Once hell-bent on evolution while maintaining their metal-punk sound, Venom’s current incarnation has resolved to repeat themselves for the last few albums.
They can still write evil riffs, but the idiosyncrasies, weirdness and experimentation that made Venom such a worthwhile band have been abandoned, save for slow-burner Smoke. Essentially, this is the same record as 2006’s Metal Black, but Cronos seems to be running out of steam. How many more songs can be written about “Long Haired Punks” and “Satanas”? Die-hard fans might be happy with the competently written, bass-heavy bangers, but the ferocity is gone.
