Gothic Theatre

By Tom Murphy The idea seems quaint now — that a band parlaying faux-satanic lyrics and a fast, dark, aggressive sound could actually scare listeners. But when the British band Venom released its brutish and raw debut album, Welcome to Hell, in 1981, it was the mark of something new. Venom sounded evil in a way that few bands before it ever had. At the same time, its theatrical live shows seemed like the inspiration for a good deal of the goofiness in the movie This Is Spinal Tap. Nevertheless, Venom’s sound and look are at the roots of thrash, death metal and black metal — the last of which took its name from the title of Venom’s 1982 album. This incarnation of the band features original members Mantas, on guitar, and Abaddon, on drums, as well as the Demolition Man out front. Though the classic lineup is fractured, Venom’s inimitable headlong musical assault is still very much intact.