OcTOBER
      12,
      2006
     
    
   
   
    
     
      THE‘CADRE
      @
      15
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ARTS
      &
      ENTERTAIN
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      INT
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
      Brief
      History
      of
      Venom:
     
     
      The
      Venom
      Review
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Craig
      St.
      Jean
     
     
      Contributor
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Here’s
      a
      brief
      history
      of
      Venom:
      In
     
     
      1978,
      some
      kids
      from
      Newcastle
      got
     
     
      together
      to
      get
      drunk
      and
      play
      fast,
     
     
      sloppy,
      Satanic
      punk
      rock.
      Somewhere
     
     
      along
      the
      line
      they
      inadvertently
      gave
     
     
      birth
      to
      both
      thrash
      metal
      and,
     
     
      although
      just
      in
      name
      only,
      black
      metal
     
     
      (the
      title
      of
      their
      career
      defining
      1982
     
     
      album).
      As
      seminal
      as
      they
      may
      have
     
     
      been,
      Venom
      were
      never
      all
      that
      good.
     
     
      Their
      overly
      simple
      song
      structures,
     
     
      silly
      posturing
      and
      pseudo
      Satanic
     
     
      lyrics
      left
      quite
      a
      bit
      to
      be
      desired
      from
     
     
      the
      band
      who
      had
      a
      direct
      influence
     
     
      on,
      in
      my
      (very
      correct)
      opinion,
      many
     
     
      of
      the
      best
      bands
      of
      all
      time.
     
    

    
     
      And
      yet,
      like
      a
      foul,
      lingering
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      odour,
      Venom
      are
      still
      around.
     
     
      They’ve
      put
      out
      16
      official
      releases
     
     
      overt
      the
      course
      of
      their
      career,
      without
     
     
      evolving
      their
      sound
      very
      much
      at
      all.
     
     
      And
      now,
      they
      give
      us
      “Metal
      Black.”
     
     
      In
      order
      to
      herald
      their
      “return”
      (from
     
     
      where?
      Oh,
      6
      years
      since
      the
      last
      non
     
     
      live
      album),
      they’ve
      cleverly
     
     
      rearranged
      the
      words
      from
      the
      title
      of
     
     
      their
      most
      noteworthy
      release.
      I
     
     
      honestly
      just
      shook
      my
      head
      when
      I
     
     
      first
      read
      about
      this.
      But
      now
      I’m
     
     
      shaking
      (banging!)
      my
      head
      in
      a
     
     
      different
      motion,
      and
      much
      more
     
     
      vigorously,
      because,
      amazingly,
      this
     
     
      album
      is
      really
      damn
      good.
      The
      lyrics
     
     
      are
      still
      ridiculous,
      and
      the
      band’s
     
     
      appearance
      (especially
      now
      that
     
     
      they’re
      almost
      in
      their
      50s)
      is
     
     
      something
      that
      any
      self-respecting
     
     
      person
      should
      totally
      laugh
      out
      loud
     
     
      at,
      but
      the
      music
      can
      hold
      its
      own
      with
     
     
      any
      modern
      metal
      release,
      and
      it’s
     
     
      honestly
      heavier
      than
      the
      majority
      of
     
     
      them.
      Take
      my
      (well
      listened)
      word
      for
     
     
      it.
     
    

    
     
      Songs
      like
      “House
      of
      Pain”
     
     
      (horrible
      title,
      yes
      I
      know),
      with
      its
     
     
      bastardly
      heavy
      rhythmic
      stomp,
      see
     
     
      Venom
      incorporating
      some
      modern
     
     
      elements
      into
      their
      sound,
      though
      they
     
     
      retain
      a
      decidedly
      old-school
      bent.
      The
     
     
      title
      track
      is
      the
      album’s
      highlight,
      as
     
     
      these
      impossibly
      old
      (well,
      for
      this
     
     
      style,
      anyway)
      guys
      rip
      through
      chaotic
     
     
      thythms
      and
      awesomely
      lame
      lyrics
      at
     
     
      some
      seriously
      sick
      tempos.
      Yes,
      the
     
     
      album
      is
      full
      of
      cheese
      (but
      of
      the
     
     
      hardest,
      heaviest
      variety!)
      and
      scores
     
     
      of
      albums
      will
      come
      out
      this
      year
     
     
      that’ll
      offer
      something
      much
      more
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Photo:
      courtesy
      of
      Google
     
     
      Venom
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      artistically
      captivating,
      but
      Metal
     
     
      Black
      will
      likely
      be
      one
      of
      the
      most
     
     
      fun.
      Maybe
      it’s
      partly
      because
      my
     
     
      expectations
      were
      so
      low
      to
      begin
     
     
      with,
      but
      I’m
      glad
      I
      gave
      this
      old
      band
     
     
      another
      chance.
      Satan
      calls
      you!
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      New
      EP
      and
      a
      New
      Hometown
      for
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Two
      Hours
      Traffic
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Kent
      Aitken
     
     
      Reporter
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Liam,
      Alec,
      Andtew
      and
      Derek
      from
     
     
      Two
      Hours
      Traffic
      had
      this
      for
      a
     
     
      schedule
      last
      week:
     
    

    
     
      Friday:
      Isolator
      EP
      release
      show
      at
     
     
      The
      Guild.
     
    

    
     
      Saturday:
      Another
      Isolator
      EP
      release
     
     
      show
      at
      Stage
      Nine
      in
      Halifax.
     
     
      Sunday:
      Move
      to
      Toronto
      and
      make
      a
     
     
      run
      at
      cracking
      a
      label
      and
      rock
     
     
      stardom
      in
      general.
     
    

    
     
      It
      was
      a
      big
      week
      to
      say
      the
      least.
     
     
      “Tt’'ll
      let
      us
      branch
      out
      for
      touring,
      and
     
     
      I
      think
      it'll
      be
      a
      good
      writing
     
     
      environment,”
      said
      guitarist
      O’Hanley
     
     
      about
      the
      move
      to
      Toronto.
     
    

    
     
      The
      four
      musicians
      plan
      to
      live
      together
     
     
      and
      devote
      more
      time
      to
      writing
      and
     
     
      playing
      music,
      and
      hopefully
      get
      some
     
     
      widespread
      exposure.
     
    

    
     
      They
      hope
      the
      move
      will
      help
      them
      to
     
     
      further
      their
      careers.
     
    

    
     
      “To
      be
      signed
      and
      to
      be
      able
      to
      tour
     
     
      consistently.
      (We’d)
      love
      to
      not
      have
     
     
      day
      jobs,”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      O’Hanley
      said.
     
    

    
     
      All
      of
      this
      on
      the
      heels
      of
      a
      string
      of
     
     
      shows
      promoting
      their
      new
      EP,
     
     
      Isolator,
      a
      six-song
      mix
      of
      their
      well-
     
     
      executed
      pop-rock
      heart
      with
      some
     
     
      adventures
      in
      several
      different
     
     
      directions.
     
    

    
     
      The
      CD
      opens
      with
      a
      slightly
      heavier,
     
     
      distorted
      offering,
      closes
      lightly
      with
     
     
      a
      subtle
      nod
      to
      the
      East
      Coast’s
      Celtic
     
     
      roots
      and
      is
      filled
      with
      immensely
     
     
      listenable
      songs
      in
      between,
      including
     
     
      “Stuck
      tot
      the
     
     
      immaculately
      put
      together
      warm-
     
     
      weather
      anthem
      that
      was
      destined
      for
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Summer,”
      an
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      radio,
      but
      in
      a
      good
      way.
     
    

    
     
      “You'd
      think
      that
      with
      only
      six
      songs
     
     
      you'd
      have
      less
      freedom,
      but
      in
      some
     
     
      ways
      it’s
      the
      opposite,”
      O’Hanley
      said,
     
     
      “T
      think
      we
      took
      more
      chances
      on
      this
     
     
      one.”
     
    

    
     
      Hopefully
      those
      chances,
      and
      the
     
     
      pilgrimage
      to
      Toronto,
      pay
      off.
     
     
      Isolator
      can
      be
      ordered
      from
     
     
      MapleMusic.com.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Soptisticated
     
    
   
   
    
     
      LTr-ess
      Fo
      moress
     
    
   
   
    
     
      att
      (|
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘THE
      BEST
      MUSIC
      IN
      THE
      CITY
      WITH
      RESIDENT
      DJ
      FLYICORE:.