Venom – Temples Of Ice (1991)

January 30, 2025

Arachniiiiiiiiiid!!!!!

I remember first hearing Temples Of Ice with absolutely no context, I want to say, ten years ago. I was a bit perplexed because it sounded absolutely nothing like the Venom that I knew (at the time, being the first couple of albums only).

In the context of the band’s chronological releases (and general band history), Temples Of Ice does not sound so shocking. In fact, it’s not a million miles away from it’s predecessor, Prime Evil. Temples does not hit quite as hard as the previous album, falling inside into the cheeky metal slugging of say, later-career Alice Cooper rather than any fast and thrashy camp. That being said, the final third of the album does pick up the pace, with “Arachnid” and “Speed King”.

All in all, this is serviceable and even enjoyable metal record, as long as one does not expect the world from Venom at this point in their career.