Venom's 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik' captures their raw power live. A controversial but influential landmark in heavy metal, this double LP is a must-have for fans of extreme music #vinylrecords

VENOM - Eine Kleine Nachtmusik: The Devil's Symphony, Captured on Wax

Album Description:

In the world of heavy metal history, few bands have carved a path as controversial and influential as Venom. Their 1986 live album, "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik," serves as a testament to their unbridled energy, raw power, and unapologetic embrace of the dark side. Captured across two 12" vinyl LPs, this recording transports listeners back to a time when metal was dangerous, rebellious, and unafraid to push boundaries.

Historical Context and Musical Exploration

Emerging from the gritty streets of Newcastle, England, in the early 1980s, Venom arrived at a time when heavy metal was undergoing a seismic shift. The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) had laid the groundwork, but Venom took it further, injecting their music with a potent dose of Satanic imagery, occult themes, and a relentless sonic assault. Their early albums, "Welcome to Hell" and "Black Metal," were met with both outrage and adoration, solidifying their status as pioneers of a new, extreme form of metal that would later be dubbed "black metal."

"Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" captures Venom at their peak, unleashing their unholy trinity of Cronos (bass, vocals), Mantas (guitar), and Abaddon (drums) upon a rabid audience. Recorded during their 1985 "Seven Dates of Hell" tour, the album showcases the band's raw energy and unhinged stage presence. From the opening chords of "Black Metal" to the closing notes of "Countess Bathory," Venom delivers a blistering performance that leaves no doubt about their commitment to their dark craft.

Music Genre and Controversies

Venom's music defies easy categorization. While often labeled as black metal, their sound incorporates elements of thrash, speed metal, and even punk rock. Their lyrics are unapologetically provocative, exploring themes of Satanism, violence, and rebellion. This, combined with their onstage theatrics, which often included pyrotechnics, blood, and simulated sacrifices, led to accusations of promoting Satanism and inciting violence.

Venom's music and image sparked controversy and moral panic, attracting the ire of religious groups and conservative commentators. But for many fans, this was part of the appeal. Venom represented a rejection of mainstream values and a celebration of the forbidden. They were the ultimate outcasts, the embodiment of metal's rebellious spirit.

Production Team and Recording Studio

"Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" was produced by Venom themselves, along with engineer Keith Nichol. The album was recorded live at various venues during their "Seven Dates of Hell" tour, capturing the raw energy and atmosphere of their performances. While the sound quality may not be as polished as some studio albums, it perfectly captures the essence of Venom's live experience.

Conclusion

"Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" is a landmark album in the history of heavy metal. It captures Venom at their most ferocious, delivering a performance that is both exhilarating and terrifying. While their music and image may be controversial, there's no denying their influence on countless bands that followed in their wake. This 2x 12" vinyl LP album is a must-have for any fan of extreme metal, a testament to a band that dared to push boundaries and embrace the darkness.

Collector notes:

Music Genre:

Black Metal, Thrash Metal , NWOBHM

Album Production Information:

The album: "VENOM Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" was produced by: Cronos, Keith Nichol, Venom .

Keith Nichol: Producer, Sound Engineer,musician has been in-house producer for the NEAT Record label. He has been responsible for the production and sound engineering of many NWOBHM bands during the 1980s. Most notable these bands include: Atomkraft, Blitzkrieg, Fist, Raven, Venom, Warfare, and many others.

Mobile production: The Nomo Bile Co.

Mobile Engineers: Dicky Switch, Jack Plug

All photos by Fin Costello, Pete Cronin, Tony Mottran, Abaddon

Pete Cronin has been a photographer for over 30 years and has photographed rock bands like: Demon Pact, Avenger, Metallica, Exciter, English Dogs, Plasmatics, Briar, Bow Wow, Thin Lizzy, Alice in Chains, Megadeth and others.

Record Label & Catalognr:

RoadrunneR Records – RR 9639, Neat Records – RR 9639

Album Packaging:

This album "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" includes the original custom inner sleeves with album details, and photos of Venom. The album cover design is a Gatefold (Fold Open Cover) cover design with many photos of Venom-band on the custom inner sleeves.

Media Format:

2x 12" Vinyl Stereo Gramophone Record
Total Album (Cover+Record) weight: 480 gram

Year & Country:

1986 Netherlands

Personnel/Band Members and Musicians on: VENOM Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

Cronos – bass, vocals
Conrad "Cronos" Lant, born on 15 January 1963, is the bassist and vocalist most people picture when Venom comes crashing into the room. Not polished. Not polite. Not one of those tidy heavy metal frontmen who sounded as if they had read the manual first. Cronos came out of the Newcastle metal racket with bass, voice, leather, distortion and enough bad attitude to make the NWOBHM scene feel less like a movement and more like a pub fight behind a rehearsal room.

more...
Venom formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1978, but the version that really burned itself into metal memory was the classic three-piece: Cronos on bass and vocals, Mantas on guitar, and Abaddon on drums. By the time "Welcome to Hell" arrived in 1981, they were already rougher, faster and nastier than most of the neat little NWOBHM hopefuls trying to look dangerous under decent stage lights. Venom sounded like the lights had blown out altogether.

Then came "Black Metal" in 1982, and there it was: a title that stopped being just an album name and started crawling across the underground as a whole ugly idea. Cronos did not sing so much as bark, spit and drag the words across broken glass. His bass was not there for tasteful support either. It shoved. It snarled. It made the records feel overloaded, as if the speakers were being asked to do something frankly unreasonable.

That is why the old Venom records still matter to collectors. Not because they are perfect. Good grief, no. The charm is partly that they are not perfect. They have the smell of cheap rehearsal rooms, Neat Records vinyl, imported sleeves, tape hiss, bad decisions and teenage volume. In the early eighties, while plenty of bands were polishing their boots for the next Kerrang! photo, Venom seemed busy kicking the door off its hinges.

Cronos left Venom in late 1986 and took Mike Hickey and Jim Clare with him to form his own Cronos project. His solo debut, "Dancing in the Fire", appeared in 1990, not 1986 as lazy copy sometimes claims. Useful correction, that. Metal history is already noisy enough without adding bad dates to the amplifier hum.

The original Venom trio returned in the mid-1990s, which gave collectors another reason to pull the early LPs from the shelf and argue over which period really mattered. For me, the essential Cronos is still the one trapped in those early records: "Welcome to Hell", "Black Metal", "At War With Satan", "Possessed". That run has the grubby magic. The sound of British metal losing its manners.

On "At War With Satan", especially, Cronos is less a traditional frontman and more a warning label with boots. The long title track, the gatefold theatre, the whole exaggerated satanic pantomime: it should have collapsed under its own nonsense. Somehow it does not. It lumbers forward, ridiculous and magnificent, and that is very Venom. Half menace, half cartoon thunderstorm, fully collectible.

References and Further Reading
Mantas - Guitar (real name: Jeffrey Dunn) has played for the past 40 years mainly for Venom with side project in bands like: Mantas, Warfare, M-pire of Evil, Dryll. )
Abaddon – drums (real name: Anthony Bray ( has like Mantas played for the past 40 years mainly for Venom with side project in bands like: Abaddon, Beneath, Oberon, Dryll.)

Complete Track-listing of the album "VENOM Eine Kleine Nachtmusik"

The detailed tracklist of this record "VENOM Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" is:

Record One: Recorded Live at Hammersmith Odeon 1985

Intro
Too Loud (For the Crowd)
7 Gates of Hell
Leave me in Hell
Nightmare
Countess Bathory

Die Hard
Schitzo
Guitar Solo Mantas
Mantas (real name Jeffrey Dunn) is a British guitarist best known as a founding member of Venom, a pioneering band in black metal. He played on classic albums like Welcome to Hell and Black Metal. Beyond Venom, he formed the band Mantas, played in Venom Inc., and contributed guest guitar to Warfare’s A Conflict of Hatred in 1992.
In Nomine Santanas
Witching Hour

Record Two: Recorded Live at The Ritz New York 1986

Black Metal
The Chanting of the Priests
Satanachist
Fly Trap
Warhead

Buried Alive
Love Amongst the Dead
Bass Solo CRONOS
Conrad "Cronos" Lant, born on 15 January 1963, is the bassist and vocalist most people picture when Venom comes crashing into the room. Not polished. Not polite. Not one of those tidy heavy metal frontmen who sounded as if they had read the manual first. Cronos came out of the Newcastle metal racket with bass, voice, leather, distortion and enough bad attitude to make the NWOBHM scene feel less like a movement and more like a pub fight behind a rehearsal room.

more...
Venom formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1978, but the version that really burned itself into metal memory was the classic three-piece: Cronos on bass and vocals, Mantas on guitar, and Abaddon on drums. By the time "Welcome to Hell" arrived in 1981, they were already rougher, faster and nastier than most of the neat little NWOBHM hopefuls trying to look dangerous under decent stage lights. Venom sounded like the lights had blown out altogether.

Then came "Black Metal" in 1982, and there it was: a title that stopped being just an album name and started crawling across the underground as a whole ugly idea. Cronos did not sing so much as bark, spit and drag the words across broken glass. His bass was not there for tasteful support either. It shoved. It snarled. It made the records feel overloaded, as if the speakers were being asked to do something frankly unreasonable.

That is why the old Venom records still matter to collectors. Not because they are perfect. Good grief, no. The charm is partly that they are not perfect. They have the smell of cheap rehearsal rooms, Neat Records vinyl, imported sleeves, tape hiss, bad decisions and teenage volume. In the early eighties, while plenty of bands were polishing their boots for the next Kerrang! photo, Venom seemed busy kicking the door off its hinges.

Cronos left Venom in late 1986 and took Mike Hickey and Jim Clare with him to form his own Cronos project. His solo debut, "Dancing in the Fire", appeared in 1990, not 1986 as lazy copy sometimes claims. Useful correction, that. Metal history is already noisy enough without adding bad dates to the amplifier hum.

The original Venom trio returned in the mid-1990s, which gave collectors another reason to pull the early LPs from the shelf and argue over which period really mattered. For me, the essential Cronos is still the one trapped in those early records: "Welcome to Hell", "Black Metal", "At War With Satan", "Possessed". That run has the grubby magic. The sound of British metal losing its manners.

On "At War With Satan", especially, Cronos is less a traditional frontman and more a warning label with boots. The long title track, the gatefold theatre, the whole exaggerated satanic pantomime: it should have collapsed under its own nonsense. Somehow it does not. It lumbers forward, ridiculous and magnificent, and that is very Venom. Half menace, half cartoon thunderstorm, fully collectible.

References and Further Reading
Welcome to Hell
Bloodlust