The legendary band Venom returns to the spotlight with Into Oblivion, their new studio album, scheduled for release on May 1st. The album marks the band's first new material since 2018 and features the band's solidified lineup with Cronos (bass/vocals and founding member), Rage (guitar), and Dante (drums). With 13 tracks, the work maintains the dark and aggressive identity that has established the group as one of the pillars of extreme metal.
To celebrate the release of Into Oblivion, Venom will be holding several listening sessions of the album around the world, including in Brazil, in São Paulo, at The Metal Bar. The event will take place the day before the release, Thursday, April 30th, starting at 6 PM, with free admission. Fans will receive giveaways and the chance to win test pressing at each event.
In an interview with Wikimetal, guitarist Danny Needham, known as Dante, spoke about the new album and his 17 years working alongside the iconic Cronos. The musician also revealed the responsibility of maintaining the band's legacy and praised Brazilian fans.
Wikimetal: The 8-year hiatus between albums is the longest in Venom's career. Was this time a conscious choice to allow the compositions to mature, or did the outside world and the pandemic force this wait?
Danny “Dante” Needham: Yes, that was a problem, obviously at the beginning, because that's when we started writing the album and then the pandemic happened. We went into lockdown, we couldn't do what we usually do, like go to our studio and start writing together. We had to do it each on our own, which, I mean, gave Cronos and Rage the chance to improve their home studios, which they did during that period. And they were writing more on their own. But it was great. It wasn't anything special, it was very good. They were developing their own ideas. But the songs didn't have that spark that we have when we write together, when we exchange ideas, that's when our little magic happens. That was the first drawback.
So, we had some technical problems in the studio, after I had already finished recording the albums, all the drum parts and everything. The guys were starting to record the bass and guitar, and we were listening to some of the songs afterward. We realized there was a problem. It was like static noise, and we located the source. Basically, it was the microphone that was faulty, and we didn't notice it during recording, only when we were listening to it later. This meant I had to record everything again, which delayed the release a bit. But, looking back, the album turned out better, because I think the second recording was better, and we dedicated a little more time to some songs, making them more epic, so to speak.
WK: The new album, Into Oblivion, brings together classic Venom elements while also incorporating modern ones. The band said in the press release that this album sounds "different, but familiar." How was it to be different while maintaining the same formula for decades?
DD: It still has that old-school vibe. It's still raw. It's not… you know, Venom albums are never clean and overproduced, because that's not the essence of Venom. It has to have that heavy, aggressive sound, and this album has it. But the production is great. I think this album and the songs, with everything we've done, represent… We all pushed boundaries and pushed each other forward.
I think we're all aiming for the best possible album, and I think we achieved that with Into Oblivion. We have songs that are a bit more bluesy, industrial, like "Dogs of War" and things like that. There's even poetry. The third song, "Nevermore," is basically an Edgar Allan Poethat Cronos is reciting, but in his own way. So, it's quite interesting. But it's still very much Venom because it's under the Venom sound. All the songs on this album are under that sound. No matter the style, the twist it takes, it will always sound like us because we've been together for a long time.
WK: What's it like working alongside such an iconic figure as Cronos? Is there room for new ideas, or does he maintain a more traditional vision of Venom?
DD: Well, it's great working with Cronos. It's true. I mean, this is the longest-lasting lineup in the band's entire history. 17 years. So, we get along really well, the three of us. We're very good friends. We live close to each other and we're lucky enough to have our own studio, where we rehearse, get together and talk about business, ideas and plans for future shows, tours, albums and everything else. And we also use it to record. We spend a lot of time together. It's great, it lets us… we put our own stamp on what we do. Even on the older songs, when we do a show, we obviously try… we respect the previous lineups and everything else. But we can put our personal touch on it. We're not just going to copy others.
WK: This is Venom's most stable and long-lasting lineup. What's the secret to keeping the "Power Trio" spirit alive for 17 years without the band becoming a caricature of its past?
DD: Ah, that's a good question. It's how I think… I think it's the friendship and mutual respect we have for each other, and we just love getting together and playing, it's fun. We were… We're not kids anymore, but… It's like being kids when we get together to play. You know what I mean? It's like we never let go of each other. And when that happens, it's not fun anymore, then it's time to move on and do something else or give up. But that day never came. It's a real honor, it's a thrill to play with these guys. It's great.
WK: You're part of a legendary band with a well-established sound. Do you feel any responsibility to maintain the band's legacy?
DD: I think we have that responsibility with this album. I think this is the fourth album I've been involved in, and for me—and I'm not just saying this because everyone says that when they release a new album, it's their best—but I think this one was the most enjoyable to make, and I'm very happy with the final result. The sound, the songs, the composition. I think it was… We raised the bar from what we had done before, which, you know, were great, brilliant. I'm very happy and I can't wait for the release, which is this Friday.
WK: Noise Records and BMG are really putting a lot of effort into the visuals of this release. For you, is physical art like vinyl, inserts, and CDs still fundamental to the experience of listening to a metal album?
DD: Yes, absolutely. Obviously, nowadays, in this new world we live in, with kids getting into everything, it's music streaming… They subscribe to whatever platform they listen to music on, whether it's YouTube, Amazon Music, or any other. But no, physical albums, records, CDs, tapes are still important. It's great to see younger fans enjoying these things and buying albums.
If you look back 10, 20 years, you would never have imagined that young people would buy vinyl again. And then, when they started buying cassette tapes, it was like, wow, I never thought cassette tapes would make a comeback. But I was wrong, they're back, and it's great to see that because that's what I collected as a kid, records and cassette tapes. And that's how I learned music, none of this YouTube stuff where you can analyze how people play and videos become popular. No, you had to learn the hard way. And it was fun.
WK: There's an listening party for the album scheduled for São Paulo, at The Metal Bar. Does the feedback from the Brazilian audience influence the band's enthusiasm to continue touring?
DD: Of course. It's great to hear that. There are several release parties happening this Thursday and, obviously, the one in São Paulo, Brazil, is one of them. There's one in New York, one in London, one in Spain, in Germany, in Italy… Everywhere. So, it's great to know that this is happening. I need to say that BMG, the label we're with now, makes this new album very special, mainly because it's our first album with the new label.
That also contributed a little to the time that has passed since the last album. You know what I mean? Because between the last album and this one, we changed record labels. So, that took a little while. And they've been absolutely incredible in promoting this album, creating interview schedules like this one. We've done many, many of them in the last two months. And here we are, in the last week, just a few days until the release.
WK: Brazilian metal, like Sepultura and Sarcófago, drew heavily from Venom. Do you usually listen to any of the extreme metal produced here lately?
DD: Not many, but I've heard a few. What I've heard is great. Actually, I played with some Brazilian musicians a long time ago before joining Venom. I did some shows in Brazil and three or four members of the band were Brazilian. They were touring with us at the time. And the band I was with then was absolutely brilliant, I got to go to São Paulo, Rio and Brasília. It was great.
WK: Brazil has always had the most loyal Venom fans. Are there plans to bring the new tour here?
DD: Well, we would love to. I'd hop on a plane and play tomorrow, we'd all love it. We used to go to South America every two years. So, we'll probably only start the tour there in June, considering what's happening in the world, with a certain country a little further north, in the Middle East, the situation is a bit unstable in some areas, but we'll see.
Let's hope things calm down and we can go to Brazil and do some amazing shows. Because I love the country. My first tour with Venom, in 2009, was all over South America and the last show was in São Paulo and it was very special. I loved it. Victoria Hall [in São Caetano do Sul], I think that was the name of the venue. I'm sure that was the name shortly before Christmas 2009. It's been a long time. 17 years ago.
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