Venom - Fallen Angels
It kind of worries me that Cronos and his little brother, Antton, apparently can’t coexist in the same band. I’d understand if Antton had wanted to really strike out on his own and do something different, but he joined Mpire of Evil, which is essentially another version of Venom, featuring former bassist/singer Demolition Man, and original guitarist (and Grandmaster of Hades!) Mantas. In any case, Dante, Venom’s new drummer, isn’t bad, but his playing seems somewhat restrained and simplistic at times, with the kick drums often buried. The bass is loud, as expected and appreciated, but a little different mix might have helped considerably. A colleague of mine who suffers (actually, I think that he enjoys it) from multiple personality disorder, so I never know by which of his many names to call him, said that Fallen Angels has Cronos’ DNA all over it, and that is very clearly true. And I don’t mean that he jizzed on the master tapes (or the hard drive containing the Pro Tools files), although he may have. This lucky 13th Venom full-length studio album is essentially a Cronos solo LP, and not just because of the constant lineup changes. To compare Fallen Angels to the band’s most beloved work (up to At War with Satan, let’s say) really isn’t fair, but this is at least in the same league as the most recent two albums, although there is no immediate standout cut, such as Hell’s “USA for Satan,” or the excellent title track from 2006’s Metal Black. Fallen Angels has grown on me, slowly, with each listen, and I’d bet that these songs work better live. Hopefully Cronos can hold a lineup together long enough for me to find out.
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