VENOM PRISON ANNOUNCE NEW RELEASE ‘PRIMEVAL’; ‘DEFY THE TYRANT’ STREAMING NOW!

Posted on by Oran


Death metal trailblazers VENOM PRISON have today announced a new release, titled Primeval. 

Set for release by Prosthetic Records on October 9th, pre-orders are available here.

The 11-track album will feature re-recordings of tracks from their early EPs, Defy The Tyrant and Primal Chaos, as well as two brand new tracks.

The first track from Primeval is a re-working of Defy The Tyrant, which is streaming everywhere now, and features an accompanying video which can be viewed below:

Of the track, VENOM PRISON comment, “This song is not only criticising organised religion and Christianity as a whole but also the ways in which it was spread across the whole world; resulting in genocide, rape, colonialism, slavery, misogyny and homophobia. It is this spirit of inherent superiority that characterised the attitude of the European nations as they expanded overseas, competing for colonial power and the conversion of “heathen” natives.

Rather than standing up against the trans-Atlantic slavery, the church helped perpetuate the practice, endeavouring to support slavery on biblical grounds.  Defy the Tyrant is as relevant today as it was five years ago. As long as there is a master in the sky, there will be slaves on earth.”

Since 2016, VENOM PRISON has gone from strength to strength; debut full-length Animus catapulted them into the consciousness and record collections of discerning death metal fans the world over. Their follow up release, Samsara, solidified them as a serious force to be reckoned with in the world of metal, paving the way for a string of high profile shows and festival slots around the globe.

On Primeval, VENOM PRISON revisit the earliest days of the band, capturing the same intensity and visceral energy they possessed from day one and adding an additional layer of sophistication to their sound by re-recording, re-mixing, and re-mastering those old favourites with producer Tom Dring in late 2019. The artwork is once again handled masterfully by Eliran Kantor.

Of their decision to revisit their earliest tracks, the band explain, “Primeval is a snapshot of the earlier days of Venom Prison, simpler times where we locked ourselves in a room for days on end to create the early incarnation of what would be our first collection of songs.  Our first release/demo Defy The Tyrant was subsequently born, and we never thought this would lead onto being picked up by Prosthetic Records or touring the world. This became a starting gun for touring and festivals in between the studio to write, including what would become The Primal Chaos. 

Given the current climate and the global pandemic situation we felt it was appropriate to package together with our early material so that it is presented in a form of how it was always intended. This is what you hear now. Our previous EPs plus two new tracks to give you an idea of what is to come in future.  Our new chapter awaits, the grind must continue.

Primeval will be available digitally and on CD/LP. Pre-order here.

Oran O’Beirne

www.overdrive.ie 2020