Venom

A seminal influence on the evolution of extreme metal, Venom were at the vanguard of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Influenced by the raw intensity of Motörhead and the visual flash of Kiss, they developed a dark, blistering sound that paved the way for the subsequent rise of thrash music; similarly, their macabre, proudly satanic image -- their landmark debut was titled Welcome to Hell -- proved a major inspiration for the legions of death and black metal bands to appear in their wake, even lending the genre its name with the release of their influential 1982 sophomore ...