Album Review: VENOM INC - Ave

01. Ave Satanas

02. Forged In Hell

03. Metal We Bleed

04. Dein Fleisch

05. Blood Stained

06. Time To Die

07. The Evil Dead

08. Preacher Man

09. War

10. I Kneel To No God

11. Black N’ Roll

Just to clear this up, there are two versions of Venom out there. The one that's just called Venom features original singer/bassist Chronos, and Venom Inc features the other two of the original three members of the classic Venom line-up, guitarist Mantas and drummer Abaddon. The latter are currently joined by Tony 'Demolition Man' Dolan on vocals/bass. Strangely enough, there was a time when the three members of Venom Inc were touring and releasing music under the name Venom. It can all be quite confusing. I look at it as a Metal divorce. As fans, we've effectively got two Venoms, and fortunately, they're both releasing really good material. Maybe there's a rivalry that's keeping both camps at the top of their game?

I'll be honest, I've never been a massive Venom fan. I respect that their early music was massively influential, spawning genres, and cementing their legacy as a hugely significant act in the history of Heavy Metal. That doesn't mean that they were particularly good though. They've a handful of songs that I quite like, but I'd in no way consider them as having been in the same league as Motorhead, Judas Priest, Saxon or Iron Maiden. No fucking way at all. Musically, I think both versions of Venom are releasing records that are way better than their early 'classics'.

Ave is surprisingly good. The production is excellent. The majority of Ave sounds like a mix of Accept and Motorhead at their most savage, especially on the head banging Forged In Hell, the anthemic Metal We Bleed and the stomping Dein Fleisch. The lyrics are the usual mix of Satan, Rock 'N' Roll, war, religious corruption and more Satan. It's all great fun, and while it's a bit ridiculous, there's no arguing with the quality of the song writing and the musicianship. It's top notch stuff, and I can't remember hearing a record under the Venom or Venom Inc moniker that sounds as good as Ave.

I wasn't expecting much from Ave, but I have to hand it to them. It's a really strong, entertaining and surprisingly fresh sounding album. If you like Traditional Heavy Metal, this one is definitely worth checking out.