“VENOM INC” Interview by Shibalika Tamuli
Welcome to mhf magazine, how have you been doing?
Hello and thank you for inviting me here. I’ve been doing good actually thank you for asking. Working hard as usual.
Thanks for giving black metal its name. What are your views on the evolution of the world wide heavy metal scene? Starting from the NWOBHM till today.
My views are that from the start to now there has been the greatest evolution of metal across the board. We were influenced by great bands to create what we thought was original based on what we loved and then the same followed and the influenced became the influence. From the early days it was exciting…perhaps a little naive at times and under produced but as it traveled through to todays bands it became polished and directed and even took different paths like Black metal (the genre) Death, Thrash, Grindcore etc etc etc…but all very exciting with incredible bands doing just about every conceivable style you can think of…amazing players in every musician and vocalists that leave you astounded….but never quite releasing that fertile and exciting ”underground” that feeds the art form.
Would you consider “Venom inc – Iron & Steel” a totally new project or a reformation of Venom itself?
It’s a reformation but may as well be brand new as we went back to the very start in the choice of set and the choice of touring and shows and that was on purpose because doing say, 5/6 festivals a year and kind of limping through ”classic” songs would have been just trying to keep cashing in on something but doing it the way I wanted to do it would prove that this band is %100 real and legitimate, so that is why we have done as we have and now people know we are real and not in it for money but for the music and the fans..
Was coming up with a new name a bad idea?
A new name? No, we simply added Incorporated because we all do other things musically so this was an addition…incorporating Venom into what and who we are….it was that simple…the logo we use is the Abaddon’s design so…we aren’t treading on anyone…Besides we used Iron and Steel but the fans, agents, managers and labels all pushed the band name at us and in spite of our best efforts it has stuck to us..lol…that’s a good thing I think…because it’s everyone’s choice…we simply conceded to use it..
How was it like, going on without Cronos?
Normal and right.
Venom Inc are known for playing the classics, So are you guys fine with sharing the rights of classics with any different band or you have a different opinion about it?
We play the music the fans want to hear, the songs we play were written by us all so it’s nothing strange.Every band who plays their ‘classic’ material shares rights so…it’s normal…are we fine with that? After, a few hundred shows all over the planet in the last 2 years I guess you can draw your own conclusion lol
Is the fan response towards the band any different than that towards Venom?
Nope it is the same thing except in some ways even better, at times a better response altogether.
What’s the significance of the “Iron and steel” part of the band’s name?
That was the original name we thought to use…from the song Die Hard….we just looked for a recognizable link but very soon people ignored it and called us Venom…so the Incorporated stayed and people know %100 the distinction between ourselves and any other band playing the songs as cover songs
You can perform vocals, you’re a guitarist and a bassist too. Tell us about your musical journey.
Yes lol…oh…wow…ok..Well…I started as a punk band singer and rhythm guitarist then we switched to playing metal and I was still vocals guitar then the bassist left prior to shows and so I just played bass and sang…I have always written songs on both…for Venom on guitar and for Atomkraft on bass usually as they were different styles…I was after…ultimately when Atomkraft played full thrash I switched to writing on guitar but the distinction remains I feel. I just enjoy playing the bass my style my way and the singing is good for the soul…it is all and extension of oneself and a great form of expression…I don’t normally think when I switch to perform as I just enjoy all forms of expression and performance…from my acting to music.
We can not possibly rely on wikipedia all the time. What’s your favourite gear?
No, well maybe if it is Wilileaks? hahahaha….My fav gear? My Sans amp rack mount, a boss digital delay and a Boss chorus pedal…My preferred basses right now are the HK E-Bass WTH-Z2 and the Taurus 4 by OverLoad custom shop.
What are some bands/artists that may have influenced you when you were young?
Motorhead, Black Sabbath, The Dickies, The Angelic Upstarts are a few…I liked The Sex Pistols attitude but…wanted them heavier and faster…
What’s it like performing for several bands at the same time?
Hahahaha tiring but great great fun.
Back to Venom inc again. Hints about a new album? Would you like to continue the Venom-eshque imagery of kinda satanic stuff for the shock value thing?
Writing and recording now…and it’s going very very well…I think for us 3 it is inevitable…we speak of many things but it is the darker side of human nature always and embracing the satanic (yes it has been overused and drained) for us is also part of the identity so…it goes hand in hand and we don’t give two fucks what anyone thinks about that…to be honest.
Thanks for making time for us. Leave a message for your fans.
Thank you for some fun questions and for the incredible support…we will see you somewhere out there…don’t listen to anyone’s bullshit or lies about us…just come see us…and you may be surprised….we are your band and play your music…come get some…Cheers
Shibalika Tamuli / MHF
