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.
Blessed Dead
Venom Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But then they found me
Now you'd better off dead son
Than if you fucked with me
When the walls come crashing down
And your life turns to ash
I'm every cunt who give a shit
And sold your soul for drugs and cash
I am a nightmare
I am a nightmare stalking
The blessed dead
I'm gonna fuck up your head
And trample on your bones
You thought you'd hit and run
You'll wish you stayed at home
When you know the end is nigh
And all your dreams are dead
Just remember I'm the one
Who put bad thoughts in your head
The blessed dead
Gonna fuck you up
They came looking for action
But never bargained on me
Now they wish that they were dead
What a sad sight to see
When the walls come crashing down
And your life turns to ash
I'm every cunt who gives a shit
And sold your soul for drugs & cash
The lyrics to Venom's song "Blessed Dead" are menacing and ominous, creating an intimidating persona that revels in chaos and destruction. The song describes the author as a force to be reckoned with, someone that people should fear and stay away from. The opening lines of the song, "They came looking for trouble, but then they found me. Now you'd better off dead son, than if you fucked with me" sets the tone for the rest of the lyrics, taking aim at anyone who would try to challenge the singer.
The song continues to escalate in intensity, with lyrics like "I'm gonna fuck up your head and trample on your bones" and "Just remember I'm the one who put bad thoughts in your head." The singer takes pleasure in the fear and uncertainty they instill in others, calling themselves a "nightmare stalking the blessed dead." The song's scathing lyrics also touch upon themes of addiction and desperation, with lines like "sold your soul for drugs & cash."
Overall, the lyrics to "Blessed Dead" paint a dark and violent picture of someone who revels in chaos and has a strong desire to control and manipulate others. The lyrics are intense and confrontational, and the music itself is heavy, with distorted guitars and a driving beat that further amplifies the ominous feel of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
They came looking for trouble
People approached me with the intention to cause problems.
But then they found me
However, they discovered that I was not one to mess with.
Now you'd better off dead son
If you try to mess with me, death would be a better option.
Than if you fucked with me
It is better to be dead than to mess with me.
When the walls come crashing down
During times of crisis and destruction,
And your life turns to ash
When your life is in ruins,
I'm every cunt who give a shit
I am the one who pretends to care for you
And sold your soul for drugs and cash
But sold your soul for temporary pleasures and money.
I am a nightmare
I am terrifying and traumatic,
I am a nightmare stalking
And always present in your life, stalking you.
The blessed dead
The dead ones who are now in a blessed state,
I'm gonna fuck up your head
I will mess with your thoughts and emotions,
And trample on your bones
And physically harm and destroy you
You thought you'd hit and run
You believed you could harm and leave quickly,
You'll wish you stayed at home
But you'll regret ever encountering me
When you know the end is nigh
When you know that you are nearing your own demise,
And all your dreams are dead
And when all your hopes and aspirations are gone,
Just remember I'm the one
Recall that I am the one responsible for your suffering.
Gonna fuck you up
I am going to destroy you utterly.
They came looking for action
People tried to find excitement,
But never bargained on me
But they didn't expect to run into me,
Now they wish that they were dead
And now, they regret their decision to confront me,
What a sad sight to see
It is saddening to witness.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ANTONY ESME LANT, CONRAD THOMAS LANT, MIKE HICKEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
K3yBoardMani4c
Killer riffs!
azlina Azlina
the names Phil
hail to the king
VENOM!!!!!!
adrian shadow 2
awesome music hail venom
NEXUS2040
This goes out to my enemies, you know who you are!
Le Néant Cosmique
I am a nightmare ! YEAH !!!
Dot
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