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.
Bloodlust
Venom Lyrics
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Living low in a world of our own
Destined to live right, fight
We're taking hell as our home
Burning lives burning
Asking me for the mercy of God
Ancient cries crying
Acting fast upon the way of the dog
Welcome to hell welcome to hell
Kill we will kill death
Masturbating on the deeds we have done
Hell commands death kill
Argue not of feel the death of sun
Burning lives burning
Asking me for the mercy of God
Ancient cries crying
Acting fast upon the way of the dog
Welcome to hell welcome to hell
Welcome to hell welcome to hell
Leave your souls at his feet kiss the flames
Scorn defeat die we won't die live
Our choice of difference is
What you'll never know
Mortal voids live die
Buried deep beneath the fall of the snow
Burning lives burning
Asking me for the mercy of God
Ancient cries crying
Acting fast upon the way of the dog
Welcome to hell welcome to hell
Welcome to hell welcome to hell
Bloodlust come on turn it up!
Madness stalking the night
Feeding fast on my prey draining the life
'Till the dawn of the day
Drinking and sucking the blood rushing sweet
Half crazed with glory
Half crazed in the heat bloodlust
Tearing the flesh of the weak and the child
Sparing no one the meek and the mild
I sink my fangs in your neck as you dream
I am Count Cronos vampire Supreme
Bloodlust bloodlust upon me
I'm biting the flesh i'll take away
Your God given breath now I shall feast
On your life giving blood leave you to die
On the land you once stood bloodlust
The lyrics to Venom's song "Bloodlust" portray a vampiric creature taking pleasure in hunting and consuming its prey for sustenance. The song begins with a call to amplify the intensity of the music as the madness takes hold. The creature then stalks through the night, feeding quickly on those it comes across and continuing until the dawn breaks. The sensation of drinking and sucking blood is described as sweet, with the hunter becoming half crazed with both glory and the heat of the moment.
The chorus of "Bloodlust" reinforces the theme of pleasure from the act of killing, as the creature tears apart the weak and the child without mercy. With fangs sunk into the neck of its victim, the creature is portrayed as a powerful and dominant Count Cronos, the "vampire supreme". The song ends with a final verse describing the feast on the lifeblood of the victim, before leaving them to die on the land where they once stood.
The lyrics of "Bloodlust" speak to the seductive power of evil and the darker appetites that can come with it. The violence and darkness of the song are reflective of Venom's overall style and image, which often leans into themes of horror and occultism. The energy of the music and the vivid imagery of the lyrics create a truly immersive experience for the listener.
Line by Line Meaning
Come on turn it up, madness
Let's ramp up the excitement and chaos.
Stalking the night, feeding fast on my prey
I hunt and kill my victims quickly during the night.
Draining the life till the dawn of the day
I suck the life out of my victims until the morning.
Drinking and sucking, the blood rushing sweet
The taste of blood is exhilarating and enjoyable.
Half crazed with glory, half crazed in the heat
I am both excited and feverish about my bloodlust.
Blood lust
A desire to drink and suck blood.
Tearing the flesh of the weak and the child
I am brutal and merciless towards anyone, including the defenseless.
Sparing no one, the meek and the mild
I show no mercy to anyone, regardless of how weak they are.
I sink my fangs in your neck as you dream
I attack my victims while they are unconscious and vulnerable.
I am Count Cronos, vampire supreme
I am the ultimate vampire with power and dominance.
Blood lust
The uncontrollable desire to drink and suck blood.
Blood lust upon me, I'm biting the flesh
I am consumed by my desire for blood and am biting into flesh.
I'll take away your God given breath
I will take away your life, which was given to you by a higher power.
Now, I shall feast on your life giving blood
I am now going to drink and suck the blood that gives you life.
Leave you to die on the land you once stood
I will let you die where you previously stood, now lifeless and empty.
Blood lust
The overwhelming desire to drink and suck blood.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
David Vales
Come on turn it up, MANTAS!!
Stalking the night, feeding fast on my prey
Draining the life till the dawn of the day
Drinking and sucking, the blood rushing sweet
Half crazed with glory, half crazed in the heat
Blood lust
Tearing the flesh of the weak and the child
Sparing no one, the meek and the mild
I sink my fangs in your neck as you dream
I am Count Cronos, vampire supreme
Blood lust
Blood lust upon me, I'm biting the flesh
I'll take away your God given breath
Now, I shall feast on your life giving blood
Leave you to die on the land you once stood
Blood lust
BURPEES IN THE BAY
Come on turn it up, madness
Stalking the night, feeding fast on my prey
Draining the life till the dawn of the day
Drinking and sucking, the blood rushing sweet
Half crazed with glory, half crazed in the heat
Blood lust
Tearing the flesh of the weak and the child
Sparing no one, the meek and the mild
I sink my fangs in your neck as you dream
I am Count Cronos, vampire supreme
Blood lust
Blood lust upon me, I'm biting the flesh
I'll take away your God given breath
Now, I shall feast on your life giving blood
Leave you to die on the land you once stood
Blood lust
𝕷𝖔𝖗𝖉 𝕭𝖆𝖈𝖐𝖚𝖗𝖔
Venom is undoubtably the most under credited band in the world for the fucking influence they had on the music world especially of the 80’s and 90’s
These guys and Motörhead basically shaped the 80’s extreme metal scene in the same manner Van Halen shaped the general sound of the Rock World in the 80’s
Satanic imagery in Metal? Not without these guys
Without these guys we wouldn’t have Thrash, Death, Black, Groove, Nu, (insert)Core, Djent, Power metal.
No Metallica, Korn, Sepultura, Sodom, Kreator, Megadeth, Slayer, SOAD, Power wolf, Pantera, Death, Possessed, Bathory, Mayhem, Celtic Frost, Burzum, Yngwie
And if you look at the implications
that Metal had on the music world especially by allowing extreme forms of music to be popular
Maybe also no mainstream Gangsta Rap, Drill or whatever because simply they probably would have been banned or nobody listened to it because it’s too extreme.
SOGNAMETAL1984
HOW TO VENOM:
00:07: START WITH DAT FAKKIN LAUGH THOUGH
00:10: DAT SEXY ROCKIN BEAT THOUGH
:00:24: REMIND YOUR GUITAR PLAYER BY YELLING HIS NAME THAT IT'S ALREADY TIME TO BLAST A FUCKIN KILLER SOLO FEW SECONDS AFTER THE SONG STARTED
00:38: MICROPHONE LEMMY STYLE
01:44: SECOND REMINDER FOR A FUCKIN KILLER SOLO
02:04: BASS-HEADBANGING ON THE FLOOR LIKE YOU NEVER DID BEFORE
02:45: END WITH DAT FOKIN LAUGH THOUGH
OPTIONS: A SHIT LOAD OF SMOKE ON THE STAGE
joseph kony
I find it so hard to believe this came out in 1982. Nobody did it like them. True pioneers of metal and how we know it today
Boris Lonic
The greatest Metal band of all time! The Pioneers of Thrash Metal and Black Metal, period. Raw, HardCore Heavy Metal at its best! Hail Venom!
Christophe Lallau
Black Metal...do not forget Mercyful Fate !!!
Phil Renaud
These guys started it all. Bathory, Celtic Frost, Sodom, Death etc all owe these cats a debt of gratitude.
Sean O'Connor
SCROGY Chuck Schuldiner himself said they wouldn't be doing what they do without Venom. Definitely an important band in metal.
Gage Garton
Black Sabbath started everything
Giannis Zoumpoulis
@Gage Garton Yes but we talk about the extreme metal genre!
Beleth
@Sean O'Connor Death used to call themselves Mantas
Graham Hatton AOR Guru
1981-2021. 40 years of Venom. They still rock!!
Johnny Tyler Madcap
My lord....when he says MANTAS!!! Its like he's summoning him...beautiful