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.
Voyeur
Venom Lyrics
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Dirty little nurse
Teachers, whores and chambermaids
All lifting up their skirts
Sister's in the bathroom
Getting nice and clean
Telescopic vision
He's bursting at the seams
Posion pleasures, taken by hand
Rapid fire, from his pulsating gland
Neighbours at the window
Trying her new bra
Young and horny lovers
Back seat daddys car
Searching through his bondage
Cindy's in top drawer
Blondes, brunettes and redheads
To satisfy the voyeur
Uncut videos, vibrating eye
Snakes alive, cause he's never shy
He's the voyeur
Leggy traffic wardens
Women of the law
Coming hard on oral
She's begging him for more
Polaroid mistress
Versatile and lean
Fingering her naked flesh
Fuel for his wet dreams
He's had them all
That's what he says
The liar
So little action
But nobody cares
About the voyeur
You meet some strange people in this place...
Voyeur
The lyrics to Venom's song Voyeur are a disturbingly explicit description of a man's voyeuristic tendencies. The song portrays a man who derives pleasure from watching unsuspecting women engaged in various sexual activities, ranging from schoolgirls to nurses, chambermaids to mistresses, and even women of the law such as traffic wardens. The song paints a picture of a man who is sexually frustrated and lacking in real-life sexual experiences, hence taking pleasure in watching others instead.
The opening lines of the song are particularly disturbing as they describe a man's pleasure in watching young virgin schoolgirls and dirty little nurses, which implies sexual exploitation of underage girls. The song then goes on to describe the man's insatiable desire to watch women undress and engage in sexual acts, which he achieves through a variety of means such as telescopic vision, bondage equipment, and Polaroid cameras. The chorus, "He's the voyeur", reinforces the idea that this is a habitual and compulsive behavior for the man, rather than a one-time indiscretion.
Overall, the song paints a disturbing picture of a man's warped sexual desires and his exploitation of vulnerable women for his own pleasure. It is a cautionary tale of the dangers of voyeurism and the harm it can cause to both the voyeur and their victims.
Line by Line Meaning
Virgin little schoolgirls
Young, innocent schoolgirls who have not yet had sexual experiences.
Dirty little nurse
A nurse who is sexually promiscuous.
Teachers, whores and chambermaids
Women who work in various professions, including prostitution and domestic work.
All lifting up their skirts
These women are exposing their body in a sexual manner.
Sister's in the bathroom
The person is spying on their sister while she is in the bathroom.
Getting nice and clean
The person's sister is taking a shower or bath.
Telescopic vision
The person is using an instrument (like binoculars) to see more clearly from a distance.
He's bursting at the seams
His desires and sexual urges are so strong that he feels like he might explode.
Posion pleasures, taken by hand
He seeks pleasure from sexual experiences that are harmful or dangerous.
Rapid fire, from his pulsating gland
He is ejaculating frequently and quickly due to strong sexual urges.
Neighbours at the window
The person is spying on their neighbors through their window.
Trying her new bra
The person's neighbor is trying on a new piece of lingerie.
Young and horny lovers
Young people who are sexually active and insatiable.
Back seat daddys car
Young people who are having sex in the back seat of a car that belongs to someone's dad.
Searching through his bondage
The person is searching through someone else's possessions (like a partner's) to find bondage gear.
Cindy's in top drawer
The person has found pornography involving a woman named Cindy in a drawer.
Blondes, brunettes and redheads
The person is attracted to many different hair colors in women.
To satisfy the voyeur
These women are being sexual for the purpose of satisfying his desire to watch.
Uncut videos, vibrating eye
He has access to pornographic videos that are unedited and they arouse him so much that it feels like his eye is vibrating.
Snakes alive, cause he's never shy
The excitement and risk associated with watching people have sex is so intense that he is not afraid to engage in the behavior.
He's the voyeur
He is the person who is watching others engage in sexual activities.
Leggy traffic wardens
Women who direct traffic, but who are also very attractive and have long legs.
Women of the law
Women who work in law enforcement, but who are also sexually attractive.
Coming hard on oral
A woman who is having an orgasm from performing oral sex.
She's begging him for more
The person's partner is asking for more sexual activity.
Polaroid mistress
The person has taken photographs of a woman which are sexually explicit.
Versatile and lean
The person's partner is very flexible and thin.
Fingering her naked flesh
The person is touching their partner's body in a sexual way.
Fuel for his wet dreams
These experiences are what he thinks about when he is dreaming or fantasizing.
He's had them all
He has had sexual experiences with many women.
That's what he says
He claims to have had sex with many women, but it is unclear if this is true.
The liar
He is not telling the truth about his sexual experiences.
So little action
He is not having much sexual activity in his real life.
But nobody cares
No one is concerned about his lack of sexual activity.
About the voyeur
He is not valued for his behavior of watching others have sex.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: CONRAD THOMAS LANT, JEFFREY DUNN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind