An excellent, somewhat underappreciated album

Review Score: (10/10)
Some Venom fans were disappointed when this album was released way back in 1985; I really don't know why. OK, "Women Leather and Hell" isn't very good, and the last track is little more than Venom fooling around in the studio, but the rest of the album is excellent. The highlight is undoubtedly the 18 minute title track, which is an epic sort of like Rush's "2112" with an evil Satanic theme. If nothing else this proved that critics of the band who said that Venom had little songwriting ability and could barely play their instruments were very mistaken. Also, the production on this album is much clearer and sharper than on the previous two releases, which surprised some (including myself). This is an important addition to any 1980's black metal collection; unfortunately, this CD is becoming hard to find. If you can find one, I recommend the remastered CD that Castle Communications released in 2002; the sound is somewhat better, and it includes several bonus tracks, including the classic "Seven Gates of Hell".

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