I remember seeing and hearing Venom for the first time and thinking they were fucking animals!!! I loved it man!!! These dudes looked like they signed their souls away and were enjoying every minute of it. They were awesome, Kiss, Black Sabbath and Motorhead all rolled up in one with Satan being their father!!! 'Welcome To Hell' was their first release and arguably their best. No production, just three maniacs raising hell!!! Bulldozer bass, chainsaw guitar and nuclear warheads are the sound we're talking about. Here's some of the highlights of this grand disc: First song is 'Sons Of Satan'. Very cool I must say with it's bashing pace and total abrasiveness. 'Schizo' is more based in traditional metal roots than thrash but still it is a heavy tune. 'Witching Hour' reverts back to the thrash attack and has the memorable chorus of "All hell breaks loose - Witching Hour"!!! (the song spawned a cool video as well) '1000 Days In Sodom' is slow and heavy with Cronos' bass being featured prominently. Note on the re-issues you get the added bonus of the inclusion of two more excellent tracks in the forms of 'In Nomine Satanas' and 'Bursting Out'. You can't ask for much more than that. A fucking classic!!! I can't say enough good things about this release.

© 1999 malphas