Venom have always been weighted down by a very metal millstone: that of their own legacy. The classic Mantas, Cronos, Abaddon line-up is the one everyone thinks of when Venom is mentioned. Since that era, Venom have been all over the place, with various line-ups, none of them achieving any great success.
The Welcome To Hell and Black Metal albums inspired entire genres of music: black metal, thrash metal, death metal all owe a huge debt to Venom.
It is unreasonable to expect any band to recreate their glory days (look at Metallica – over two decades since they’ve released anything approaching a decent album, and it’s unlikely they ever will). Nevertheless, From The Very Depths, viewed fairly, is a very good album indeed. Excellent songs, playing, and production, and a great attitude. Well worth listening to.
