Venom's original personnel came from three different bands: Guillotine, Oberon and Dwarfstar. The original Guillotine featured Jeffrey Dunn and Dave Rutherford on guitars, Dean Hewitt on bass guitar, Dave Blackman on vocals, and Chris Mercater on drums who replaced Paul Burke, the original drummer when the band was founded. Blackman and Mercater were later also replaced by drummer Anthony Bray and vocalist Clive Archer. Later, Dean Hewitt was replaced by Alan Winston on bass. Around that time a number of personnel changes occurred. Clive Archer, Eric Cook, Tony Bray and Ian Kell formed a band while working at Reyrolles. Ian Kell was replaced in mid-1978. In late 1979, Conrad Lant replaced Dave Rutherford. Lant later switched to bass after the departure of Winston. The band members took on new stage names. Archer became "Jesus Christ", Lant "Cronos", Tony Bray "Abbadon", and Jeff Dunn "Mantas".
Prime influences of the formative band were Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Motörhead, and Kiss. Other musicians that have influenced Venom are Deep Purple, Sex Pistols, the Who, the Tubes, Van Halen, the Rolling Stones, and Elvis Presley.
'Welcome to Hell' influenced several later bands. Venom's music helped shape the development of many thrash metal bands, specifically the "Big Four of Thrash" (who in turn were highly influential): Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, and Megadeth (Metallica opened for Venom on an early 1980s tour, and Venom opened for Metallica and Slayer on the Ride the Lightning tour, and Slayer played with them and Exodus on the Combat Tour in 1985). Venom would also be of extreme importance to the black metal scene and even the early death metal scene, with numerous bands copying styles, themes, and imagery from the band, such as the Swiss band Hellhammer (later to become Celtic Frost), whom also helped pioneer the genres. Music critic Bradley Torreano wrote that Venom "caught the attention of both metalheads and punks, the band was emulated by the former and turned into camp icons by the latter." Henry Rollins once compared the band to Spinal Tap.
Acid
Venom Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You can bring my soul out of me
I'll pay your wicked price
Deliver your merchandise
Gypsy, you'll drive me a dream
Oh Acid Queen
Wild tames the raging beast
Demon controls my mind
Leaves the real world behind
Mold me a purgatory scene
Acid Queen
Acid Queen
You ain't want to hear no one
Can you hear me?
I said get out of here, you
Oh! Witch, now you've given all you've got
Bitch, thought you'd left me here to rot
You're coming down and fast
You've tripped your very last
I'll take your place and sing
Oh Acid King
You deny
The lyrics of Venom's song Acid are filled with dark and mystical references, making it an intriguingly haunting song. The first stanza speaks of a Gypsy who possesses everything the singer needs, and is able to extract his soul. The lyrics are suggestive of a bargain, with the singer agreeing to pay the Gypsy's wicked price in exchange for her merchandise. The next stanza speaks of the Acid Queen, who has the power to tame the beast and help the blind to see. The singer is willing to surrender his mind to the Acid Queen, as he seeks to experience a scene in purgatory. The repetition of the Acid Queen chorus accentuates the intensity of the lyrics, accentuating the mystical atmosphere of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
You have got everything I needed
The singer is addressing someone who has what they're looking for
You can bring my soul out of me
The singer acknowledges that this person can provide something that feels transformative
I'll pay your wicked price
The singer is willing to pay whatever cost this person is asking, even if it's morally ambiguous
Deliver your merchandise
The artist wants this person to give them what they're promising
Gypsy, you'll drive me a dream
The artist believes this person can take them on a journey, most likely a psychedelic one
Oh Acid Queen
The singer is addressing this person again, possibly referring to them as a figure of authority in a psychedelic context
Wild tames the raging beast
The singer is suggesting that this person has the power to calm their mind or control their impulses
Child helps the blind to see
The artist compares this person to a figure with mystical healing powers, possibly alluding to their psychedelic effects
Demon controls my mind
The artist acknowledges that drugs (or the person providing the drugs) can have a strong hold on their thoughts and emotions
Leaves the real world behind
The artist is suggesting that the psychedelic experience can transport them to another reality, separate from the one they know
Mold me a purgatory scene
The singer is asking this person to create an experience that is both pleasurable and challenging; possibly referring to the unpredictable nature of the psychedelic experience
Acid Queen
The artist addresses this person again, possibly indicating that they are now fully immersed in the psychedelic experience
You ain't want to hear no one
The singer is accusing this person of not listening to anyone else, possibly referring to the ethical responsibilities of providing drugs
Can you hear me?
The singer is asking this person to listen to them and their concerns
I said get out of here, you
The singer is becoming hostile towards this person, possibly indicating that the psychedelic experience has taken a negative turn
Oh! Witch, now you've given all you've got
The artist is calling this person a witch, possibly indicating that they feel they've been deceived or manipulated
Bitch, thought you'd left me here to rot
The artist is using derogatory language towards this person, possibly due to feelings of betrayal or anger
You're coming down and fast
The singer is suggesting that this person's hold on them (or the effects of the drugs) are wearing off quickly
You've tripped your very last
The singer is suggesting that this person will no longer be able to deceive or manipulate them in the future
I'll take your place and sing
The artist is expressing a desire to take on this person's role and become the one who provides psychedelic experiences
Oh Acid King
The artist addresses themselves as the new figure of authority in a psychedelic context
You deny
The artist is suggesting that this person (or society at large) denies the value and power of the psychedelic experience
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: PETER TOWNSHEND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TyTye
They should have ran with that intro as a whole song
@jordynn5145
13 hours later. Still love the intro.
@lou5y
Thirty years later, and I still love that intro.
@Worldexplorer2390
Aciiiiiiiiiiiiiiiid!
@michaelrushton3953
Huh huh! Venom rules!
@jordynn5145
That intro though
@bloodpollution21
I love this song lol
@arkane200
love it x)
@elfsieben1450
Sounds more like speed than acid. (Or cocaine laced with speed.)
@williambanks8103
Weakest album and still rules !