VENOM released their sixteenth studio album Into Oblivion last week via Noise/BMG, and it stands as a triumphant statement from one of heavy metal's most foundational acts. The thirteen-track album marks the band's first new recordings since 2018's Storm The Gates, and the long wait has clearly fuelled something fierce.
The long-standing lineup of Conrad "Cronos" Lant on bass and vocals, Rage (Stuart Dixon) on guitar, and Danté (Danny Needham) on drums has been together for seventeen years — an unprecedented stretch of stability for a band with VENOM's notoriously turbulent history. That foundation shows in the album's cohesion: this is a band that knows exactly who they are.
The lead single "Lay Down Your Soul" references the band's formative years with a rousing chorus that invites crowd participation, while "Kicked Outta Hell" channels the classic VENOM spirit with an energy that belies the group's decades of history. Cronos described the creative process: "This album has really pushed the boundaries, but if you want to make a killer album, you pay for it in blood, sweat and tears."
Guitarist Rage noted how the finished record feels "so different, yet so familiar" — capturing both VENOM's classic 1980s DNA and a modern, progressive approach to their signature brand of evil, catchy, heavy metal chaos. For fans of the early Newcastle thunderstorm, Into Oblivion is essential listening.