I was really torn as to whether or not my review of Venom's "Welcome
To Hell" should be categorized as a classic or an archive. So let me
present some facts that represent both criteria for classic and archive.
When I first learned about Venom I had never heard any of their songs
prior to taking a chance on their "At War With Satan" album.
That release took a while to grow on me and there was something about Venom
that increased my interest in listening to some of their other albums.
There is no doubt that the songs on Venom's 1981 debut release "Welcome
To Hell" consisted of elements that later became known as thrash, death,
black and virtually every other form of extreme metal; influencing bands like
Bathory, Kreator, Sodom, Emperor and Cradle of Filth.
These bands took things one step further, making Venom look like boy
scouts in comparison. (CLASSIC)
For "Welcome To Hell", Venom adopted the theatrical
influences of Kiss and used satanic and occult references in most of
their lyrics as a gimmick. Musically, they used the formula of Motorhead;
creating a three piece unit that would play with unparalleled distortion and
breakneck speed. "Welcome To Hell" certainly gives one the
impression that Venom weren't the greatest of musicians. Their performance
as a unit often sounded clumsy and underrehearsed. The bulldozer like bass always seemed to
over power the chainsaw like guitars, which had a very high treble setting to begin with.
The drums always sounded like they were being played on cardboard boxes and
the timing seemed a bit off. The overall production was below average. In fact,
"Welcome To Hell" was recorded on a 4 track originally for
demo purposes. It was gritty and raw. Not until "Calm Before The Storm" would Venom
finally attain some respectable musicianship and production. (ARCHIVE)
One can't help but like the songs on "Welcome To Hell". Listening
to the lyrics and the musicianship makes one almost laugh since it is three
guys trying to sound serious. But in retrospect, many of these songs are true
classics of the genre. Tracks like "In Nomine Satanas","In League With Satan", "Welcome To Hell", "1000
Days In Sodom" and "Witching Hour" were all covered
by bands on the "Tribute To Venom" release. (CLASSIC)
Over the years Venom has re-recorded some of their earlier classics
with better production and improved playing. This gave the songs new life; digging
beneath the layers to enhance the meaning and intention that might have been
lost or missing on the original versions.
So to sum up, the poor production and less than average musicianship on Venom's
"Welcome To Hell" would make this album an archive by Metal
Reviews standards. But Venom's overall influence on the thrash, death,
black metal movement is undeniable. That in itself heavily overides the forementioned,
making this album a classic. So I must give this album the lowest score eligible
for classic based on our rating system: 90 / 100.
As a side note, Neat/Sanctuary's reissued a remastered version of "Welcome
To Hell" in 2002. Added were eleven bonus cuts between alternate takes,
singles, and demos, and killer packaging to boot. The classic line up of bassist/growler
Cronos, guitarist Mantas, and drummer Abaddon is forever immortalized on CD!