GMD Poll: Top Ten Albums of 1981

[Phylactery]

I fucking love early Venom, but they didn't record anything as great as Under the Sign of the Black Mark. But yeah, that comment seems to be rather misguided since the first Bathory is basically pure Venom worship.

 

[CiG]

Under the Sign of the Black Mark is the very moment Bathory surpassed Venom, claiming it happened before that is just pretentious faggotry in my opinion.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

I don't know what ya'll talkin bout, but Bathory is definitely Venom's best album.

 

[Manic Ferocity]

I think it's rather close. Bathory were definitely already evolving in some ways by The Return and completely fleshed out their sound into another entity entirely by Under the Sign of the Black Mark.

I still think I slightly prefer Venom. Their first two albums are perfection in my book.

 

[CiG]

My favourite Venom album is At War with Satan. Fucking worship that thing.

 

[Manic Ferocity]

It's definitely good but the tracks following the title-track don't really compare. I still need to properly check out Possessed.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

.. yeah, also my favorite from them. First Bathory album is better though imo.

edit: Possessed is good too, just not as good their first three. It was the first Venom album i bought.

 

[CiG]

It's definitely good but the tracks following the title-track don't really compare.

Yeah agreed, though still quite good in my opinion.

It probably should have just been a Godly one-track EP.

 

[Master_Yoda77]

Silly me, I could have sworn Mob Rules was listed as 2nd at one point. Great list though.

 

[crimsonfloyd]

Side A of At War with Satan demolishes the first Bathory album alone.
20 minutes of British superiority released in the same year that Euronymous was pretending to not rip off Venom.

Never listened to At War With Satan. First two albums are too mediocre to inspire me to go further in their discography.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

I prefer Stand Up (And Be Counted) to the title track. Just barely, both are great of course, but that one is such an awesome anthem. Probably my second favorite Venom song behind Witching Hour. Genocide is some sweet thrashy stuff too. Even though the album is top-heavy with that immortal epic, the "fillers" or whatever are on average stronger than the songs on the first two albums. It's just a more mature, better-written album.

 

[CiG]

Never listened to At War With Satan. First two albums are too mediocre to inspire me to go further in their discography.

Yet Bathory, a literal rip-off of Venom's early material, was so not-mediocre that it rendered Venom as a musical entity obsolete upon release?

C'mon now...

 

[HamburgerBoy]

You're obviously not intellectual enough to understand that a song Reaper is the pinnacle of true evil. I'll penetrate you / Every virgin needs a rape, that is the kind of nihilistic statement describing the essence of man that will be discovered under tons of post-apocalyptic ruins circa 10000 AD and will lead to Quorthon being hailed as the greatest philosopher of the our time.

 

[crimsonfloyd]

I fucking love early Venom, but they didn't record anything as great as Under the Sign of the Black Mark. But yeah, that comment seems to be rather misguided since the first Bathory is basically pure Venom worship.

Yet Bathory, a literal rip-off of Venom's early material, was so not-mediocre that it rendered Venom as a musical entity obsolete upon release?

C'mon now...

I'll grant that stylistically the first Bathory album follows the formula of the first two Venom albums fairly closely (though calling it a rip-off is hyperbole), but it is darker, rawer, more extreme and more authentic. Venom sounds like some British bros chugging some brews and deciding to "chant about Satan" to see their parents' eyebrows rise, while Bathory's S/T creates a legitimately dark and evil atmosphere that embodies the lyrical themes without the sonic winks and fist-bumps of Venom. Furthermore, we're contrasting one of the greatest black metal vocalists of all time with one of the poorer well-known singers of the NWOBHM. So yes, Bathory created a great album by pulling out the best elements from a few mediocre albums and purifying them. The result is a far superior work. The worst song on Bathory's S/T is better than the best song on Venom's first two albums, and by a fairly wide margin. Thus, Venom is revealed to be a historical footnote between Motorhead and Bathory with nothing of intrinsic value to justify repeat listens.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

>Quorthon on the S/T
>quality vocals
Choose one. He just sort of goblin-mutters, like a far inferior version of young Dave Mustaine (who at least had some harsh shrieks at the time).

And at least Cronos and the rest got their parents' eyebrows to rise, Quorthon's daddy just said "That's cute, why don't I set up a recording studio for you in the basement, precious?"

 

[CiG]

Dude, Bathory is just a demo version of early Venom, hell even The Return isn't that far removed and might I remind you, Venom were making this kind of music in the NWOBHM era when metal bands were still writing half arena rock half heavy metal albums.

Granted, Venom didn't really ever move up from that, but it stinks of hypocrisy to put the first two Bathory albums on some kind of pedastal while you also dismiss Venom entirely.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

To be fair, Quorthon had already moved on to copying Slayer and hardcore bands by the time of The Return, I don't think there's that much Venom on it.

 

[CiG]

Are you a fan of Bathory, at all?

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Raise the Dead and Necromansy are cool songs (but not black metal). I enjoy half of Blood Fire Death. Requiem is some good ugly thrash. That's about it.

 

[CiG]

I think both bands rule so I guess I'm stuck between the black metal bourgeoisie and an autist.