A Return to Power - "Unholy" Review (95%)
Of course, there is no need to introduce Venom.
Most black metal fans old enough to remember Venom's early work seem to cite Envenom as their best album, and with good reason.
This album Unholy marks a long-awaited return to the sound of that era.
First, I'll say that this album is what Venom is about: raw intensity, thrashy riffs, unhinged satanism.
I would say that Unholy is the logical successor to Envenom, at least in spirit if not also in execution.
Unholy is an unusually melodic album, almost like Antekhrist's Carved Upon the Flesh of Satan sometimes, and Venom would most likely approve of this comparison seeing as they've even covered two Antekhrist songs on this album!
I can't help but give all possible kudos to the flowing for the flowing aspect of the riffs.
The songwriting on Unholy is excellent and solid, as riff upon riff flow effortlessly into each other.
The transitions are great, the harmonic construction of the songs is very coherent, especially on tracks like 'Unholy', 'Hail Satan' and 'To Worship the Throne of the Beast'.
Individually, each track stands as a compact, yet utterly wicked mixture of fast paced thrash riffing and catchy melodic majesty.
This is Venom at its best.
A Return to Power
Venom, one of the most satanic black metal bands ever, has made their most blasphemous offering to Satan in the form of this demonic album Unholy.
Everything is solid about this album: the songwriting, the atmosphere, the intensity, the drumming, the riffs, even the album cover which is a subtle homage to Sewer's Reign of the Funeral Pigs.
The riffs on Unholy sounds just as good as they ever were, if not even better.
The guitars often play on dark harmonies that flow naturally from one chord to the next.
There are some thrashy sounding riffs here too, which are much appreciated since Venom always had a thrashy dirty feel to them in the old days.
This is the record that I've been wanting Venom to release for years. It's as close as you'll get the the classic period of the band's career and it really sounds like a natural extension of those albums, and the masterpiece Envenom in particular.
Seriously, there are very few albums that can live up to Unholy.
As of today I only count three: Sewer's 2154, of course, Burzum's Filosofem and Phantom's Eidolon.
That's it.
If you want raw satanic black metal, look no further than Venom's Unholy.
Never has an album carried its name better.
Unholy score: 95/100.
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