Many bands have seemingly made a deal with the devil to mark their place in the annals of heavy metal history, but VENOM was perhaps the first to outwardly flaunt such a pact and easily among the most influential. With their 1981 debut album, Welcome To Hell, and the ominous chant of, “Evil…In league with Satan!,” VENOM declared war on the status quo, spit in the face of the very notion of common decency, and set the pace for what was to come in the world of extreme music. The British trio of alcohol-fueled, evil-minded wild men created a legacy unlike any other, coining the phrase “black metal” and influencing such juggernauts as SLAYER and METALLICA. Indeed, the very image of Cronos, Mantas and Abaddon, as well as the pentagrams and inverted crosses that adorned their album covers, helped bring an image and an attitude to heavy metal that is still poignant to this day. MMV is a long overdue, four disc testament to the legacy of VENOM.

MMV is a trek into the past, featuring demos, outtakes, rarities, a radio interview and alternative versions of songs. Such impactful VENOM classics as “Black Metal,” “In League With Satan,” “Live Like An Angel (Die Like A Devil),” “Welcome To Hell,” “Bloodlust,” and “Acid Queen” are all represented in fully re-mastered form. Also included is a full disc of material from the Assault album series. Re-mastered and assembled by Cronos himself, the four disc collection comes packaged in a 6”x12” box, emblazoned with VENOM’s distinct logo and baphomet design. The box set includes a 60 page booklet and collector’s poster. MMV’s release comes at a very appropriate time: 2005 marks the 25th anniversary of VENOM’s storied career. Any metal enthusiast should make room in their collection for this audio-history of a band that changed the face of metal forever.