone. After a world tour, Venom issued the two-disc New, Live & Rare in mid-1998. Buried Alive appeared a year later, and in the spring of 2000 the group returned with The Court of Death and Beauty and the Beast. In 2006 they celebrated their 25th anniversary with Metal Black.