We tried to shape ‘Avé’ so that it comes at you dark, then it gets bright and heavy and just keeps growing into some kind of monster.” - Tony ‘Demolition Man’ Dolan. The name Venom is both loved and loathed in the metal world but regardless of your take on the band they are known first and foremost as the pioneers of extreme metal as we know it. Almost 40 years after their inception, the revitalized 1989 - 1992 line-up of guitarist Jeff ‘Mantas’ Dunn, vocalist / bassist Tony ‘Demolition Man’ Dolan and drummer Anthony ‘Abaddon’ Bray have returned with a monster of an album, ‘Avé’. It’s a reunion that was unexpected at the outset - even by the band members themselves - but the end result after getting their collective legs back is an album that true Venom fans will gladly add to the top of their playlists. Venom Inc. were born on April 24th, 2015 at the annual Keep It True Festival in Lauda-Königshofen, Germany. Mantas and Dolan were focused on M:Pire Of Evil, having invested years’ worth of blood, sweat and tears in recording and touring to keep the band alive. An offer to play Keep It True was accompanied by a request to have Abaddon - who would be in attendance - to join the band during the set to perform some Venom classics as a treat for the fans. Mantas and Abaddon hadn’t spoken in almost two decades, leaving Dolan to try and make the epic reunion a reality. The on-stage reunion was a rousing success amongst Venom fans and music industry personnel alike. Many industry people thought it was smart the way M:Pire Of Evil presumably changed their name to Venom Inc. because their performance had been brilliant when in fact it was only done for fun. Dolan received numerous show offers for Venom Inc. from booking agents from Asia, Europe and South America who had seen the live footage online. What started as a reunion to celebrate Venom’s history turned into serious discussion about touring with the old songs “to see if Venom Inc. had legs,” according to Dolan. Going in to writing ‘Avé’, their Nuclear Blast debut, Venom Inc. realized their live performance was the key to creating an album that would be a metal classic. It was clear that any songs the trio came up with had to have the intensity, the honesty and the aggression that was happening for Venom Inc. in a live situation. Simply put, they needed to translate what they do on stage onto a record. Not once did they look back on the Venom catalogue and think “We have to write another ‘Black Metal’ or another ‘Schizo’…” The focus is on Venom Inc. and everything the rejuvenated three-piece do in the here and now. Gatefold double vinyl, digital download album. Full UK tour November 2017.
