10 Best Metal Bands Of The Last 10 Years
2. Venom Prison
Venom Prison are pure. Venom Prison are raw. Venom Prison are vital.
Venom Prison are the future.
It feels apropos to suddenly jump from the eclectic sophistication of Zeal & Ardor to the unyielding, honest mania of this volatile quintet, who already stand as a leading light in the UK metal scene: a metal scene which is beginning to enter a hardcore renaissance thanks to the presence of young players like Loathe and Our Hollow, Our Home.
Venom Prison live and breathe the spirit of the excessive insanity of traditional extreme metal, but do so in a modern way that feels hugely significant to 2010s’ society. Instead of mindlessly shooting from the hip at “the man”, Venom Prison use their anarchic tunes to hold up a light to sexism, rape culture and the stigmas surrounding mental health.
The art of their pummelling debut, Animus, perfectly summarises their mix of unapologetic brutality and social consciousness, as it graphically shows a convicted rapist being castrated and force-fed his own genitals.
Their candid analysis of the contemporary socio-political climate is mirrored by their constant, fiery heaviness. Unlike the vast majority of today’s extreme metal collective, Venom Prison not only have many things to say, but every single one of those things needs to be heard.