Venin

Innocuously enough, the chill and upbeat, no frills Venin (Venom) is yet another French heavy metal alumni from days of yore (that is, 1986) sure to appease the Beaudelaire residing in each of us which this very year impressively re-appeared on the horizon following decades of inactivity with a super belated full-length debut (La morsure du temps i.e. The Bite of Time) some thirty-six years or so in the making considering the Aix-en-Provence quartet formed way back in 1982 when all I remember is gobbling sand and sea shells on the beach in my birthday suit...

Silly yet fond childhood recollections aside, allow me to deliver the gist without beating around the bush any further. Auspiciously, the first couple of tracks - particularly the opener, "Passe-temps" - adhere to agreeably swift, "sleazy street" vibes, as well as loose and genial, NWOBHM tailored riff constructs and a fluid, bare bones grittiness balanced by a gregariously eloquent but conservative mid-upper ranged - as well as sporadically exuberant - Francophone yawper at the helm slightly reminiscent of say, Sortilège's enigmatic sky-high yeller, Christian "Zouille" Augustin (specifically, on the Parisians' third and last, somewhat sappy but still commendable release, Larmes de Heros). Further comparisons can be made to Nightmare, the lowbrow and rustic Paisas' similarly named Gallic "sister" act, as well as the wondrous, recently "chaired" and cataloged Citadelle.

On a lesser note, the jejune and insipid, lamely titled ballad and third number, "Une vie pour un concert" leaves much to be desired as it pitifully alienates the listener with its blandly ubiquitous and milquetoast, un-distorted guitar progression, mawkish crooning (causing many a French metal head to mutter, "Va t'acheter une voix, bordel!") and blatant un-metalness. Heck, I'll take Black Sabbath's "Changes" or even its infamous, Bill Ward-oed "It's Alright" over this mushy and glum, heart-rendering doldrums inducer any day. In fairness, the soothing, if not tame and purely esthetic, Dave Gilmour-esque guitar solo constitutes a breath of much needed fresh air! Primly showcasing the lone ax wielder's commitment and novice prowess, it also saves an otherwise moronic, turgid track from complete disgrace.

Thankfully, the forlorn and ominously plucking intro i.e. early guitar progression of closer "Pensée pour eux" staggeringly evokes Pentagram's timeless chthonic ode, "Be Forewarned"! How neat is that!? To boot, the initial hard-driven and palm-muted, down-picked guitar riff which follows shortly thereafter represents classic, un-defiled 80s metal, heedless of origin. Including a festive, freewheeling solo, this satisfying humdinger tidily places Venin alongside said sanctified national brethren, albeit in a mildly groveling manner.

Incidentally, I'm unfamiliar with the older nine track "demo" from 1985 (conveniently titled Malédiction) but the painfully obvious fact the band could have/should have produced a full-length debut back then after all as opposed to a couple of partial, slapdash recordings confounds me. However, as inferred, this largely unheralded titular item not only starts off without a hitch, but with some wholly welcome nostalgia as well.

"Passe-temps" initially features a menacing and suspense-fully aired guitar riff uncannily evocative of Megadeth's "In My Darkest Hour" (which wouldn't see the light of day or dark of night until 1988) prior to sharply seguing into a jaunty mid to fast tempo'd alt rock rhythm over which the singer cheerfully albeit bitterly spews histrionic Sublime meets The Offspring styled "teenage angst" verses whilst the battery obediently rolls with the punches with a disciplined blue-collar, workman ethos akin to Argus, Holocaust or Savage.

Now, its co-highlight and successor, "Femme de la Nuit", is another story entirely. You want "ribald"? Ha! You're well served indeed with this libidinous wild oat-sowing, coming-of-age/trollop-ing genuflector which instantly brings to mind a quirky and non-committal FM radio staple spin on Quiet Riot at its most outlandish and spry, also liberally garnished with a fiery dash of Anvil's seizing and raw jack-in-the-box-like demeanor, both musically and lyrically, with its greasily pumped up and poised see-sawing riff and wraparound lick, explosive pyrotechnic enhanced leads and cheeky as Hell testosterone fueled chorus, re-transcribed here in all its randy loin-basting glory, lest this review lack perquisite pomp and jocular, winking camaraderie:

"Femme de la nuit!
Femme de la nuit!
Tu n'es qu'une poupée pour assouvir mes désirs...
Femme de tout le Monde!
N'importe qui!
Femme idéale qui n'est jamais trop prise!"

Such starry-eyed albeit shallow and delusional pubescent clap trap is hard on the ears! I can't even bring myself to provide a translation - it's that cringe-worthy and gauche! For the record, the lyrics pale next to well-versed odes on feminine wiles such as Sabbath's "Lady Evil" or Iron Maiden's "Women In Uniform", for want of fair examples. By all means. it's still a hot rocking track, from the meaty, thumping bass and stout, thwacking drums to a generous helping of Pat Ziad's most zealous and energetic soloing, where he employs a wide range of lead tricks and innovations such as far-flung finger-tapped fret runs and diabolical whammying in line with Sortilège's iconic brand of rocketing neo-classical modernism. In retrospect, his revved up halcyon moment marks the EP's apogee, seeing as it's rather downhill from there until said merciful and redemptive swansong.

If you're eager to glean some wicked old school, traditional French heavy metal, go for the more reputable, obvious choices - ADX and Sortilège above all - as Venin will surely only provide token "frissons" and chuckles to inveterate Francophile rockers like myself, as well as risk compromising (i.e tragically turning off) those still criminally un-initiated to Gaul's kick-ass "NWOFHM" repository. Personally, I doubt I'll ever return to this particular offering - courtesy of Cactus Records and limited to 12" inch, 33 1/2 bpm vinyl, hence strictly a collection piece for meticulous metal minstrels - but am now hit full on with an irrepressible urge to hear the recent - as well as long-suffering - full-length post-haste. While it's likely a crap-shoot, I'd feel foolish and neglectful not to.