Cronos says of the album that “this album has really pushed the boundaries, but if you want to make a killer album, you pay for it in blood, sweat and tears.” Venom’s current guitarist, Rage, added that “I’m so proud of this album. It’s astounding! It feels so different, yet so familiar. The sonics are a step up, no song sounds the same, but they all work together.”

The single released is classic Venom – fast, edgy and dark. The title echoes their seminal 1982 album, ‘Black Metal’, which gave the lo-fi, satanic and explicitly blasphemous subgenre its name. “Lay down your soul to the gods, rock and roll!” exclaimed the original in a war cry that almost single-handedly birthed extreme metal, and Venom have picked up there, the track deliberately sounding like their older work and less like the out-and-out thrash metal that they toyed with in the later 1980s.

This lineup of Venom, consisting of Conrad “Cronos” Lant, Stuart “Rage” Dixon and drummer Danny “Dante” Needham, have been together since 2009. The band’s lineup changes have been frequent since their formation in 1979. Their golden-age lineup of Cronos, Mantas and Abaddon fragmented in the later 1980s as they were overtaken in heaviness by thrashers like Metallica and Slayer and death metal bands like Death and Obituary. Mantas and Abaddon were until 2018 touring in a separate incarnation of Venom, named Venom Inc., but have since fallen out again.

Their last album, 2018’s ‘Storm the Gates’, was released through the Spinefarm record label. Though some liked the album and enjoyed their harking back to their glory days, one reviewer said of the album that it carries “half its weight in strong songs, [but] the other half is largely made up of forgettable filler”, awarding it three stars out of five. Their album before that, 2015’s ‘From the Very Depths’, fared little better, awarded a measly two stars in Rolling Stone, dismissed as “a bit of a slog”. 

Venom are no doubt one of the most important, if unsung, bands in heavy metal history. Inspired by the stage theatrics of KISS, the driving sound of Judas Priest, the speed of Motorhead and the aggression of hardcore punk, they spawned metal’s first subgenre before diversifying. Despite being cited as an influence by early thrash bands like Slayer, Megadeth and Metallica, they stand alone, entirely musically distinct with their original aggression. 

Founded by musician Sam Matlock and model Milkie Way, the duo quickly gained attention for their energetic and boundary-pushing sound. With a total of 11 solo singles under their belt, Wargasm has proven their ability to create music that resonates with listeners. One of their standout tracks, “Spit,” has become a sensation, accumulating an impressive 5 million streams on Spotify and amassing over 400 thousand views on YouTube.

The duo behind “Modern Love” skillfully combines raw distortion and polished synthesisers to create a harmonious fusion of profound musicality and captivating melodies. Milkie Way, known for her successful modelling career, brings an exceptional and remarkable presence to their live shows and music videos. With visually stunning aesthetics and a commanding sound, they offer an immersive and unique experience that sets them apart from their peers in the industry.

This single follows the release of their recent anthem “Bang Ya Head” featuring Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit. In addition to amassing 296K Spotify streams and 108K YouTube views for its music video, it has garnered widespread praise.

After touring with Enter Shikari and Limp Bizkit at the end of last year (and into the beginning of this year), Wargasm has recently supported Corey Taylor on his US tour. They have also graced the stages of this year’s Louder Than Life Festival and Aftershock Festival. All of these accomplishments have been achieved in time for their return to the UK, where they will be performing their largest headline shows to date.

On discussing their latest album arrival, Milkie had this to say, “I do not respond well to being rushed. In life generally, but also in the creative process,” laughs Milkie. “It’s been a long time coming for this and I don’t think any of these songs were written in one day.” Sam added to Milkies comments and said, “Everything came together super organically, and I think you can hear that. When you rush people, you can take away the authenticity.”

Pre order the latest album Venom here.

Wargasm UK Tour dates below and tickets can be purchased here

08/11/23 – The1865 – Southampton
09/11 – Rock City – Notthingham
10/11 – Ulster Sports Club – Belfast
10/12 – The Mill – Birmingham
12/12 – SWG3 – Glasgow
13/12 – O2 Ritz – Manchester
14/12 – SWX- Bristol
15/12 – O2 Shepards Bush Empire – London

Saw a familiar face in #Venom: Let There Be Carnage? Yes, that’s @LittleSimz performing her song “Venom” in the movie!
Listen to it now: https://t.co/k3uO2vgWpM pic.twitter.com/jg5Ezrbrlq

— #Venom: Let There Be Carnage (@VenomMovie) October 2, 2021

News has been shared online with a caption: “Saw a familiar face in #Venom: Let There Be Carnage? Yes, that’s Little Simz performing her song “Venom” in the movie!“. Check out Little Simz’ new version of the song below.

Discussing the movie and a song choice, the director Andy Serkis told Uproxx that there was the idea for a scene in the movie where Venom goes to the carnival. However, it all changed when they (Hardy and Serkis) met Little Simz who also stars in the movie. 

“She actually had made a song, unbeknownst to her, called ‘Venom’ that connected very much with the first movie. And so Tom got in touch with her and that song became sort of the focus. Well, Tom and [co-writer] Kelly [Marcel] were always about Venom coming out and going to a party that was a very sort of an LGBTQIA kind of festival, really, I’d call it, and so this is his coming out party basically. This is Venom’s coming-out party” he explained.

Last month Little Simz has released her new album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert that received perfect critic notes. From a 5 star review from NME that called it “crafted a near-perfect album that will exist as a marker for future generations to try and attain; it’s not hyperbole to suggest that this canonises her work forever, elating her to be one of the greats“, to a 7.7 mark from Pitchfork that calls it “the sound of Simz reconciling with Simbi. And it sounds great. Cue the ovation“.

The artist starts her world tour this year by visiting 13 UK cities. The live shows start on 25th November in Birmingham and end in London on the 16th December. After a short break, she will head overseas and tour in the USA, starting in May in Portland and finish it in New York.

In the meantime, Little Simz teamed up with Adobe campaign ‘Love The Journey‘. The initiative previously showed artists from the UK who spoke about supporting and inspiring the next generation of talents. 

“Adobe’s research reveals some of the barriers that may keep people from pursuing creative careers. Almost 70% of creative professionals feel a career in their industry is riskier because of the pandemic, while 92% were deterred from a creative career before they reached university. Meanwhile, 40% of Black, Asian and minority ethnic people in the creative industry said they were advised against their chosen careers on multiple occasions“.

Little Simz commented in a statement: “Pursuing a career in the industry can be daunting and, unfortunately, I know not everyone has the same support network. As an industry and society, greater representation of minority groups is needed to showcase the next generation of talent that they can make it, they can be who they aspire to be and love what they do every day“. 

According to the Waking The Demon website, the honey mead is described as “a rich honey flavour with balanced acidity, honeyed notes and a backing of gentle spice.”

More still, it’s a “ferment of honey, water, and spices”. The end result is a “smooth, rich drink which can be enjoyed on its own or mixed as a base for cocktails.”

Plus, the website warns that at 14.5% ABV, the drink is “not to be toyed with!”. Better still, as promised via the band’s Twitter, bottles and T-Shirts are available too.

We’re very excited to launch this great collaboration with Lyme Bay Winery. Introducing: Waking The Demon Honey Mead. Bottles and t-shirts available to purchase now from: https://t.co/6XMHKHisTwpic.twitter.com/B16OhSFGy3

— BFMV (@bfmvofficial) March 13, 2020

Bullet’s most recent album, Gravity, was released in 2018. Most notably, the record steered down a more electronic path. As a result, the band explored new sounds away from their metal roots. Gravity has spawned five singles and was awarded three and a half stars in a review by Dannii Leivers on Metal Hammer.

Dannii said: “Depending on where you’re sitting, they’ve either dropped the biggest clanger or made the bravest jump of their career to date,”

She added: “But one thing is certain: Gravity sees Bullet once again boldly eyeing up the world’s biggest stages with rejuvenated determination.”

In July 2019, Bullet for My Valentine unveiled a music video of live tour footage for their single, ‘Piece of Me’. In a track by track interview with Metal Hammer, frontman Matt Tuck described ‘Piece Of Me’ as “one of the angriest songs on the record”.

Check out the music video for ‘Piece Of Me’ below.