UMUR
"Venin" is an eponymously titled EP by French heavy metal act Venin. The EP was released through Cactus Records in 1986. Venin formed in 1978 under the Inflation monicker but changed their name to Venin in 1982. They released the "Malediction" demo in 1985. This EP would be their only label release during their original run as they disbanded in 1986 with no further releases under their belts. They reunited in 2015 and were finally able to release their debut full-length studio album "La morsure du temps" in 2018.
Stylistically the material on the 4 tracks, 19:07 minutes long EP is French language heavy metal. It´s melodic and opening track "Passe-temps" even features a slight melodic punk touch. "Une Vie Pour Un Concert" is a power ballad, and although Venin occasionally rocks hard, they are arguably not a particularly heavy rocking metal act. Lead vocalist/guitarist Jean-Marc Battini has a decent voice and delivery, although he should have kept away from performing higher pitched notes, as he doesn´t always hit them right.
"Venin" is a relatively well produced release considering that this is a small label 1986 heavy metal release, but it´s of course not as well sounding as other contemporary major label releases. A 2.5 star (50%) rating is warranted.
