Venom Inc.
27th February 2018
Whammy! Bar, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Matt Henry Mendonca.
It was the tour that almost didn’t happen. But as has been proven time and time again, true metal never will never lay down and die. Following a blistering set at Wellington’s Valhalla just the night before, Venom Inc. arrived in Auckland ready to slay their horde of fans with their tales of darkness and the underworld.
But a night as regal in godlike status such as this could not begin without some exceptional New Zealand metal first. “Fire in our hearts and steel in our veins, we are your nightmare!” is the mantra of the mighty Forsaken Age. Formed in 2010 they took to the stage entrenched within the depths of Whammy Bar – the ultimate venue for aural beauty such as this with its blackened walls – and kicked off the night perfectly with the track ‘Pedal to The Metal’. As Miss Misery [Chrissy Scarfe] commanded those before her with vocals that struck fear into their cavernous souls, Rev. H. Metal [Lee Scarfe] provided the thundering bass line that anchored them to the ground. Moving through ‘Vengeance of the Slain’ and ‘Wolves of War’ Forsaken Age became a whirling firestorm of guitars and drums, summoning the gods of metal themselves.
With barely a moment to catch their breath, those that had ventured forth into this night of wickedness were then struck squarely in the chest with the opening chords of ‘Death Tinted Red’; Bulletbelt had arrived.
Having supported Venom Inc. in Wellington just the night before, the five piece were like tightly coiled springs, still riding high from the sweet elixir of the previous night’s proceedings. Having just released their latest album Nine Centuries, this was for many an Auckland based fan the first chance to witness Bulletbelt’s new line up consisting of Scott Spatcher-Harrison [formally of Christchurch legends Human] and guitarist Josh Obrien. As the human speed machine that is the walking art form of Steve Francis unleased the hounds of hell, Bulletbelt rained down upon the crowd music that was almost primordial in nature. It grew from within and dominated the senses, the long-coated Harrison’s vocals chilling as they were elating, his stage presence one of demonic obsession as his long figure arched over the microphone stand he had angled horizontally with the stage. Hugely popular ‘Deathgasm’ had the crowd erupting in howls of delight, fists raised high in the air they pushed Bulletbelt for more, faster, harder and louder; ‘Faster Than Death’ befitting of the moment. Bulletbelt have a long standing history in NZ Metal, and once again tonight they proved exactly why, the new members melding into the sinuous body of their unique sound, the band looking and sounding stronger than ever before; a fact that was proved in earnest as they dropped the title track to their latest release.
With the crowd now ravenous for more the house lights remained dim, the atmosphere brooding. The fans jostled for a better position along the rim of the stage, many still not quite believing that within the next few minutes they would be standing almost eye to eye with the formidable Venom Inc.; the beauty of Whammy Bar’s aesthetic allowing fans to have an insanely up close and personal experience with bands.
Darkness fell and the stage lights rose, illuminating the banners depicting occult symbols that hung like funeral curtains. The fans began to shudder, some moving from foot to foot anxious to begin the devilish proceedings. You could almost feel the swell of exhilaration as there before all stood Venom Inc. staring straight into the eyes of their fans. The room almost folded in on itself as ‘Avé Satanas’ spewed forth, clearly drawing a line in the sand and making the statement that Venom Inc. aren’t here to just rehash old tracks; they are still vibrant and thirsty to drink from the carnal knowledge of the metal deities, their latest album Avé a piece of pure art.
While many get caught up in the argument of who truly owns the Venom name (Cronos long ago walking away with it tucked under his arm), there is no denying that Venom Inc. are the real deal; as many agreed tonight, they are the true Venom. With both original members Abaddon and Mantas being joined by the outstanding Demolition Man Tony Dolan, tonight’s fans truly got to taste British metal history as the three piece bore down upon them with relentless fury. With his microphone angled down towards him, Dolan jutted out his lower jaw and stretched his neck upwards, his vocals guttural in their deliverance with just the right amount of bite and as they clamped down upon the necks of his victims the essence of the lyrics leached into them, their bodies thrashing with this new found potency.
Venom Inc. are without a doubt a band that are all about their fans; introductions to songs aimed at inviting them into the fold to be embraced by the dark wings of this overlord. Mantas, one foot perched upon the foldback and large dark glasses over his eyes, often stepping forward to shred the guitar mere inches from an audience members face as they drank it all in. Tracks such as ‘Welcome to Hell’ were followed by new material such as ‘Metal We Bleed’, their latest recordings sounding just as robust if not more so than the old school anthems that the fans bayed to. Behind the kit Abaddon wielded his sticks with fatal precision, every so often stoking the fire that burned from within with swigs of Jack Daniels straight from the bottle.
The crowd who had already begun hungry became ravenous, often spilling onto the stage in the need to be closer to the aural assault that was befalling them. By the time the band rolled into ‘Warhead’ they were at fever pitch; screaming the title at the decree of Mantas as he raised his hands into the air, commanding this throng of metal heads. Dolan remained poised, his lips against the mic as he let their cries wash over him before unleashing the next part of the song, fans and band bonding together with the music in one unholy trinity.
While the early days of Venom are synonymous with the rise of British Metal, there was always the call that technically they were not a proficient band. Not so tonight, Mantas illustrating time and time again that his guitar playing is tight, the chords driven home with meticulous exactitude. Dolan moved the bass strings as if they were an extension of his body, flexing, they reverberated around the room, and snarled in people’s ears. Dolan, speaking of their love for New Zealand and all its cultures, divulged to the crowd that they had a culture all of their own back in England, one in particular that was very important; howling the words “Don’t Burn The Witch” into the microphone the crowd imploded, limbs flailing, t-shirts saturated with the sweet exertion. Upon its conclusion he recommended using a microwave instead to ensure no burning occurred, a humorous nod to the room that showed that it doesn’t always have to be that serious.
By the time “War” was played the room had descended into an all-out mosh pit, the fans fully embracing the song and shrieking the words in time with the band. Dolan following it up quickly with a speech of how women are “caring and considerate, but step over the line and they will Fuck. You. Up!” as inside they all have a little ‘Poison’. “Leave Me In Hell” saw an even madder mosh pit break out, once again fans spilling over the edge of the stage as crowd surfers revelled in their moment of glory. The band appeared to feed off the energy, sweat dripping from their brows they furiously played on, conductors of this symphony of the eternal abyss.
Dolan, stepping back into the shadows nodded towards Mantas who moving to the front of the stage began to speak of how many years ago he wrote a song that was said to have created an entire new sub-genre of metal. Calls of ‘Black Metal’ began to rise up from the crowd as Mantas nodded before reminding all that they are “brothers and sisters”; that it was not the record industry, nor the sales that made metal what it is, but the fans; his heartfelt and impassioned speech driving home what it truly means to be part of this worldwide community. One would think that it would be hard to top ‘Black Metal’, but one would soon be proven wrong as Venom Inc. finished on the larger-than-life ‘Countess Bathory’, the audience giving it everything they had. Venom Inc. taunted the fans, stating that if they wanted more they would have to be “fucking loud” … well there was never any danger of them not being that …
Returning once again to the stage, Venom Inc. delivered both ‘Sons of Satan’ and ‘Witching Hour’ with relish, one by one leaving the stage after saluting their comrades who stood before them. Abaddon granting one last parting gift as he poured the remainder of his Jack Daniels into the lucky mouths of a few in the front row.
Legends then. Legends now. Legends forever.
Venom Inc.
Bulletbelt
Forsaken Age
Were you there at Whammy! Bar for this magnificent metal gig? Or have you seen Venom Inc. perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- Avé Satanas
- Welcome To Hell
- Metal We Bleed
- Die Hard
- Live Like An Angel
- Blackened
- Carnivorous
- Buried Alive
- Raise The Dead
- Warhead
- Don’t Burn The Witch
- War
- Poison
- Leave Me In Hell
- Black Metal
- Countess Bathory
- Sons Of Satan [encore]
- Witching Hour [encore]
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