Fallen Angels

To avoid misunderstandings right from the beginning: this album does not offer prophecies of the great beast called Venom. No doubt, once they have appeared as prophets of a new metal style. But times have passed. Now this header just stands for a nice line of the lyrics of the title track. What is even worse, but this is anything else but a new finding, the British trio cannot be any longer described as the great beast. The two previous outputs, "Hell" as well as "Metal Black", did not score with beastly tracks. On the contrary, these flabby records had put the band in another light. The group appeared as a toothless and grotesque creature, deformed and socially ostracized. I thought that Venom would have been well advised to commit suicide, of course, not the members, only the band itself.

But Cronos obviously saw no reason to share my fatalistic point of view or he just had no idea what to do instead of marching on with Venom. Well, these options are not mutually exclusive. However, I must admit that his continued commitment was better than killing the band. "Fallen Angels" was a small step in the right direction.

Of course, the excessive barbarism of their first nefarious records of the eighties does not re-emerge. Nonetheless, Venom have regained their currishness, at least to a certain extent. The band presents a relatively crude mix of heavy, power and thrash metal while black metal is of minor relevance. The predominantly crooked harmonies of the aforementioned predecessors of "Fallen Angels" have been almost completely banished. Instead, Cronos and his band mates have written some more or less coherent tunes that combine the generally hostile approach of the band with solid riffs and leads. There is no need to get ecstatic, but the album shows that Venom´s fire is still blazing. That alone gives me a good feeling.

A shy drum kit welcomes the audience at the beginning of the opener. It whispers a soft "Hello" instead of knocking the listener down. Despite of this powerless start, the mid-tempo "Hammerhead" develops surprisingly well. It glitters with a smooth bridge and an effective chorus. Further solidly constructed tracks follow. No doubt, Venom did not aim to break speed records while creating the full-length. Additionally, they still sound skew sometimes. While listening to this record, you have to endure a certain number of very strange breaks ("Nemesis" and "Lap of the Gods") and the vocals of Cronos do not score in all aspects. There are also a few throwaway tracks, but in general, Venom deliver a serious and autochthonous work. Too bad that the album seems to be recorded by a drunken poltergeist. The rumbling sound can be understood as a tribute to their chaotic early days, but I would have preferred a more powerful production. Well, the recordings do not sound amateurish. Inter alia because of the omnipresent bass guitar, the mix of "Fallen Angels" has its specific charm. Nevertheless, it lacks of sharpness and penetrating power. It hails the attitude of the old school while appearing lackadaisical at the same time.

With regard to the lyrics, the three-piece is heading for absolutely new and previously undiscovered shores. Just read some lines of the seventh track: "All hail Satanas... Lucifer / Evil One... All hail Satanas – Diabolus... Baphomet / Diabolus... Hail Satan". Great poetry, I have never heard them singing about these satanic topics before! However, sarcasm is a nice thing, but who expected any other kind of lyrics? Just as a friendly reminder, we are talking about Venom. And I admit that I like this band, although "Fallen Angels" shows only a slight upward trend. It fails to deliver earworms, but it constitutes an honest effort. Lend an ear to songs like "Damnation of Souls" or "Valley of the Kings" and convince yourself.