Black metal pioneers VENOM have returned with "Into Oblivion", their 16th studio album, released on May 1, 2026 via Noise/BMG. The record marks the band's first new material since "Storm The Gates" in 2018 — an eight-year gap that has only heightened anticipation among the band's global fanbase.
VENOM now operate as a trio: original vocalist and bassist CRONOS is joined by guitarist RAGE and drummer DANNY. Formed in Newcastle in 1979, the band were among the earliest architects of black metal and extreme metal more broadly. Their influence on generations of bands is immeasurable.
In a recent interview, guitarist RAGE also addressed the conspicuous absence of VENOM from American touring circuits. The barrier is financial and bureaucratic: obtaining U.S. work visas for the three-piece costs between $7,000 and $9,000 and involves a lengthy, uncertain approval process at the American embassy. "The problem that we've got with the States... we need to get visas and stuff like that. And they're really expensive," RAGE explained.
Visa difficulties for British and European acts have worsened considerably over the past decade. Combined with skyrocketing tour bus costs — once around $1,000 per day, now dramatically higher — the economics of a U.S. run are simply prohibitive for a band of VENOM's size.
Despite the touring constraints, "Into Oblivion" stands as proof that VENOM's creative fire burns undiminished. Fans in North America hoping to experience the album live will have to wait — but the record itself is available now.