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Content Introduction Venom Inc., formed by Mantas, Abaddon, and Demolition Man?members of Venom, considered pioneers of extreme metal?is set to release their debut album, "Ave"! Mantas's guitar riffs, Demolition Man's vocals, and Abaddon's drumming are unmistakably "Venom"! There is no doubt that Venom is the progenitor of all extreme metal. "Witching Hour," included on their 1981 debut album "Welcome to Hell," shows a strong influence from Mot?rhead, but can be called the world's first thrash song. Death metal pioneers, Florida's Death, were originally called Mantas, a name derived from Venom's guitarist, Mantas. And the genre of black metal itself is named after Venom's second album, "Black Metal" (1982). Every extreme metal band starts with Venom, and it's impossible to imagine an extreme metal band that hasn't been influenced by Venom, directly or indirectly. However, this time, the album "Ave" is being released by Venom Inc., not Venom. So what does that mean? The four studio albums mentioned above?"Welcome to Hell," "Black Metal," and "At War with Satan" (1984) and "Possessed" (1985)?were created by the so-called original Venom trio: Kronos (bass, vocals), Mantas (guitar), and Abaddon (drums). However, after the release of "Possessed," Mantas left, followed by Kronos' departure, a hiatus, and then Kronos' return, reuniting the original trio. But then Abaddon left, then Mantas left, and now Kronos is the only one of the three remaining in Venom. In other words, recently the equation Venom = Kronos had been established. But Mantas, for his part, believes that he is the one who deserves to be called Venom, having written most of the songs on the historically significant albums "Welcome to Hell" and "Black Metal." And so, Venom Inc. was formed by Mantas, Abaddon, and Demolition Man (instead of Kronos), the trio from the 1989 album "Prime Evil" era! So, currently, there are, so to speak, two Venoms: Venom and Venom Inc. Well, with the history of metal being so long and complex these days, this kind of dispute over who is the original or the real deal is no longer unusual. Venom Inc. was originally conceived 15 years ago as a one-night-only project for the Keep It True festival in Germany. However, even without Cronos, the reunion of Mantas and Abaddon after nearly 20 years to perform Venom's classic songs was bound to be a major event. Naturally, the thousands of fans present were ecstatic, and Venom Inc. was inundated with offers from promoters around the world. Ultimately, they decided to continue as a trio. The tour, which featured songs from Venom's two classic albums, "Welcome to Hell" and "Black Metal," generated significant buzz and came to Japan in 2015. As the tour continued, the desire to create a new album grew within the band, and the demand from fans for new material also grew stronger. What started as a one-night-only project for Venom Inc. evolved into a live band performing classic songs, and finally, they decided to make a full comeback. The result is this album, "Ave," which is Venom Inc.'s debut album! As for the sound, this is undoubtedly a Venom album. This is far more Venom than recent Kronos Venom albums. Not only does it start with a riff reminiscent of "In Nomine Satanas," but the entire album is filled with Mantas' signature riffs and phrases. Demolition Man's voice is also in the same vein as Kronos', so there's no sense of incongruity at all. (Live performances are quite different, including the visuals.) But what makes this album Venom above all else is Abaddon's drumming. Abaddon's unique, or rather, overly unique sense of rhythm is the key to what makes it "Venom-like." Venom Inc. themselves simply describe this album as "Classic, Heavy, Venom!" and there are probably no other three words that describe "Ave" more accurately. These words also express their determination and assertion that they are the real Venom (not Kronos' Venom). And listening to "Ave," you'll see that such a bold assertion is quite convincing. It's been decades since I've heard a new album with this much of a Venom feel. Venom is finally back. That's the feeling you get from Venom Inc.'s debut album. [Includes Japanese liner notes / Japan edition only: English lyrics and translations] [Members] Mantas (guitar) The Demolition Man (bass/vocals) Abaddon (drums) [Tracklist] 01. Ave Satanas 02. Forged in Hell 03. Metal We Bleed 04. Dyne Fleisch 05. Bloodstained 06. Time to Die 07. The Evil Dead 08. Preacher Man 09. War 10. I Neil to No God 11. Black 'n' Roll Media reviews and more Extreme metal legends Venom Inc.'s album release is confirmed. (C)RS