Venom

Biography

Venom are an English heavy metal band formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1978. Coming to prominence towards the end of the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) era, Venom's first two albums, Welcome to Hell×Welcome to Hell1981 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1Sons of Satan3:37A2Welcome to Hell3:12A3Schizo3:30A4Mayhem With Mercy0:58A5Poison4:29A6Live Like an Angel (Die Like a Devil)3:55B1Witching Hour3:41B2One Thousand Days in Sodom4:33B3Angel Dust2:40B4In League With Satan3:32B5Red Light Fever5:10 (1981) and Black Metal×Black Metal1982 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1Black Metal3:45A2To Hell and Back3:04A3Buried Alive4:13A4Raise the Dead2:53A5Teacher's Pet4:45B1Leave Me in Hell3:36B2Sacrifice4:30B3Heaven's on Fire3:42B4Countess Bathory3:48B5Don't Burn the Witch3:18B6At War With Satan (Introduction)2:22 (1982), are considered influences on black metal, thrash metal and extreme metal in general. Their second album's title inspired the name of the black metal genre. Venom were part of the first wave of the genre, along with Mercyful Fate and Bathory.
Throughout its 48-year career, Venom have continued recording and performing live, with the exception of several hiatuses and line-up changes. Original guitarist Jeffrey "Mantas" Dunn left Venom in 1986. Vocalist/bassist Conrad "Cronos" Lant left two years later to start a solo career, leaving the band with no remaining original members. Drummer Anthony "Abaddon" Bray (who joined in 1979) continued the band with Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan as vocalist and bassist until their hiatus in 1992. The "classic" line-up of Mantas, Cronos, and Abaddon reunited in 1995, recording one album before dismissing the latter in 1999. Abaddon was replaced by Cronos' brother Anthony "Antton" Lant. After the release of their tenth studio album, Resurrection×Resurrection13 April 2000 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Resurrection3:032Vengeance3:523War Against Christ4:244All There Is Fear4:435Pain4:026Pandemonium4:317Loaded2:448Firelight4:559Black Flame (of Satan)4:3210Control Freak3:0311Disbeliever3:4012Man Myth & Magic3:4913Thirteen3:3814Leviathan4:30 (2000), Venom entered a two-year hiatus. Cronos reformed the band without Mantas in 2004, and remained the only constant member until his death in 2026. Former band members have formed their own versions of Venom at different times, notably Venom Inc., which reunited Mantas, Abaddon, and Dolan.

Early years (1978–1981)

Venom were formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1978. The original lineup came from the bands Guillotine, Oberon, and Dwarfstar. The original Guillotine featured Jeff "Mantas" Dunn and Dave Rutherford on guitars,bassist Dean Hewitt, singer Dave Blackman, and Chris Mercater, who replaced original drummer Paul Burke. Blackman and Mercater were replaced with drummer Anthony Bray and vocalist Clive Archer. Hewitt was replaced with bassist Alan Winston. In late 1978, Conrad Lant from Dwarfstar (also featuring Kevin "Ropa" Robson - bass, Graeme "Shamus" Newton - drums and vocalist Keith "Bod" Ballard) joined Guillotine, replacing Dave Rutherford. Between Dwarfstar and Guillotine, Lant was in short-lived, "futuristic metal cyberpunk" band Album Graecum.
Lant switched to bass after Winston left. The band members assumed stage names. Archer became "Jesus Christ", Lant "Cronos", Bray "Abaddon", and Dunn "Mantas". The band name their changed in 1979, when a roadie suggested "Venom".
At the beginning of their career, Venom played covers of Motörhead and Judas Priest. After Cronos joined, he introduced the subjects of the dark arts, and used "Satanic" lyrics and imagery, mostly for shock value.
In late 1979, Lant introduced the band to his original artwork designs for the Venom logo and Satanic images. He later created the artwork and designs for the Venom record sleeves. He introduced original song ideas, since he did not want to play the same cover songs. He and Dunn began writing new songs. Lant had composed "Sons of Satan", "Bloodlust×Bloodlust24 August 1982 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Bloodlust2:592In Nomine Satanas3:28" and "Welcome to Hell×Welcome to Hell1981 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1Sons of Satan3:37A2Welcome to Hell3:12A3Schizo3:30A4Mayhem With Mercy0:58A5Poison4:29A6Live Like an Angel (Die Like a Devil)3:55B1Witching Hour3:41B2One Thousand Days in Sodom4:33B3Angel Dust2:40B4In League With Satan3:32B5Red Light Fever5:10", while Dunn had begun to compose "Angel Dust", "Red Light Fever", "Buried Alive×Buried Alive28 November 1999 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 26 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Welcome to Hell2:422Bustin Out2:453Countless Bathory4:444Skeletal Dance3:085Civilized3:326Megalomania5:257Black Metal0:508Buried Alive4:149Blackened Are the Priests3:3210Faerie Tale4:2511Die Hard2:5312Carnivorous2:0213If You Want a War4:44Disc 21Angel Dust2:352Playtime3:183Hellbent for Leather2:194Clarisse4:475Speedking3:296Temples of Ice6:367Witching Hour3:128Teachers Pet2:239Insane2:4610Prime Evil4:3911Harder Than Ever2:4612School Daze5:0213Surgery3:52", "Raise the Dead" and "Live Like an Angel, Die Like a Devil", with Dunn playing guitar and Cronos writing lyrics. Dunn and Lant redefined these songs together, and, after a few weeks, Lant recorded a rehearsal on a cassette recorder, which he played for the label he worked for, Neat Records, although as the band rehearsed in an old church hall, the sound was not good. In April 1980, Lant persuaded the label to give him free studio time, and the band recorded a three-song demo. Soon after, six more tracks were recorded for £50, with Lant singing on "Live Like an Angel". Archer left the band, and Venom became a trio.

Classic line-up (1981–1986)

Venom's professional recording debut was the 1981 single "In League with Satan / Live Like an Angel×In League With Satan / Live Like an Angel1981 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAIn League With SatanBLive Like an Angel (Die Like a Devil)", which was released by Neat Records. Later that year they released their full-length debut album, Welcome to Hell×Welcome to Hell1981 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1Sons of Satan3:37A2Welcome to Hell3:12A3Schizo3:30A4Mayhem With Mercy0:58A5Poison4:29A6Live Like an Angel (Die Like a Devil)3:55B1Witching Hour3:41B2One Thousand Days in Sodom4:33B3Angel Dust2:40B4In League With Satan3:32B5Red Light Fever5:10.
Welcome to Hell was a big influence on future thrash bands. Venom's music was faster and harsher than most heavy metal contemporaries and while Satanism and other dark topics had been featured in metal before, the subject had rarely been more prominent. Lant was quoted as saying that this celebration of evil subjects was inspired by the perceived need to outdo musicians like Ozzy Osbourne of Black Sabbath, who would "sing about evil things and dark figures, and then spoil it all by going: 'Oh, no, no, please, God, help me!'"
Their second album, 1982's Black Metal×Black Metal1982 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1Black Metal3:45A2To Hell and Back3:04A3Buried Alive4:13A4Raise the Dead2:53A5Teacher's Pet4:45B1Leave Me in Hell3:36B2Sacrifice4:30B3Heaven's on Fire3:42B4Countess Bathory3:48B5Don't Burn the Witch3:18B6At War With Satan (Introduction)2:22, is cited as perhaps the most important influence in the development of black metal, thrash metal, death metal, and other related styles that are often grouped under the extreme metal umbrella. Many defining elements of these genres are first found in the lyrics and song titles created by Lant, his unique singing style and larger than life presence. Venom's first two albums inspired cult followings to this day. While many of their new wave of British heavy metal peers (like Iron Maiden) had found measures of popular success or critical acclaim, or (like Def Leppard) were moving away from heavy metal towards hard rock, Venom were still regarded by critics as "a trio of buffoons".
In 1984, Venom released their third album At War with Satan×At War With SatanApril 1984 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1At War With Satan20:032Manitou3:033Rip Ride3:094Genocide2:595Cry Wolf4:206Stand Up (And Be Counted)3:327Women, Leather and Hell3:208Woman2:579Aaaaargghh2:21, featuring an epic 20-minute title track, with substantial influences of many different musical styles, which took up the first side of the album. The title track, written by Lant, was a deliberate way for him to rebuff the critics who said Venom could not play. The B-side was focused on the rapid-fire, three-minute "scorchers" Venom were known for, including "Stand Up and Be Counted". A live video, The 7th Date of Hell Venom Live at Hammersmith Odeon, was also released that year. In 1985, Venom released their fourth studio album, Possessed×Possessed1985 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Powerdrive3:152Flytrap3:493Satanachist2:434Burn This Place (To the Ground)2:405Harmony Dies2:426Possessed4:507Hellchild2:398Moonshine3:179Wing and a Prayer2:4410Suffer Not the Children3:0611Voyeur3:0012Mystique4:5813Too Loud (For the Crowd)2:57, which was recorded in a stately home, and saw a band enjoying their success with different chefs being flown in every day during the album's recording, lavish parties of sex, drugs and rock n' roll. By this time Venom had released several singles ("Warhead×WarheadMarch 1984 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracksA1WarheadA2Lady LustBSeven Gates Of Hell", "Die Hard×Die HardAugust 1983 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksADie Hard3:03BAcid Queen2:26" and "Manitou×ManitouOctober 1984 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAManitou2:59BWoman2:54" among others) and live EPs (The Assault Series including Canadian Assault, American Assault and French Assault). That same year, Venom toured with Slayer and Exodus on the Ultimate Revenge Tour.
Cronos believed Possessed to be underestimated: "I don't think there's any songs that are kind of overlooked, I just think some songs maybe weren't recorded as well as we could have recorded them. Like say for example on the Possessed album, I still think there are great songs."
During March and April 1986, Venom were supposed to record their fifth album, Deadline, but internal relationships began to deteriorate. A live album, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik×Eine kleine Nachtmusik1986 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 20 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Intro1:342Too Loud (For the Crowd)2:4937 Gates of Hell4:414Leave Me in Hell3:105Nightmare3:416Countess Bathory3:377Die Hard2:508Schitzo3:249Guitar Solo Mantas3:1310In Nomine Satanas3:2511Witching Hour4:16Disc 21Black Metal3:282The Chanting of the Priests4:583Satanachist1:594Fly Trap3:375Warhead4:166Buried Alive / Love Amongst the Dead5:377Bass Solo Cronos3:468Welcome to Hell3:089Bloodlust4:04, and a second live video, Alive in '85, were released in 1986. Dunn then left the band to release a solo album.

Temporary break-up and Tony Dolan era (1987–1995)

Two guitarists, Mike Hickey and Jim Clare, were hired to replace Dunn. Their fifth album, 1987's Calm Before the Storm×Calm Before the Storm7 November 1987 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Black Xmas2:562The Chanting of the Priests4:243Metal Punk3:234Under a Spell4:095Calm Before the Storm4:136Fire2:437Krackin' Up2:148Beauty and the Beast3:509Deadline3:1710Gypsy2:2511Muscle2:42, moved away from Satanic themes in favour of "sword and sorcery" material. This was a new direction for Venom, although it did not last long, with only a short Japanese and Brazilian tour in 1986, so the band decided to split, and Lant, Clare and Hickey all left to form Lant's solo band, Cronos.
Bray was left as the only group member, but he was able to convince Music for Nations for a deal to release a new Venom album on the Under One Flag label, using Deadline demo tracks which were recorded with previous line-ups but never released. In 1988, Bray offered a vocals/bass role to Tony Dolan (The Demolition Man) from Atomkraft. Bray and Dolan wrote new material prior to Dunn's rejoining the band along with rhythm guitarist Al Barnes. Together they recorded Prime Evil (1989), the EP Tear Your Soul Apart×Tear Your Soul Apart1990 · EPSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracks1Skool Daze3:492Burstin' Out2:393The Ark3:424Civilised3:285Angel Dust2:386Hellbent2:21 (1990) and Temples of Ice×Temples of IceJune 1991 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Tribes3:462Even in Heaven3:573Trinity MCMXLV3:344In Memory Of (Paul Miller 1964-1990)4:175Faerie Tale4:216Playtime3:197Acid4:138Arachnid2:429Speed King3:3310Temples of Ice6:44 (1991). Barnes then left the band, and Steve White from Atomkraft was hired as his replacement. They released The Waste Lands in 1992, also without success. Music for Nations refused to release any more Venom albums, so Dolan and Dunn quit, effectively disbanding Venom. Bray continued to release compilation and live albums up to 1995. Nonetheless, Dolan, Dunn and Bray continued performing as a trio.

Reunion and death of Cronos (1995–present)

In 1995, Lant, Dunn and Bray reunited the "classic" line-up, beginning by headlining the Waldrock Festival on 24 June 1995. They recorded and self-released the Venom '96 EP with four re-recorded old tracks and one new song, resulting in a record deal with the SPV label. Following this was a live CD/video box set, The Second Coming, composed entirely of songs from their classic era such as "Welcome to Hell×Welcome to Hell1981 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1Sons of Satan3:37A2Welcome to Hell3:12A3Schizo3:30A4Mayhem With Mercy0:58A5Poison4:29A6Live Like an Angel (Die Like a Devil)3:55B1Witching Hour3:41B2One Thousand Days in Sodom4:33B3Angel Dust2:40B4In League With Satan3:32B5Red Light Fever5:10", "Countess Bathory", "In Nomine Satanas×In Nomine Satanas23 September 2022 · Album · Compilation,LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)" and "Black Metal×Black Metal1982 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1Black Metal3:45A2To Hell and Back3:04A3Buried Alive4:13A4Raise the Dead2:53A5Teacher's Pet4:45B1Leave Me in Hell3:36B2Sacrifice4:30B3Heaven's on Fire3:42B4Countess Bathory3:48B5Don't Burn the Witch3:18B6At War With Satan (Introduction)2:22". An album, Cast in Stone×Cast in Stone11 November 1997 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 24 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11The Evil One3:212Raised in Hell2:513All Devils Eve2:574Bleeding2:475Destroyed & Damned6:496Domus Mundi3:557Flight of the Hydra3:258God's Forsaken4:279Mortals3:1910Infectious3:3911Kings of Evil4:1912You're All Gonna Die3:0413Judgement Day4:3614Swarm5:07Disc 21Intro1:592Bloodlust2:593Die Hard3:054Acid Queen2:515Bursting Out2:496Warhead4:157Ladylust2:518Manitou3:459Rip Ride3:0810Venom4:12, was next released in 1997, split between two discs which was one of all new material and the other with re-recordings of popular early-1980s songs.
By 1999, internal conflicts in the band delayed production of the second album in their deal with SPV. Band manager Eric Cook and Abaddon decided not to work with Cronos again. Abaddon wrote a letter to Cronos, with the intent of firing him. In response, Cronos communicated the situation to SPV. The record company refused to work with Venom if Cronos was not part of the line-up. Cronos answered Abaddon telling him: "You can't kick the Devil out of hell, I'm firing you!" Despite this, the band tried to invite Abaddon to play with them again but Bray did not want to perform on the album and he was replaced by Conrad Lant's younger brother, Anton. This line-up released Resurrection in 2000 on SPV. However, in 2002 Dunn was next to leave the group and Lant replaced him with an American guitarist, Mike Hickey, who had already taken part in the 1987 release, Calm Before the Storm, and Cronos solo albums. In late 2005, Venom released a career-spanning four-disc box set, MMV, which includes an exclusive mini-poster of the band's seven-date tour of Europe with Metallica and a 60-page picture book, with interviews and pictures. The set includes all their best-known songs, along with rarities like live tracks, demos and outtakes. This line-up of the band released the Metal Black album in 2006.
In 2007, Mike Hickey left the band and guitarist Stuart "Rage" Dixon joined the band and this line-up released the record Hell the following year. In 2009, drummer Danny "Dante" Needham joined the band and Lant wrote that this would be known as "The Epic Line-Up of Venom", and they set off on a full South American tour. After headlining festivals around the world for the next couple of years gaining in popularity, they released the Fallen Angels album on 28 November 2011.

Venom released their fourteenth studio album, From the Very Depths×From the Very Depths26 January 2015 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Eruptus1:022From the Very Depths3:553The Death of Rock n Roll3:094Smoke5:015Temptation3:536Long Haired Punks4:027Stigmata Satanas3:278Crucified4:079Evil Law5:0310Grinding Teeth4:1211Ouverture1:1712Mephistopheles4:0713Wings of Valkyrie4:0114Rise4:34, on 27 January 2015. The band also played one song, "Rise", they were working on in the studio, live for the audience at Rockfest 2014.
Venom released a three-track EP, 100 Miles to Hell×100 Miles to Hell22 December 2017 · EPSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1100 Miles to Hell4:101BWe the Loud3:572BBeaten to a Pulp3:13, on 22 December 2017. Their fifteenth album, Storm the Gates×Storm the Gates14 December 2018 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Bring Out Your Dead3:212Notorious4:163I Dark Lord4:414100 Miles to Hell4:485Dark Night (of the Soul)4:486Beaten to a Pulp3:147Destroyer4:188The Mighty Have Fallen3:159Over My Dead Body5:0710Suffering Dictates3:1011We the Loud3:5512Immortal4:3113Storm the Gates3:47, was released on 14 December 2018.
Venom's sixteenth studio album, and their first in eight years, Into Oblivion×Into Oblivion1 May 2026 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Into Oblivion4:122Lay Down Your Soul3:133Nevermore3:064Man & Beast3:305Death the Leveller3:216As Above So Below4:557Kicked Outta Hell3:248Legend3:009Live Loud3:2210Metal Bloody Metal2:5311Dogs of War2:0312Deathwitch3:2913Unholy Mother3:26, was released on 1 May 2026. The album's lead single, "Lay Down Your Soul×Lay Down Your Soul3 September 2002 · Album · CompilationSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Teachers Pet / Skool Daze5:4821000 Days in Sodom3:533Black Metal / Insane3:404Blackened Are the Priests3:385Bloodlust3:036Carniverous2:157Countess Bathory3:508Diehard2:539Harder Than Ever3:0610Into the Fire2:4011Skeletal Dance2:4012Welcome to Hell2:42", was released on 5 March 2026.
On 1 October 2026, Cronos' bandmates Rage and Danté and his son Nathan announced on social media that he had died at the age of 63.

Venom Inc.

In April 2015, in anticipation of a date of M-pire of Evil (band of Mantas and Demolition Man) at the Keep It True Festival in Germany, the organisers of the festival asked Mantas and Demolition Man if they could play the songs of Venom with Abaddon. Mantas had not talked to Abaddon since 1998. After thinking a bit, the two former Venom members played along with Abaddon without having done any rehearsals for the show. At this point, the three brought together the Venom line-up of 1988–1992 under the name of Venom Inc. for the sake of the fans (instead of the name "Iron & Steel", that was initially conceived by the members themselves). Abaddon was eventually replaced in 2018, while Mantas was out of the band by late 2024. Venom Inc. have released two studio albums to date: Avé (2017) and There's Only Black (2022).

Musical style and influences

Venom were one of the first incarnations of extreme metal, influencing many thrash metal, black metal, death metal, and other extreme metal bands. They are considered one of the premier influences on black metal, and their 1982 album Black Metal×Black Metal1982 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1Black Metal3:45A2To Hell and Back3:04A3Buried Alive4:13A4Raise the Dead2:53A5Teacher's Pet4:45B1Leave Me in Hell3:36B2Sacrifice4:30B3Heaven's on Fire3:42B4Countess Bathory3:48B5Don't Burn the Witch3:18B6At War With Satan (Introduction)2:22 gave the genre its name. Venom's exact genre has been a topic of debate. They have been labelled various genres by the press, most prominently thrash and speed metal. Cronos insists on calling it black metal, without passing judgment on the genre that later would flourish in Norway:

...It's one of the things when I first saw when I saw the Norwegian scene beginning in the early nineties. I thought: ok, I know they said Venom are an influence, etcetera, etcetera; let's see where these guys are coming from. And then when I started to read the lyrics, read the interviews and see they were kind of saying the same thing, but about their country, they had their religion, with all the Norse gods like Wodan and Thor. And then all of the sudden the Christians came in and they tried to destroy their religion. It's great that they stayed within in their country's beliefs for their lyrics as well. So, they're not the exactly the same things as Venom, they invented something of their own, which I think is fucking great...
Prime influences of Venom were Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Motörhead, the Sex Pistols, Alice Cooper, and Kiss. Other musicians or bands that have influenced Venom are Rush, Deep Purple, the Who, the Tubes, Van Halen, the Rolling Stones, and Elvis Presley.

Legacy and influence

In 2004, Guitar World wrote that "thrash and black metalists certainly owe a debt to Mantas and his group, Venom, for arguably (though unwittingly) helping invent both thrash and black metal. On amusingly offensive records like Welcome to Hell, Venom's 1981 debut, Mantas can be heard sawing away diabolically out of his slightly out-of-tune ax". Welcome to Hell influenced several later bands. Venom's music helped shape the development of thrash metal bands, including the "Big Four" (Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, and Megadeth) who in turn were influential, in addition to the scenes of the Bay Area (including Exodus and Testament) and Germany (including Kreator, Destruction and Sodom). Venom have also been acknowledged outside of metal circles; the band received a notable shout-out from the Beastie Boys on their 1998 album Hello Nasty, reflecting their broader cultural impact beyond the heavy metal genre. Metallica opened for Venom on an early 1980s tour, Venom opened for Metallica and Slayer on the Ride the Lightning tour, and Slayer played with them and Exodus on the Combat Tour in 1985. Both Kerry King and Tom Araya have cited Venom as an important early influence on Slayer's image and music, while Dave Mustaine of Megadeth said he and James Hetfield of Metallica were fans of Venom. Lars Ulrich of Metallica said of Venom's first album: "Welcome To Hell was a classic! Black metal, speed metal, death metal, whatever you want to call it, Venom started it all with that one record!" Mille Petrozza of Kreator stated that Venom was one of his favourite bands early in his career, alongside the "Big Four". Canadian band Voivod covered seven different Venom songs on their early demos.
Venom would also be of importance to the black metal scene and the early death metal scene. Swiss band Hellhammer (later to become Celtic Frost) and Norwegian band Mayhem are among the acts influenced by Venom; Quorthon, the frontman of Swedish band Bathory, called Black Metal "one of the best albums ever made" in an interview, although he downplayed Venom's influence on him. Possessed and Repulsion, two bands which went on to influence much of the death metal and grindcore to come, were both influenced by Venom, with Jeff Becerra of Possessed often asserting Venom and Exodus as the two main influences on his band. Music critic Bradley Torreano wrote that Venom "caught the attention of both metalheads and punks, the band was emulated by the former and turned into camp icons by the latter." Henry Rollins once compared the band to Spinal Tap.
Although they did not make it to MTV's top 10 heavy metal bands list, they were given an "honorable mention". In 2016, the staff of Loudwire named them the 29th-best metal band of all time.
Reflecting on Venom's 40th anniversary, Cronos said that without Venom, bands such as Metallica or Slayer would not exist. He explained, "We were the band that was influenced by Motörhead and the Sex Pistols, but we took their sound and made something completely new out of it. We were completely new; no one had heard anything like us. And of course, unbeknown to us, in America there were these kids who were listening to our records and then shaping what we were doing into their own thing. Slayer would be an example of that. And I agree, without us those bands either wouldn't exist, or would sound very different from the way they do." He also cited the line-up consisting of himself, along with guitarist Stuart "Rage" Dixon and drummer Danny "Danté" Needham as "the best one we've ever had."
Critic Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic writes that even though Welcome to Hell influenced "literally thousands" of bands, Venom were "critically reviled". Critic James Christopher Monger, however, declares that the members of Venom "grew as musicians" as their careers progressed. Ethnographer Keith Kahn-Harris argues that Venom's limited technical skill, particularly early in their career, was a profound, though inadvertent factor in the band's influence: being unable to mimic more technically proficient metal of their predecessors or peers, Venom instead opted to focus on sheer speed, creating music that was inspired by earlier metal, yet simultaneously innovative.

Controversy

A Venom song was included in the so-called "Filthy Fifteen" list compiled by the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) during 1980s hearings on musical content. The title track from the Possessed album was criticised by the PMRC for having "occult" lyrical content. The efforts by the PMRC resulted in the inclusion of Parental Advisory labels that became ubiquitous on physical music media.
Venom's biggest criticism is regarding Satanism, which is the main driving force behind the band's music and album covers. Cronos explained in 2008 that the reasoning behind it is for entertainment purposes.

I've always been interested in Satanism, but we're entertainers, and we used subjects like Satanism and paganism to entertain people, like horror movies do. Listening to a Venom album is the same thing as watching an Evil Dead movie. I don't go around murdering virgins in my spare time. It's frustrating when people can't make that distinction; I mean, David Bowie's not actually from Mars, is he? But we were always being misquoted in the press. Venom admit to dancing around a campfire with virgins? Nonsense.

Band members

Current

Stuart "Rage" Dixon – guitars, backing vocals (2007–present)
Danny "Dante" Needham – drums, backing vocals (2009–present)