VENOM INC. – There’s Only Black

Warheads Unite!!

Venom Inc. is back with their sophomore album on Nuclear Blast Records titled, There’s Only Black. Venom Inc. is headed by Tony “Demolition Man” Dolan (bass/vocals), Jeff “Manta” Dunn (guitar), and the newest member Jeramie “War Machine” Kling (drums) replacing Anthony “Abaddon” Bray. After touring in 2019, Venom Inc. took time off so that Tony Dolan could recover from hip replacement surgery and pen the new album.

According to Tony, “And after producing twice the amount required, we began editing, touching, improving, and polishing until we had until we finally had what we decided was THE correct album along with the label and here we can finally present to you … a pure ball of furious… VENOM INC power that left us feeling proud and excited at the same time…THIS album is now yours!!! And as the world runs through its evolution of its colors remember … when the sun goes out… THERE’S ONLY BLACK!!!!!”

There’s Only Black

Venom Inc.’s sound can be described as a mix of Thrash Metal, Speed Metal, and Heavy Metal. There’s Only Black can simply be described as pure extreme Black Metal. Death and black themes blast throughout this album. The title track and single, “There’s Only Black” paints a black picture of death as there are no golden gates or infernos of Hell, only black! “Don’t Feed Me Your Lies” pokes at a society in which people heed the words of those spreading lies, misinformation, and fake prophecies. Tony Dolan’s vocals are gruff, to the point, yet more audible and easier to listen to compared to earlier Venom (no shade to Cronos!).

Musically, each song on this album has its own feel and does not feel repetitive throughout the 54-minute opus. Jeff Dunn displays very intricate guitar work on “How Many Can Die” and “There’s Only Black.” “Don’t Feed Me Your Lies” and “Burn Liar Burn” adds varied dynamics to Venom Inc.’s sound with a clean guitar introduction before hitting the listener hard with blast-beat Thrash and Metal. Another song worthy of mention is “Inferno.” “Inferno” is the slowest song in terms of speed but has a killer riff and impressive guitar solos. A pure headbangers delight.

One Criticism

“Burn Liar Burn” could easily be broken into two songs. The first 2 1/2 minutes of the song is a good instrumental before kicking into the blast beast of a Thrash Metal song. The instrumental part of the song just does not transition very well into the second half of the song.

Final Thoughts

The production is solid on this album as all three musicians deliver a strong performance on this album. There’s Only Black does not break any new territory in the realm of Black Metal but does deliver a solid dosage of death and course everything BLACK.

Tracklisting

1. How Many Can Die
2. Infinitum
3. Come to Me
4. There’s Only Black
5. Tyrant
6. Don’t Feed Me Your Lies
7. Man as God
8. Burn Liar Burn
9. Nine
10. Rampant
11. The Dance
12. Inferno

Album lineup

Tony “Demolition Man” Dolan – Bass and Vocals
Jeff “Manta” Dunn – Guitars
Jeramie “War Machine” Kling – Drums