The band that coined the term "black metal" and lit the fuse for an entire global movement hasn't released a studio album since 2018's Storm The Gates. Eight years is a long silence for any band — but for Venom, a group that's never been interested in playing by anyone else's rules, it just means they were loading the next round.
That round is Into Oblivion, Venom's sixteenth studio album, due May 1 via Noise/BMG. Thirteen tracks of what the band describes as a fusion of their classic '80s ferocity with a more progressive, modern edge — without losing the fire-and-brimstone intensity that made them icons.
For context: this is the band that coined the term "black metal" with their 1982 album of the same name. Their first three records — Welcome To Hell, Black Metal, and At War With Satan — are foundational texts for every extreme metal subgenre that followed. Metallica, Behemoth, Celtic Frost, Mayhem — all cite Venom as a direct influence. When this band releases new material, the entire extreme metal lineage pays attention.
Lay Down Your Soul
The album's lead single, "Lay Down Your Soul," is a deliberate callback to the band's formative years — specifically the track that gave an entire genre its name. It's tongue-in-cheek in the way only Venom can pull off: self-aware without being ironic, heavy without being self-serious. The sing-along chorus has live staple written all over it.
Cronos on the single: "I think it's healthy to recognise things from back in the day and bring them into a new setting that gives it a whole fresh approach. The fans are going to go mental for it!"
What Took So Long
The album has been in the works for years. COVID shut things down. Recording setbacks stacked up. And the band's own perfectionism kept pushing the finish line further out. Cronos doesn't sound apologetic about it: "This album has really pushed the boundaries, but if you want to make a killer album, you pay for it in blood, sweat and tears."
Guitarist Rage backs that up: "I'm so proud of this album. It's astounding! It feels so different, yet so familiar. The sonics are a step up, no song sounds the same, but they all work together."
That patience might actually work in the album's favor. Storm The Gates was solid but arrived in 2018 to a landscape that had shifted dramatically since their previous release. Eight years later, there's a renewed appetite for first-wave extreme metal — bands like Midnight, Bewitcher, and Hellripper have kept the torch lit, and the original architects returning with new material hits differently when an entire generation of bands has been openly worshipping at their altar.
The Lineup That Outlasted Them All
Into Oblivion features the Cronos/Rage/Dante lineup — now seventeen years deep, making it the longest-running version of Venom by a wide margin. That eclipses the classic Cronos/Mantas/Abaddon era that produced Welcome To Hell, Black Metal, At War With Satan, and Possessed.
Drummer Dante puts it simply: "It's gone like that, seventeen years! It's all down to friendship and mutual respect."
The track listing itself hints at the album's range — titles like "As Above So Below," "Death The Leveller," and "Unholy Mother" suggest Venom haven't softened their thematic edge, while "Metal Bloody Metal" and "Kicked Outta Hell" sound like they were purpose-built for festival stages. Thirteen tracks is ambitious for any album, but Venom have historically delivered leaner records. Whether that expanded runtime works in the album's favor remains to be heard.
It's worth noting that three different acts are currently operating under variations of the Venom name. Cronos leads this version — the one releasing new studio material. Meanwhile, original members Mantas and Abaddon have announced plans to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Welcome To Hell at festivals throughout 2026, including Germany's Keep It True. And then there's Venom Inc., fronted by Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan, who recorded with the band from 1989 to 1992.
Into Oblivion Track Listing
- Into Oblivion
- Lay Down Your Soul
- Nevermore
- Man & Beast
- Death The Leveller
- As Above So Below
- Kicked Outta Hell
- Legend
- Live Loud
- Metal Bloody Metal
- Dogs Of War
- Deathwitch
- Unholy Mother
Pre-orders for vinyl and CD are available now via Noise Records. Physical pre-orders come with a limited signed photo card from Cronos, Dante, and Rage while stocks last.
Venom's Into Oblivion arrives May 1. Add it to the 2026 album tracker — this one's been a long time coming.
For more from the extreme metal world, check out Kreator's "Satanic Anarchy" video from their forthcoming album.
