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.
Raise The Dead
Venom Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
maddened eyes with fright
fingers bleeding fast heart beating
the moons my only light
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
If God won't have me, then the Devil must
[CHORUS:]
we will raise the dead
we will raise the dead
stop at nothing raise the dead
Gaze across the blackened yard
my mind is filled with dread
so give me all the powers of Hell
and I'll raise the dead
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
The hotter the fire, the greater the lust
[CHORUS:]
I hear the star of the Necromancer
my blood is black and my heart doth bleed
I am infernal and my mind's in torment
I'll raise the dead make the world unclean
Laughing as my legions rise
control the zombies mind
I hold Hell close to my breast
I'm leaving God behind
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
I'll enter hellfire, I'll break the crust
[CHORUS:]
The lyrics of Venom's "Raise the Dead" depict a character who rises from his "deadly tomb" with "maddened eyes with fright" and a bleeding fingers and racing heart. He is surrounded by darkness and the only source of light is the moon. The character seems to be obsessed with bringing the dead back to life, declaring that if God won't accept him, then the Devil must. The chorus is an affirmation of this desire to raise the dead, promising to stop at nothing to accomplish it. The character is consumed by a sense of dread and is willing to use all the powers of Hell to achieve his goal.
The second verse continues the theme of the character's obsession with raising the dead, emphasizing that the hotter the fire, the greater the lust. The character hears the "star of the Necromancer" and declares himself infernal and in torment. He believes that by raising the dead, he will make the world unclean. In the final verse, the character is in control of his legions of zombies, with the power to control their minds. He holds Hell close to his breast and leaves God behind, declaring that he will break the crust of hellfire.
Line by Line Meaning
Rising from my deadly tomb I've got
I emerge from my grave with a sense of fear and madness.
maddened eyes with fright
My eyes show my intense fear and insanity.
fingers bleeding fast heart beating
I am physically and emotionally overwhelmed, with bleeding hands and a racing heart.
the moons my only light
The only source of illumination is the eerie light of the moon.
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
A reminder of the inevitability of death and decay.
If God won't have me, then the Devil must
If I am rejected by God, I will embrace the evil powers of the Devil.
we will raise the dead
Together, we will bring back the deceased.
stop at nothing raise the dead
We are determined to succeed and will not be deterred.
Gaze across the blackened yard
Looking out over a dark and ruined landscape.
my mind is filled with dread
I am overwhelmed with fear and anxiety.
so give me all the powers of Hell
I am willing to embrace evil in order to achieve my goals.
and I'll raise the dead
I have the power to bring the dead back to life.
The hotter the fire, the greater the lust
The more intense the challenge, the greater my desire to succeed.
I hear the star of the Necromancer
I hear the call of dark magic.
my blood is black and my heart doth bleed
I am consumed by darkness and despair.
I am infernal and my mind's in torment
I am in constant agony and struggle with my own evil desires.
I'll raise the dead make the world unclean
I will defy the natural order and cause chaos and destruction.
Laughing as my legions rise
I take great pleasure in seeing my army of undead rise from the dead.
control the zombies mind
I have complete power over the minds of the reanimated dead.
I hold Hell close to my breast
I have embraced the powers of darkness and evil.
I'm leaving God behind
I have rejected the safe and orderly world of God in favor of the chaos and power of the Devil.
I'll enter hellfire, I'll break the crust
I will descend into the fiery depths of Hell and emerge with even greater power and evil.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ANTHONY BRAY, DUNN GEOFFREY, CONRAD THOMAS LANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@blvckwrath2479
Rising from my deadly tomb I've got
Maddened eyes with fright
Fingers bleeding fast heart beating
The moon's my only light
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
If God won't have me, then the Devil must
[Chorus]:
We will raise the dead
We will raise the dead
We will raise the dead
Stop at nothing, raise the dead
Gaze across the blackened yard
My mind filled with dread
So give me all the powers of Hell
And I'll raise the dead
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
The hotter the fire, the greater the lust
[Chorus]
I bear the star of the Necromancer
My blood is black and my heart doth bleed
I am infernal and my mind's in torment
I'll raise the dead make the world unclean
Laughing as my legions rise
Control the zombies mind
I hold Hell close to my breast
I'm leaving God behind
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
I'll enter hellfire, I'll break the crust
[Chorus]
@TSPH1992
The power of metal is strong with this one
@MurphyWinbag
Venom is fucking awesome! This is yet another kick ass song made by a kick ass metal band. Thanks for posting.
@Mafila
Every time I watch a zombie movie this song starts playing in my head... I'm afraid the Devil has taken me.
@JuanRodriguez-ry9nr
Yevgeniy B He will son. He will.
@TheTrueMattiMan
The bass really makes this album
@govetter
I (tried) to play this a lot, it's soo tuned down you can see the bass strings vibrate!
@bretthansen3560
Venom was the first black metal tape 1st before Slayer!! I hold them dear to my heart!! Before they even got notice!! Hail.....
@danielcasasbuenas7117
jesus
@TheWarriorsFromHell
@Blood Eagle 88 Venom is Original Black metal. Xantolol and mystifier are post Norwegian style black metal.
@TheWarriorsFromHell
@Blood Eagle 88 next you're going to say Dio was the orginal singer for black sabbath