There are bands that write history, and then there are bands that take that very history and tear it to shreds with nails, leather wristbands, and a satanic grin. Venom unquestionably belongs to the latter category. Since their birth in Newcastle in ’79, Cronos and co. didn’t just lay the blueprint for what would later be called black metal, they also proved that subtlety is best left to other genres. With Into Oblivion, the trio deliver their sixteenth studio album, as if hell wasn’t crowded enough already.
After Storm The Gates (2018), things went eerily quiet, but as any good horror flick will tell you: silence is merely the calm before the storm. Pandemics, recording setbacks, and perfectionist demons threw a spanner in the works, but the end result was worth the wait. Into Oblivion is a thirteen-headed beast that growls, bites, and occasionally shows a surprisingly refined side. From the title track onward, the album opens with a familiar sense of menace: raw riffs, that trademark rasp of Cronos, and a rhythm section that sounds like it’s already digging your grave.
Still, there’s more going on here than mere nostalgia. Where Welcome to Hell and Black Metal once sounded like a chainsaw without an instruction manual, there’s a sense of controlled fury here. Not tame – absolutely not – but more focused. As if the devil nowadays runs on a project management tool.
The high point (or low point, depending on your perspective) is without a doubt Lay Down Your Soul. A track that shamelessly flirts with the past – think Black Metal – but does so with a wink and a chorus that’s destined to be shouted back by sweat-drenched crowds. It’s Venom quoting themselves without slipping into self-parody, and that’s harder than it sounds.
What stands out most is the chemistry within the current line-up. Cronos, Rage, and Dante have been playing together for seventeen years now, and it shows. This isn’t a band desperately trying to stay relevant; this is a band simply doing what they do best: making a hell of a racket with conviction. Where Venom once sounded like a bunch of overgrown teenagers kicking against anything sacred just to shock, Into Oblivion feels far more mature. The production helps too; fuller and more modern than in the early days, yet never losing that filthy edge that makes Venom Venom.
Does Into Oblivion belong among the classics? Let’s not beat around the bush: the impact of their early work is impossible to match, simply because back then the world didn’t know what hit it. Still, this album earns a solid place in the second tier of their catalogue, above much of their later output, and stands as proof that relevance isn’t about age—it’s about attitude. Toward the end, around Dogs Of War, things sag a bit in terms of pace and atmosphere, but by then plenty of stompers have already rolled by. The album’s sense of humor—a strong tongue-in-cheek streak without making a fool of itself—works in its favor. Venom knows damn well they’re an institution, but they refuse to become a museum piece. And that’s commendable.
Into Oblivion isn’t a nostalgic rehash, but a vital, at times surprising addition to a legendary body of work. Hell may have been visited many times before, but Venom still finds new ways to set the place on fire. And in 2026, that almost feels reassuring.
Score:
80/100
Label:
Noise/BMG, 2026
Tracklisting:
- Into Oblivion
- Lay Down Your Soul
- Nevermore
- Man & Beast
- Death The Leveller
- As Above So Below
- Kicked Outta Hell
- Legend
- Live Loud
- Metal Bloody Metal
- Dogs Of War
- DeathWitch
- Unholy Mother
Line-up:
- Cronos – Vocals, Bassguitar
- Rage – Giutar
- Danté – Drums
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