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Well, here it is. One of the foundational releases for the Black Metal genre, so much so that it's literally called Black Metal. Venom's iconic second album took the NWOBHM sound and added in the kind of Punk that you could only find in the poor suburbs of England to make a sound that everyone from Bathory to Mayhem to Darkthrone would reference as they went on to further refine the genre. Everything from its raw, unfiltered sound to its strong satanic imagery not only got them attention in the Metal scene, but also the international scene as various publications wrote about and typically denounced their antics. Either way, this was a band and an album ahead of its time that shook the fragile Christian world to its foundations harder than any before them and stands among the most influential in the genre.

But enough about history and impact, what about the music? Well, what am I supposed to say that hasn't already been said? This is one of those albums you use as the basis of description when talking about dirty, punky Black Metal. Hell, it set the trend of bands trying to be dirtier and eviler than one another, so what do you even add to that? This has classic cuts like the title track, "Buried Alive", "Raise the Dead", and the creepy highlight "Countess Bathory", songs that have been staples of Venom's live sets forever, and you've probably heard them a dozen times by now and think they rule as hard as they did nearly forty years ago.

Really, this review is more to fill a gap on the site than give any further insight besides saying for the billionth time how awesome this album is. If you're very new to Black Metal or Metal in general, or if you just never got around to it before, then you need to give Black Metal a spin. It's a seminal album that every band all about evil and Satan can trace their roots back to, and it's mandatory listening if you want to understand how the genre got to where it is today. FOR BLACK METAL, LAY DOWN YOUR SOULS TO THE GODS OF ROCK 'N' ROLL!