Lemmy Was Right About Venom

[Dino Velvet]

They suck. Venom might have inspired some great Metal but I can't listen to them.

When interviewer Sam Dunn tells Lemmy that he himself was "blown away" by Venom back when he was twelve, Lemmy responds, "Anything will blow you away when you're twelve. A day at the beach will blow you away when you are twelve."

Lemmy interview from A Headbangers Journey - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwAb7GjQ02k)

http://www.metalthrone.net/forum/showthread.php?t=3568

[Norma]

I like both, but Venom edges out Motorhead. IMO

Lemmy is drunk or high , or both during interviews and talks out of his ass alot. He's even talked shit about Deep Purple and Black Sabbath...

The one area where Motorhead edges out Venom , is in the live performance (compared to Venom's 80's era), because Venom were out there trying to be an arena band, and did not even have a proper monitor system and had incompetent sound guys and promoters, to hear what they could play. Any musician, playing in a live venue, recognizes the importance of a good sound system, good monitor system, and capable sound mixer i.e. sound guy.

Add this to the fact that Venom was always moving around,being high or drunk themselves, headbanging and playing way more intricate riffs, which in turn added to the sloppiness in their live show.

The Motorhead guys basically just stand in place playing very simple riffs and in Lemmy's case, ridiculously easy bass lines.

I think people confuse bad production and engineering in the case of Venom's early albums, with 'bad musicianship'. If you dissect venom's early songs , take away the bad production, you actually wind up with very intricate and complicated musicianship.

The more recent Venom, 2000-to present, is actually quite tight.

For once, I don't agree with you Dino, still love ya though. :Bowdown:

Btw, Emperor wipes the floor with venom and motorheard combined. Emperor are actually very accomplished musicians and not just beer swigging drunks and potheads like Venom/Motorhead.

[Dino Velvet]

I can understand defending Venom. But saying they're better than Motorhead?

[Norma]

Not defending them or saying they're better, just telling it like it is. Lemmy basically dismissed them as some sort of talentless act, and Motorhead's music is actually LESS complicated than Venom's, from a musical arrangement/complexity standpoint.

Sometimes , to some people, 'easier on the ears' equates to 'better'.Venom has a harsher , underproduced sound, but that by no means means they are less skilled musicians than motorhead and vice versa.

Some people like Venom , some like Motorhead, some like both, some like neither.

That's why the Megadeth vs Metallica debates never end. Some people swear Metallica or Megadeth is better than the other, and they're not, it's just a case of different strokes for different folks.

Now if you compare Metallica or Megadeth to a garage band that can't even tune their instruments, then, yea, Metallica/Megadeth is better. lol

Motorhead and Venom are in the same league when it comes to musical talent. Regardless of who is more 'popular' or has sold more records, or has influenced more musicians.

[Dino Velvet]

I totally respect and appreciate your opinion but what about the songs? Motorhead has endless good stuff to play and listen to.

To be perfectly honest, I am more familiar with the Welcome To Hell/Black Metal Venom. I will give the newer material a listen. Can you recommend me some newer Venom to listen to? Don't hold back as I want a good look so I can judge fairly.

[russtafa]

I always like Status Quo I thought they were a great band

[hard4janira]

Gotta weigh in here.... Venom is mostly bollocks. They were notoriously AWFUL musicians, especially in the early days. To say that they are better than Motorhead is blasphemy. Motorhead has a catalog of music that absolutely blows Venom into smithereens. Venoms contribution is paltry and borderline unmemorable by comparison. Motorhead sit at the TOP of the heavy throne. They are the keepers of the keys, the guardians of the gate. If you pass, its only because Lemmy says you can.

Venom can be considered to be one of the earliest speed-metal bands and perhaps one of the earliest practicioners of what would eventually become black metal. Others included Hellhammer (later Celtic Frost), very early Sodom, and Bathory. Bathory and Celtic Frost would have much bigger impacts on the black metal genre than Venom (who could never really shake the cartoonish image or Spinal-tap like comparisons). Bands like Exodus, Slayer, Metallica, Artillery, Testament, and Anthrax would come along and shape the Thrash movement while new arrivals Sepltura and Death would start to shape the Death Metal genre. Black Metal and Death Metal would both diverge and cultivate loyal but distinct followings, neither genre however would cite Venom as a significant influence or meaningful contributor

[Dino Velvet]

Gotta weigh in here.... Venom is mostly bollocks. They were notoriously AWFUL musicians, especially in the early days. To say that they are better than Motorhead is blasphemy. Motorhead has a catalog of music that absolutely blows Venom into smithereens. Venoms contribution is paltry and borderline unmemorable by comparison. Motorhead sit at the TOP of the heavy throne. They are the keepers of the keys, the guardians of the gate. If you pass, its only because Lemmy says you can.

Venom can be considered to be one of the earliest speed-metal bands and perhaps one of the earliest practicioners of what would eventually become black metal. Others included Hellhammer (later Celtic Frost), very early Sodom, and Bathory. Bathory and Celtic Frost would have much bigger impacts on the black metal genre than Venom (who could never really shake the cartoonish image or Spinal-tap like comparisons). Bands like Exodus, Slayer, Metallica, Artillery, Testament, and Anthrax would come along and shape the Thrash movement while new arrivals Sepltura and Death would start to shape the Death Metal genre. Black Metal and Death Metal would both diverge and cultivate loyal but distinct followings, neither genre however would cite Venom as a significant influence or meaningful contributor

Great post. :cheers:

[russtafa]

the Cult were a great band

[Dino Velvet]

Russ, what's your favorite Aussie band?

[russtafa]

Cosmic psycho's and the legendary Rose Tattoo

[Dino Velvet]

Cosmic psycho's and the legendary Rose Tattoo

Mine's AC/DC especially the Bon Scott era. Did you listen to Destroyer 666, the other band I told you about from your country?

Destroyer 666 - I Am The Wargod - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax7cdHiZ010)

Deströyer 666 - The Eternal Glory of War - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdFY1pt0--E&feature=related)

Deströyer 666 - Defiance (2009) - Blood for Blood - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDF-jENsDoo)

[hard4janira]

Mortal Sin was a respectable 80's thrash band from down unda

[russtafa]

no sorry mate my computer is fucked for down loading

[russtafa]

but please listen to Cosmic Psychos i used to go to their gigs they used to gig with L7

[Dino Velvet]

but please listen to Cosmic Psychos i used to go to their gigs they used to gig with L7

Good stuff. Thanks buddy.

Cosmic Psychos - She's A Lost Cause - Aussie TV 1990 - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyq9pi8QTBw)

[russtafa]

thanks for that dino that brings back the good times.they used to drink at the Esplanard Hotel in St Kilda public bar .great guys, i used to stage dive and every one down below would get frightened lol

[russtafa]

Real Aussie lads

[russtafa]

Cosmic Psycho's= Neighbours is a great song

[Norma]

I totally respect and appreciate your opinion but what about the songs? Motorhead has endless good stuff to play and listen to.

To be perfectly honest, I am more familiar with the Welcome To Hell/Black Metal Venom. I will give the newer material a listen. Can you recommend me some newer Venom to listen to? Don't hold back as I want a good look so I can judge fairly.

Yes Dino , try and give a listen to their 1996 release "Cast In Stone" notable tracks: "the evil one" and "swarm", and to their 2000 release "Resurrection" specifically the title track and the whole cd is good imo .
From the 80's listen to the At War With Satan 25 minute track, listen to the studio or 12" version of "7 Gates of Hell" , "Manitou" . Don't listen to anything of them live or watch videos of them live. because admittedly, that's where the musicianship suffers or is recorded with a crappy cell phone camera. .

They released 2 more cd's called Metal Black and "Hell" during the mid to late 2000's. Cronos admitted that they PURPOSEFULLY made the production sound to give them the feel of their underproduced early release i.e. Welcome to Hell and Black Metal. If you compare Resurrection to "Metal Black" you'll notice the drop in production quality, purposefully done so. Crono's reasoning was that alot of old fans were "upset" with the crystal clear production of cast in stone and resurrection. If you own all the cds or dl them, you DEFINITELY notice the difference.


Alot of Welcome to Hell and Black Metal songs were re-recorded for the Cast In Stone 2nd cd, and I must tell you , with modern clean production, you can tell Venom could actually write good songs and were good musicians. Those re-recorded songs sound really really good. They suffered from bad production/beer-cocaine-weed in the stuido/and being relatively young, they were 18 when they recorded welcome to hell, give or take a year or 2.

Hope this helps :Bowdown:

[Norma]

Gotta weigh in here.... Venom is mostly bollocks. They were notoriously AWFUL musicians, especially in the early days. To say that they are better than Motorhead is blasphemy. Motorhead has a catalog of music that absolutely blows Venom into smithereens. Venoms contribution is paltry and borderline unmemorable by comparison. Motorhead sit at the TOP of the heavy throne. They are the keepers of the keys, the guardians of the gate. If you pass, its only because Lemmy says you can.

Venom can be considered to be one of the earliest speed-metal bands and perhaps one of the earliest practicioners of what would eventually become black metal. Others included Hellhammer (later Celtic Frost), very early Sodom, and Bathory. Bathory and Celtic Frost would have much bigger impacts on the black metal genre than Venom (who could never really shake the cartoonish image or Spinal-tap like comparisons). Bands like Exodus, Slayer, Metallica, Artillery, Testament, and Anthrax would come along and shape the Thrash movement while new arrivals Sepltura and Death would start to shape the Death Metal genre. Black Metal and Death Metal would both diverge and cultivate loyal but distinct followings, neither genre however would cite Venom as a significant influence or meaningful contributor


Dude, Venom was totally a significant influence on all those bands. They just didn't take the image seriously, but they were definitely influenced by the music,and looked up to them. Dave Mustaine and James Hetfield have both said Venom was an influence, and so has Sodom, Celtic Frost, Sepultura, Death, among others notably most of the Norwegian black metal scene, namely Mayhem, Emperor and Burzum.

Bathory's Quorthon had said back in 85, that Venom was NOT an influence, but then again he was 18 and didn't want to sound like a clone/copycat. If you own and have read the lyrics of bathory's first 2 albums, you can DEFINITELY see the venom influence and outright ripoff of venom lyrics in those early Bathory songs. Bathory has been accused of ripping off venom and metallica quite often. As a musician, you can see the similarities.

As far as saying Venom is better than Motorhead, it's up to the individual, I know alot of people that agree with you, I know alot of people that agree with me, I know alot of people that disagree with both of us.


:smh don't know where you got your info from, but everything I said is common knowledge . I'm not going to look it up for you because I'm not into getting into internet debates, and having to post "proof".

love ya man:)

[Dino Velvet]

Thanks again, Norma and hard4janira, for all the great information. Norma, I will listen to the Venom stuff you recommended. Thanks for the recommendations. :cheers:

[Pelheckitt]

Both bands are great to get drunk and punch holes in the living room walls to!

[Dino Velvet]

Both bands are great to get drunk and punch holes in the living room walls to!

I agree that would be an accurate description or tagline of both bands. I've been drunk off my ass at several Motorhead shows. I've never had a bad time. Motorhead is always fun.

Motörhead - Shoot You In The Back Live Full-HD - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtHa6pE6mVg)

Motörhead - Love Me Like A Reptile Live Full-HD - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJG4jdXHitY&feature=related)

Motörhead - In The Name Of Tragedy Live Full-HD - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CME5BP5fZg4&feature=related)

Motorhead - Overkill (live) Full HD - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlecTBevmzc)