The View From The Metal Throne: the story of Abaddon and Venom, is pretty much what the title states: a comprehensive deep dive into the history of VENOM through drummer Antony “Abaddon” Bray’s eyes. The book is co – signed by Abaddon himself, as well as Andreas Andreou, a well respected figure of the Hellenic underground metal scene who works at No Remorse Records. This book was in fact Andreou’s idea.
The book, foreworded by Metal Blade CEO Brian Slagel, covers VENOM’s history from the birth of the band up until the collapse of the 1995 reunion. It also covers Abaddon’s tenure with VENOM INC. The parts of “VENOM’s” history (yes the quotation marks are intentional) that are omitted from the book, namely Cronos’ incarnation of VENOM from 2005 onwards as well as VENOM INC post 2018, are decried by Abaddon as not really Venom. For it to really be VENOM, Abaddon claims, at least 2 of the 3 original members must be involved in the band. And I for one think he’s completely right.
Another point thoroughly hammered home throughout the book is that, shockingly, VENOM never saw a penny from NEAT Records, even though they probably sold millions of albums at the time. The underlining of that fact is crucial, because nowadays people tend to forget how record labels used to (and some still do) take advantage of the most important people in their workforce, the artists!
“The Metal Throne” is a goldmine for both the casual as well as the hardcore VENOM fan, brimming with over the top touring shenanigans, recollections of legendary shows with legendary bands all around the world and an insight into the production of VENOM’s most notorious albums.
It also offers a unique look into Abaddon’s early and later life, as well as into his psyche, during the occurrence of various events that shaped the band’s history. The record is set straight on many controversial VENOM moments, from departures of original members, to Abaddon’s removal from the reunified lineup and up to the current state of affairs.
Between chapters, the reader gets to admire a rich collection of rare pictures from all eras of the band; posters, concert shots, promos, backstage etc. There are also pictures of VENOM’s vinyl and CD releases. Astonishingly, all vinyl and compact disc photographs come from Andreas Andreou’s personal collection, a magnanimous feat considering its size, as well as the rarity of some releases. Of course, most of them are signed “Fucking Abaddon Cunt” (the origin of Abaddon’s one of one signature is also divulged in the book).
All in all, The View From The Metal Throne: the story of Abaddon and Venom is a book that any VENOM collector of fan should have in their collection. Such complete independent publications, created with the real fan in mind, are rare and should be applauded. It is also remarkable to see a retrospective of such an important part of heavy metal history to be created and distributed by a Greek label.
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Check the discussion about the book in our forum pages.
