Breaking News: Venom’s Mantas and Abaddon Celebrate 45th Anniversary of “Welcome To Hell” with Epic Concert 🤯
I just spilled my beer all over my desk because I’m so excited about this news! 😂 The iconic co-founders of Venom, Jeff “Mantas” Dunn and Anthony “Abaddon” Bray, have joined forces with a plethora of guest musicians to celebrate the 45th anniversary of their classic debut album, “Welcome To Hell”. I mean, who needs a social life when you have Venom, right? 🤘 The concert, which took place at Parksnäckan in Uppsala, Sweden, featured an all-star lineup including Adam “Nergal” Darski (Behemoth), David Vincent (Morbid Angel, Terrorizer, Am I Morbid), Erik Danielsson (Watain), Lord Ahriman (Dark Funeral), Sakis Tolis (Rotting Christ), Diva Satanica (Bloodhunter, ex-Nervosa), and Blake “Bulldözer” Arendell (Interceptor). Talk about a metalhead’s dream come true! 🎸
The Venom Saga: A Brief History Lesson
For those who may be clueless, Venom is a pioneering black metal band that has been around since the early 1980s. The band’s classic lineup, consisting of Mantas, Abaddon, and Conrad “Cronos” Lant, is widely regarded as one of the most influential metal bands of all time. However, the band’s history has been marred by lineup changes, disputes, and disagreements over the years. In a recent interview with The Metal Voice, Mantas and Abaddon discussed the fact that there are now three different bands using variations of the Venom band name. Yeah, it’s a bit of a mess, but who doesn’t love a good metal drama? 🤷♂️
Mantas stated, “I’m just gonna speak the truth, the absolute truth. I’m the founder member [of Venom]. If there’s a co-founder, it’s Abaddon. Cronos was the last one to join. Everyone knows that. I wrote all the early material, blah, blah, blah.” Okay, got it, Mantas. You’re the founder, Abaddon is your BFF, and Cronos is the new kid on the block. But seriously, folks, the history of Venom is complex, and it’s not just about who joined the band first. It’s about the music, the vibe, and the legacy. So, let’s just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride, shall we? 🎢
Why Now? Why This Concert?
So, why did Mantas and Abaddon decide to reunite and celebrate the 45th anniversary of “Welcome To Hell”? According to Mantas, “Myself and Abaddon, we said, ‘Look, why don’t we just do something to celebrate this fucking band?’ And that’s all we’re doing. It’s a celebration of ‘Welcome To Hell’, 45 years of that album. And this stupid fucking band has missed every major anniversary in its history.” Well, better late than never, right? 🤔 I mean, who needs an anniversary party when you can just have a massive metal concert with a bunch of legendary guest musicians? 🤘
Mantas also explained that he and Abaddon chose to reteam for these shows because they wanted to celebrate the band’s legacy and influence on the metal scene. He stated, “I know it’s not gonna be the Pantera thing, and I know it’s not a fucking KISS reunion or anything like that, but this band has had, for whatever reason, and it still amazes me to this day, but this band has had so much influence on the metal scene from day one, especially when that album [‘Welcome To Hell’] came out.” Yeah, no kidding, Mantas. Venom’s influence on the metal scene is undeniable. I mean, who hasn’t been influenced by Venom’s unique blend of black metal, thrash metal, and general chaos? 🤘
The Name Game: Who Owns Venom?
The question on everyone’s mind: who owns the rights to the Venom name? Well, it’s a bit of a complicated mess, but Abaddon has a straightforward answer: “My take on that is very straightforward. If you’ve got three bands using the word Venom to sell the music… Originally, Venom were a three-piece. Unless you’ve got two members of that three-piece, you can’t call it Venom because it’s Cronos and some other blokes, or it’s Dolan and some other blokes. If you’ve got me and Jeff, you’ve got two-thirds of the original fucking band. That’s as straightforward as you can get.” Okay, Abaddon, you’ve made your point. But let’s be real, folks, the Venom name has become a bit of a joke. I mean, who needs a real band when you can just have a bunch of guys throwing around the Venom name like it’s a hot potato? 🤣
In conclusion, the Venom saga continues, folks! 🤯 Who knows what the future holds for these metal legends? Will they continue to tour and release new music under the Venom name? Only time will tell. But for now, let’s just enjoy the epic concert they threw in celebration of “Welcome To Hell”‘s 45th anniversary. Cheers to that, and cheers to the madness that is the metal scene! 🍺🤘
