Venom Inc. is a British heavy metal band from

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

. Formed in 2015, the band features former

Venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

members Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan, Jeffrey "Mantas" Dunn and previously Anthony "Abaddon" Bray.

History

The history of Venom Inc. goes back to April 2015, when the band M-Pire of Evil (with former

members

Jeffrey Dunn Jeffrey "Mantas" Dunn (born 22 April 1961) is a British guitarist best known as one of the founding members of thrash/speed metal band Venom, with which he played as a guitarist from 1979 to 1985 and 1989 to 2002. He currently plays in Venom I ...

and

Tony Dolan Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan (born 1964) is an English musician, best known as the bassist and vocalist of heavy metal bands Atomkraft and formerly Venom. He currently plays in Venom Inc., alongside fellow former Venom member guitarist Mantas ...

) played at festival in Germany. At the gig, Dunn and Dolan invited drummer Anthony "Abaddon" Bray, another former Venom member, to play a few old Venom songs at the festival, although Dunn and Bray had not spoken to each other for around 20 years. This spontaneous action led to the formation of Venom Inc., which consisted of the Venom line-up from 1989 to 1992: Dunn as guitarist, Dolan as singer and bassist and Bray as drummer. The group's debut album, ''Avé,'' was released in August 2017 by

Nuclear Blast Nuclear Blast is a record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label mov ...

. "Dein Fleisch" and "Ave Satanas" were released as singles. In the same year, the band performed at

MetalDays Metaldays is a heavy metal music festival held annually in Tolmin, Slovenia, since 2004. The festival has been more popular every year with more media coverage and in order to not let it grow too big, in 2010 the tickets were limited to 12,000. ...

, among others. At the end of April 2018, Dunn suffered a heart attack, which resulted in a brief cardiac arrest. He underwent double bypass surgery and has since recovered. The band later revealed that Bray did not actually play drums on ''Avé'' and that they used a drum machine instead. Bray took a break from band activities in early 2018 due to the birth of his daughter. However, in September 2018, he announced that he would not be returning to the band. During his break, he had learned that he had been fired and

Jeramie Kling Jeramie Kling (born 1982) is an American drummer, recording engineer, producer, and live sound engineer best known for his work with extreme metal bands The Absence and Venom, Inc. He is also a member of Ribspreader (drums), Goregäng (guitar/ ...

would now be the band's new drummer. The band released their second studio album, ''There's Only Black'', in September 2022. In November 2023, Kling parted ways with the band due to "logstical reasons".

Musical style

In a 2017 ''

Rock Hard "Rock Hard" is a single by the Beastie Boys, released by Def Jam Records on 12" in 1984. The track contains samples from the AC/DC song "Back in Black", which was used without obtaining legal permission, causing the record to be withdraw ...

'' interview, Tony Dolan stated that Venom Inc. was more than just a cover band. Rather, they try to experiment and surprise with songs like "Dein Fleisch". In the same issue, Thomas Kupfer reviewed ''Avé'', stating that the album is not for "music snobs", but offers "rowdy noise orgies".Thomas Kupfer: Venom Inc. – Avé. In: ''

''. Volume 363, August 2017, p. 100. Stephan Möller from

Metal.de Metal.de is a German-language online magazine launched in 1996. The magazine focuses on the subgenres of heavy metal and hard rock, but also reports on similar styles. ''Metal.de'' foundation in 1996 makes it one of the longest-running heavy me ...

also reviewed the album and stated that it can be categorised somewhere between the first wave of black metal as well as

speed metal Speed metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that originated in the late 1970s from new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) roots.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' (Berg Publishers, 2007), , p. 31. It ...

and

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

. This brought the term "black 'n' roll" and a

Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a precu ...

comparison to his mind. Compared to the Venom albums ''

Black Metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with t ...

'' and ''

Welcome to Hell ''Welcome to Hell'' is the debut studio album by English extreme metal band Venom. It was released in December 1981, through Neat Records, at the culmination of the new wave of British heavy metal movement. The album was re-released by Sanctua ...

'', Venom Inc. sounds a little "rockier" and more like Motörhead. The music also has a more modern feel. ''Avé'' is "mature and probably the cleanest album that this constellation of musicians has ever recorded".

Members

* Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan – bass, vocals (2015–present) * Jeffrey "Mantas" Dunn – guitars (2015–present) Former members *Anthony "Abaddon" Bray – drums (2015–2018) * Jeramie "War Machine" Kling – drums (2018–2023)

Discography

;Studio albums *2017: ''Avé'' (

) *2022: ''There's Only Black'' (Nuclear Blast) ;Singles *2017: "Dein Fleisch" (

Decibel Flexi Series ''Decibel'' is a monthly heavy metal magazine published by the Philadelphia-based Red Flag Media since October 2004. Its sections include Upfront, Features, Reviews, Guest Columns and the Decibel Hall of Fame. The magazine's tag-line is currentl ...

) *2018: "War" (Nuclear Blast) *2022: "How Many Can Die" (Nuclear Blast)

References

External links

* * * {{authority control British speed metal musical groups English heavy metal musical groups English thrash metal musical groups Musical groups from Newcastle upon Tyne Musical groups established in 2015