Album Review: Venom Prison – Erebos (Century Media Records)

Death metal band, Venom Prison will release their brand-new album, Erebos on February 4th, 2022. Erebos is the follow-up to 2020’s Primeval and 2019’s Samsara and marks their label debut with Century Media Records.

Is this the most important record that Venom Prison have put out? It certainly feels that way. Not only because of their Century Media signing but because they’ve been cracking the glass ceiling above them bit by bit. Their ambition has been clear for some time. Is this the album that finally sees Venom Prison smash through the ceiling?

The building anticipation caused by the intro of Born from Chaos is something else. There’s a cinematic feel to this, even when it does break from cover with a wild guitar solo. That then leads into the first proper Venom Prison track of this new album. The ferocious Judges of the Underworld, a track with the blistering heaviness that have made Venom Prison one of the UK’s finest metal bands. However, this is the evolved version of Venom Prison and they want to showcase that immediately with this track.

For starters, there’s an infectious and catchiness to it. Nowhere more obvious than in the chorus. Then you have the subtle but effective tempo shifts and of course, the wild and technically sound heaviness. Though, perhaps the biggest surprise (if you’ve not been playing attention) is the brief bit of clean singing and melody.

Watch out for the breakdown though. It is freaking awesome. Maybe the best song Venom Prison have ever written.

How do you follow that? With a brash and in-your-face blast of head-banging inducing pandemonium. Nemesis keeps the album super-heated as Venom Prison get complex, chaotic, and suitably intense. Before Comfort of Complicity continues to show just how adventurous the group are feeling. The old-school metal guitar soloing that feels almost cosmic is phenomenal but perhaps the biggest takeaway is just how in sync Venom Prison are. Every instrument compliments the other and nothing is overshadowed. Case in point, the vocals are guttural but scaled back to allow the guitars prominence at times. Though, they’re never buried or unclear. It’s Venom Prison at their clearest, cleanest, and charming.

A little taste of melody, heartfelt singing and a catchy beat is not what many will expect from Venom Prison. We said they were being bold and Pain of Oizys is further proof of that. A track that is as chilled out as it gets with Venom Prison but isn’t afraid to ramp up things up when needed. The expected explosion, as the vocals start to spit venom and the drums build things up, ends up dropping into a short piece of melody instead. It’s fascinating, a track that is going to stop a ton of long-term fans in their tracks. Hopefully, in a good way.

Want some more of that impulsive and pointed aggression? Golden Apples of the Hesperides has what you need. An explosive bout of extreme music that is bookended by atmosphere. Or how about Castigated in Steel and Concrete? The kick of the drums, the eye-watering guitar riffing, the echo of the gargantuan bass hooks and the snarling vocals. This is Venom Prison digging down deep to find even more heaviness while still being capable of delivering insane levels of technicality, melody, and catchiness.

You’ll never want it to end and there’s a strong argument that this is Venom Prison’s most varied release to date. It’s still clearly the same band that brought us banger album after banger album, but they’re stubbornly refusing to rest on their laurels. Don’t be afraid of change though as Venom Prison are still unapologetically extreme. It’s just so happens to come with layers unlike anything they’ve ever done before.

Every time you think you’ve heard the apex of this album, something new comes along. Even at the latter part of it, they’re still amazing and surprising. Gorgon Sisters shares the distinct honour of being amongst the finest Venom Prison tracks heard and Veil of Night is a methodical brand of meaty heaviness and savage ferocity. The kind of heaviness you feel in your bones.

Before Erebos comes to a close, we get a death metal epic… Venom Prison style. Technologies of Death has groove, their inimitable scathing vocal attack, melodic drops and penchant for guitar wizardry, all wrapped in this modern and advanced delivery. It’s as exciting as anything heard on this album which is saying a lot as this album is a pure thrill ride from beginning to end.

What an accomplishment Erebos is. Venom Prison haven’t just smashed that glass ceiling, they’ve destroyed it once and for all. This is a superstar making album and the exclamation point on a stellar career so far. What is even more amazing is that they’re really only getting started. Don’t be surprised if in the next 2 years, Venom Prison are headlining festivals around the world. Erebos is that much of a game-changing album.

Venom Prison – Erebos Full Track Listing:

1. Born from Chaos
2. Judges of the Underworld
3. Nemesis
4. Comfort of Complicity
5. Pain of Oizys
6. Golden Apples of the Hesperides
7. Castigated in Steel and Concrete
8. Gorgon Sisters
9. Veil of Night
10. Technologies of Death

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