What's wrong with the release label?
I am going to criticize the Kraze Records version of this album, which is supposedly produced under license from Under One Flag. I will not review the music, it has been done more than once. Kraze Records must be shameless!
When you are going to buy the CD version of an album, there are three things you ask for: (1) the artwork and design, (2) how carefully the item is manufactured and, most important of all, (3) the sound. Let me begin by saying that, I could have produced the so-called booklet at home with a mid-quality desktop printer. The cover seems good enough, but when you take the booklet out, you see that it is only one fold; one page for a band photo and one for credits that are printed so indistinct that the page looks like a cheap photocopy. No lyrics. The edges of the booklet seems to be cut by hand with standard scissors, they are uneven. If you draw a line going through the edges of the booklet, what you'll get will be a sketch of the ocean waves. When you close the booklet, you realize the corners don't even close on top of each other. The back cover also looks like a color printout and is on an unusually thin paper.
On the CD is printed the tracklist, but what a tracklist. It reads "I Agree" instead of "Insane", "Harder Than Fever" instead of "Harder Than Ever".
And the sound? Mid-quality mp3s are way more clear and powerful than the Audio CD itself. It was a different experience, realizing the CD was sounding worse than compressed audio types. It is as if they have brought the production quality down on purpose, specially for a licensed release.
None of the artwork, quality of CD manufacturing or the sound of the music itself is worth a dime, let alone $13. .
Not Bad, Still Venom
However, I thought I'd give this album a try even though it lacks one of my favorite metal singers. Before I bought this, I had made my mind that Venom = Cronos and Mantas (I was disappointed by Metal Black). And I must say, the band knows how to replace its singer. I noticed a change in Cronos' style between Possessed and Cast In Stone, and the new frontman sounds like the new Cronos.
The album starts off really strong, with five solid rock tracks. . . then it hits Megalomania, a cover of my favorite band, Black Sabbath. I am really glad they did not attempt to cover the whole song, because they manage to butcher the second half. If the singer tried to sound like himself and not Bon Scott choking on a bat, then perhaps it would work.
After this track, the album does not recover. The songs are not bad, but they do not meet the trend set by the first five. Skool Daze is the exception; it is a fine rocker.
If you are just starting your Venom collection, get Black Metal and Welcome to Hell before buying this album (I'd actually recommend buying the first four, but those two at the very least).
All in all not a bad album. . . Mantas is in top form. The new singer is annoying at times, but he is not terrible. And the drums are what I've come to expect from Venom. . . nothing great, but if you listen to Venom for precise drumming, there is something wrong with you.
I will hang for this review...
Gone are the cheesy satanic lyrics that have been done over so many times. Many, many, many fans will disagree with me on this but this new line-up and set of albums with Tony Dolan (Demolition Man)shows their true musicianship, polished and at their best musically and lyrically. Prime Evil has better songs, period! The structuring, lyrics, musical content and production make this album my all-time favorites of Venom albums. Ultra heavy riffs, darker vocals than Cronos and complex bass lines Cronos ever could have pulled off. Everyone is stuck in the old realm of Venom, which was in it's day friggin awesome but it's time to learn to play our instruments a little better and improve with age which they did. Abbaddon is actually playing solid and his timing is down and the guitars are furious with flesh ripping distortion and ear splitting leads that makes this album a blast to listen to! Damn, you don't need Cronos because Tony sounds just like him but just better! So guys, get over the old line-up already. Pick up some Venom like Prime Evil, Temples of Ice and The Waste Lands and embrace the evolution of Venom metal. Hey, the new albums are good too but these three highlight them at their peak. They are entirely underrated and didn't receive the respect they deserved because of one missing man that could have gone unnoticed. O. K. Who's bringing the noose?.
GOOD BUT......
The style is more conventional heavy metal with some thrashers like ¨Parasite¨ and even a slow song and a 1000 mph version of Sabbath's ¨Megalomania¨ . Not nearly as good as the ¨Calm Before The Storm ¨album or any of the first albums. This album marks the departure of bassist/singer Chronos and enter Tony Dolan as a replacement. The new frontman can play serious bass (gone is Venom's trademark sloppiness) but his voice is deeply buried in the mix . The overall sound is very good,the playing so tight it squeaks. The volume and tonal quality shift quite a lot from one song to another,making for constant adjustments to compensate. A good album is its own right but not nearly as interesting as any of its predecessors.
AWESOME VENOM
i've seen other people rate the songs 1 by 1 so i'll try it for this review. great album.
Prime Evil--------------------------------------------------7/10
Parasite----------------------------------------------------9/10
Blackened Are The Priests------------------------(bestsong)10/10
Carnivarous-------------------------------------------------9/10
Skeletal Dance----------------------------------------------8/10
Megalomania-------------------------------------------------6/10
Insane------------------------------------------------------8/10
Harder Than Ever--------------------------------------------8/10
Into The Fire-----------------------------------------------9/10
Skool Daze---------------------------------------(its funny)9/10
Live Like An Angel-Die Like A Devil-------------------------8/10
The songs do get a bit repetitive though.
If you like old thrash check these guys out.
You can see a complete list of all Venom discography, or go back to the Venom tabs
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