VENOM INC to commemorate 'Black Metal' album 40th anniversary at Keep It True festival - Return To Hammersmith - On... Posted by Jeff Mantas Dunn on Monday, February 28, 2022
VENOM INC., the band featuring original VENOM guitarist Jeff "Mantas" Dunn (guitar) and ex-VENOM bassist/vocalist Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan, will commemorate the 40th anniversary of VENOM's "Black Metal" album by performing it in its entirety on October 2 at the Keep It True festival at Posthalle in Würzburg, Germany.
Back in 2018, VENOM INC. recruited drummer Jeramie Kling to fill in for Anthony "Abaddon" Bray on a European tour while Abaddon stayed home to spend time with his newborn daughter. VENOM INC. has since completed several tours with Kling without ever making any official announcements about Bray's possible return to the group.
Dunn, Bray and Dolan released three albums as VENOM between 1989 and 1992 — "Prime Evil" (1989), "Temples Of Ice" (1991) and "The Waste Lands" (1992).
VOIVOD's Michel "Away" Langevin said: "To me, VENOM represent the start of a very important movement that has split into many more important movements. It was a revolution. After that moment, death metal, thrash metal, black metal and all these genres exploded and they all owe something to VENOM."
MAYHEM's Jørn "Necrobutcher" Stubberud stated: "I didn't know it back then because everything was fresh. We didn't know what we were looking for, but when I heard VENOM, that was it."
VENOM INC. is not to be confused with the Conrad "Cronos" Lant-fronted version of VENOM, which is continuing to tour and make albums under the VENOM moniker. Joining Cronos in that group are Rage (a.k.a. Stuart Dixon) on guitar and Danté (a.k.a. Danny Needham) on drums.
VENOM INC. has spent most of the last year working on its new album. The follow-up to 2017's "Avé" will once again be released on Nuclear Blast Records. The recording is being done between England, Portugal and America and it will have Dunn at the helm as producer once again.
