Calm Before the Storm
| Calm Before the Storm | ||||
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| Studio album from Venom | ||||
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Publication |
January 1987 |
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| Label (s) | Filmtrax UK | |||
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Format (s) |
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Nick Tauber |
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Studio (s) |
New Marquee Studios, London, England |
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Calm Before the Storm is the fifth studio album by the British metal band Venom .
Emergence
After the release of the live album Eine kleine Nachtmusik in 1985, the band was able to get a record deal with the major label RCA . But during the recording of the planned new album Deadline , Cronos and Abaddon fell out with guitarist Mantas, who had already missed part of the tour due to illness. In 1986 he finally left the band, after which Cronos and Abaddon brought the two new guitarists Mykus (Mike Hickey) and Jim Clare into the line-up. A planned album called Deadline could therefore not be realized. Instead, the four musicians recorded Calm Before the Storm , which implemented some of Deadline's ideas. The album was directed by producer Nick Tauber at New Marquee Studios in London. Originally it was supposed to come on the market under the name Fire . The song Fire was released as a promotional single in 1988 .
Calm Before the Storm was also the last album with Cronos, who then took both guitarists with him and formed a band under his name with Chris Patterson.
Musical style
The album differs from the earlier Venom albums, such as Black Metal or Welcome to Hell . It's structured in a more structured way and, since the band was now a quartet, you could incorporate more complex music, for example two-part solos or lead guitars. In addition, Cronos' vocals no longer seemed as rough and worn as on earlier works, but more melodic and slightly higher. The band was resented by some of their fans for the somewhat more commercial orientation, which was still rooted in Thrash Metal , but also used some influences from Hard Rock . The earlier satanic and occult texts were also scaled back in favor of fantasy texts and rock & roll-typical themes. as well as accused by criticism. The album ultimately flopped and sealed the temporary end of Venom. This is how Holger Stratmann summed up in Rock Hard No. 24:
“VENOM wanted to have a major deal, and the new album should go high! The facts: "Calm Before The Storm" is in a few record stores and even there is hardly noticed by the former VENOM-Lunatics. (…) I like "Calm Before The Storm" better than the last two studio records (two or three numbers also have old power and an unusually high level for Venom standards), but basically the record is just a very mild breeze. "
In retrospect, Cronos regretted recording the album with Abaddon and releasing it as a Venom album. Mykus and James Clare are skilled guitarists, but more concerned with playing and not, like mantas, making noise and Venom's appearance on stage. At that time he wanted to become more professional, but should have split up the band after Eine kleine Nachtmusik . Calm Before the Storm is not a Venom album.
Track list
- Black Christmas - 2:57
- The Chanting of the Priests - 4:23
- Metal Punk - 3:22
- Under a Spell - 4:09
- Calm Before the Storm - 4:13
- Fire - 2:42
- Crackin 'Up - 2:14
- The Beauty and the Beast - 3:49
- Deadline - 3:16
- Gypsy - 2:25
- Muscle - 2:42
Web links
- Calm Before the Storm at Allmusic (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Venom at laut.de
- ↑ Fire. Discogs , accessed November 18, 2016 .
- ↑ Calm Before The Storm. Venomcollector.com, accessed November 18, 2016 .
- ↑ Frank Stöver: Venom . In: Voices from the Darkside , No. 9, 1996, p. 16.
- ↑ AllMusic Review by Steve Huey at Allmusic (English). Retrieved November 18, 2016.
- ^ Holger Stratmann: Venom - Calm Before the Storm . In: Rock Hard . No. 24 , 1987 ( rockhard.de ).
- ↑ Frank Stöver: Venom . In: Voices from the Darkside , No. 9, 1996, p. 15.