Venom Inc. are a British heavy metal band from

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

. Formed in 2015, the band features former

Venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

member Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan, and previously Jeffrey "Mantas" Dunn and Anthony "Abaddon" Bray. Bray was replaced by Jeramie "War Machine" Kling in 2018, who was replaced by Marc "JXN" Jackson in 2024. The group has released two studio albums.

History

The history of Venom Inc. goes back to April 2015, when the band Mpire of Evil (with former

members

Jeffrey Dunn Jeffrey "Mantas" Dunn (born 22 April 1961) is a British guitarist and one of the founding members of the heavy metal band Venom, with which he played as a guitarist from 1979 to 1985 and 1989 to 2002. From 2015 to 2024, he played in Venom In ...

and

Tony Dolan Anthony Michael Dolan (born 1964), also known by his nickname Demolition Man, is an English musician. He was the bassist and vocalist of Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Venom (band), Venom in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He currently pla ...

) played at festival in Germany. At the gig, Dunn and Dolan invited drummer Anthony "Abaddon" Bray, another former Venom member, to play a few old Venom songs at the festival, although Dunn and Bray had not spoken to each other for around 20 years. This spontaneous action led to the formation of Venom Inc., which consisted of the Venom line-up from 1989 to 1992: Dunn as guitarist, Dolan as singer and bassist and Bray as drummer. The group's debut album, ''Avé,'' was released in August 2017 by

Nuclear Blast Nuclear Blast Records is a German record label with subsidiary, subsidiaries located in Germany, the United States and Brazil. It was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Donzdorf. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on ...

. "Dein Fleisch" and "Ave Satanas" were released as singles. In the same year, the band performed at

MetalDays MetalDays was a heavy metal music festival held annually Slovenia. It saw increased popularity every year with more media coverage, and saw bands like Megadeth, Slayer, Amon Amarth, Volbeat and Sabaton and many more play at the festival. It was ...

, among others. At the end of April 2018, Dunn suffered a heart attack, which resulted in a brief cardiac arrest. He underwent double bypass surgery and has since recovered. The band later revealed that Bray did not actually play drums on ''Avé'' and that they used a drum machine instead. Bray took a break from band activities in early 2018 due to the birth of his daughter. However, in September 2018, he announced that he would not be returning to the band. During his break, he had learned that he had been fired and

Jeramie Kling Jeramie Kling (born 1982) is an American drummer, recording engineer, producer, and live sound engineer for the metal bands The Absence and Venom Inc. He is also a member of Ribspreader (drums), Goregäng (guitar/lead vocals), and Metal Blade ...

would now be the band's new drummer. The band released their second studio album, ''There's Only Black'', in September 2022. In November 2023, Kling parted ways with the band due to "logistical reasons". He was replaced by Marc "JXN" Jackson in April 2024, previously of associated act Mpire of Evil. In April 2024, Jeffrey Dunn suffered a second heart attack and is in recovery. Stepping in for tour duties is ex- Annihilator, ex-

Nevermore Nevermore is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1992. The band was formed after three of its members — vocalist Warrel Dane, bassist Jim Sheppard and guitarist Jeff Loomis — ended their prev ...

and current 72 Legions guitar player Curran "Beleth" Murphy. In December 2024, Dunn announced he had quit the band. Later that month, Murphy was confirmed as a full member.

Musical style

In a 2017 '' Rock Hard'' interview, Tony Dolan stated that Venom Inc. was more than just a cover band, and that they want to experiment and surprise with songs like "Dein Fleisch". In the same issue, Thomas Kupfer reviewed ''Avé'', stating that the album is not for "music snobs", but offers "rowdy noise orgies". Stephan Möller from

Metal.de Metal.de is a German-language online magazine launched in 1996. The magazine focuses on the subgenres of heavy metal and hard rock, but also reports on similar styles. ''Metal.de'' foundation in 1996 makes it one of the longest-running heavy me ...

also reviewed the album and stated that it can be categorised somewhere between the

first wave of black metal The first wave of black metal was a musical movement of black metal which lasted from around 1982 until 1991. Stylistically distinct from the genre's quintessential later sound, the earliest bands in this first wave played a primordial form of e ...

as well as

speed metal Speed metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that originated in the late 1970s from new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) roots.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' (Berg Publishers, 2007), , p. 31. It is desc ...

and

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...

, which brought the term "black 'n' roll" and a

Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1975 by bassist and lead vocalist Lemmy Kilmister, guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox. Kilmister was the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band a ...

comparison to his mind. Compared to the Venom albums ''

Black Metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with tr ...

'' and ''

Welcome to Hell ''Welcome to Hell'' is the debut studio album by English heavy metal band Venom, released in December 1981 through Neat Records. After various line-up changes and recording several demo tapes in Impulse Studios, Venom gained success and atte ...

'', Venom Inc. sounds a little "rockier" and more like Motörhead. The music also has a more modern feel. ''Avé'' is "mature and probably the cleanest album that this constellation of musicians has ever recorded".

Members

Current members

* Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan – bass, lead vocals (2015–present) *Marc "JXN" Jackson – drums (2024–present) *Curran "Beleth" Murphy – guitars (2024–present)

Former members

* Jeffrey "Mantas" Dunn – guitars, backing vocals (2015–2024) *Anthony "Abaddon" Bray – drums (2015–2018) * Jeramie "War Machine" Kling – drums (2018–2023)

Touring members

* Nick Barker – drums (2022) *Mike "Mykvs" Hickey – guitars (2023)

Timeline

Discography

;Studio albums *2017: ''Avé'' (

) *2022: ''There's Only Black'' (Nuclear Blast) ;Singles *2017: "Dein Fleisch" ( Decibel Flexi Series) *2018: "War" (Nuclear Blast) *2022: "How Many Can Die" (Nuclear Blast)

References

External links

* * * {{authority control 2015 establishments in England British speed metal musical groups English heavy metal musical groups English thrash metal musical groups Musical groups from Newcastle upon Tyne Musical groups established in 2015