Ex-VENOM Guitarist JEFF ‘MANTAS’ DUNN Explains How His Newest Reunion With ANTONY ‘ABADDON’ BRAY Got here About

In a brand new interview with Drew Stone of The New York Hardcore Chronicles Reside!, founding VENOM guitarist Jeff “Mantas” Dunn spoke about his upcoming reunion with ex-VENOM drummer Antony “Abaddon” Bray for a particular live performance on November 30 at Shinjuku Antiknock, a legendary music venue in Tokyo, Japan. Requested how the gig happened, Mantas stated (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  ”What occurred with that was in 2023, I obtained invited to Japan to do a few reveals, and one among them was only a VENOM night time. The opposite one was a special factor altogether. However the VENOM night time was with Japanese black metallic musicians, and so they all performed the VENOM songs with me on stage. And it was nice. I completely loved it. And it was a tiny little membership, however it was packed — completely packed — and it went down rather well. And I stayed on in Japan for a couple of days after the present. And I went out with the organizers for a meal, and so they stated, ‘Oh, we might actually love to do what we’d name VENOM JAPAN, this lineup, and do possibly a tour.’ I imply, a tour of Japan might be gonna be two [shows] in Tokyo, one [show] in Osaka and Nagoya, one thing like that. So you are not gonna be on the market for months on finish. So I used to be, like, ‘Yeah, yeah, I might like to.’ So it was deliberate for 2024, after which, clearly, I had the second coronary heart assault in 2024. In order that form of put the block on fucking every little thing. After which what occurred was they obtained again in contact this 12 months through a buddy of mine who I’ve recognized for a very long time in Japan. And it was, like, ‘Nicely, they actually wanna do it. So how are you feeling? Are you as much as the touring and doing this?’ I used to be, like, ‘Nicely, I nonetheless have to be getting checked out and stuff like that, however let’s have a give it some thought.’ So I had a give it some thought. I had all of the checks performed and stuff. After which I had a gathering with them.”

Apparently referencing an ongoing courtroom case involving VENOM frontman Conrad “Cronos” Lant, who sued Bray and Plastic Head Music Distribution Ltd. in June 2024, accusing the distributor of promoting merchandise with Lant‘s copyrighted VENOM designs and Bray of approving the infringement via a licensing settlement, Mantas continued: “Within the meantime, I obtained a cellphone name from a mutual buddy of mine and Abaddon‘s. ‘Are you able to communicate to Abaddon? There’s one thing occurring.’ I used to be, like, ‘What the fuck? After which he stated there was this factor, which was in all probability gonna go authorized and stuff. Now, I hadn’t spoke to Abaddon since 2017. So I used to be, like, ‘Nicely, I do not actually wanna get entangled on this.’ And I sort of knew what it was gonna be about, as a result of I had seen one thing, and I checked out it. I can not actually say an excessive amount of about it, however I had seen one thing. And I checked out this factor and I went, ‘That is gonna kick off. There’s gonna be fucking issues there.’ But it surely did not contain me. It did not contain me in any respect. So I used to be pondering, ‘Hey, get on with it, boys. Go and kick one another’s fucking shins within the playground.’ So anyway, this mutual buddy was, like, ‘Look, are you able to speak to him?’ I stated, ‘Yeah. Okay.’ So [Abaddon and I] talked, and mainly I used to be requested to be a witness within the courtroom. Then I spoke to the lawyer who was dealing with the case. Then it went to barristers. And this wasn’t some little small claims courtroom or something like that. This was Royal Excessive Courtroom in London. There’s a couple of folks, there’s a couple of people that might be going, ‘Ah, this was all deliberate,’ and stuff like that. No, it fucking wasn’t. None of this has been deliberate in any respect. All the things’s simply dropped in, and I went, ‘What?’ However like I say, I spoke to the lawyer. And it was once I heard the opposite facet’s claims that I used to be simply, like, ‘What?’ It was outrageous. It was outrageous. So I used to be requested to make a press release, so I made a primary assertion. Then a press release got here again from the opposite facet. I learn that. I used to be, like, ‘Wow.’ So I used to be requested to make a second assertion, and [they told me], ‘Look, if it goes that far, you’ll have to seem in courtroom.’ So I used to be, like, ‘Sensible. Glorious.’ However, like I say, I used to be simply gonna be a witness. And all I used to be doing was stepping into there and telling the reality as I do know it because the founder member of the band. And that was it. That was my job. Simply to go in there and simply say, ‘Proper. No, that did not occur. This occurred,’ blah, blah, blah. I needed to increase the hand with the cardboard and the entire 9 yards. So I agreed to do it. In order that they flew me in. I wasn’t even in London for twenty-four hours. They flew me in. I spent the night time in an Airbnb with all people. We talked in regards to the case the next morning. We went and did the case. I left straight after the case. That was it. I used to be again [at my home] in Portugal at, like, 11 o’clock the next night time. Now in between all that, then one other buddy had known as: ‘What are you doing?’ I used to be, like, ‘Nothing.’ ‘What you doing musically?’ I used to be, like, ‘Nicely, not a fantastic deal. I am simply releasing some music and recording and stuff like that.’ ‘Okay. I’ve obtained a loopy thought.'”

In response to Mantas, his buddy instructed a attainable reunion of VENOM‘s traditional lineup. “Now, earlier than we went to the courtroom, the precise legal professionals had been speaking about this,” Mantas defined. “It was put on the market. And mainly, all I stated was, ‘Look, I’m prepared to speak, however that is it. That is so far as it goes. I will speak about it. And if it is in any respect attainable, then possibly. It is nonetheless not a ‘positively’.’ Lengthy story quick, there was a refusal, not definitely worth the time… So, then chatting with the Japanese, and I agreed to do the present, which is gonna be in November. And I assumed, as a result of there’s something now, proper now within the phases of getting deliberate for subsequent 12 months, which I can not say fuck all about… However talking of the Japanese, I stated to them, ‘How would you’re feeling if Abaddon was to come back?’ And growth, it was, like, ‘Yeah, yeah. Oh, that might be nice. May you get him? May you get him?’ It was, like, ‘Nicely, yeah.’ And so he is gonna come over to Japan. I am doing the primary set with the Japanese musicians, after which he is gonna come on for 3 songs within the encore. And that is it. And clearly, with the courtroom case and all this type of stuff, then we have had a couple of conversations and it’s simply, like, ‘Yeah, come on.’ Everyone else simply does what the fuck they need with the VENOM title. I am the fucking founder member. I’ve by no means performed something with it. And this band has missed each anniversary alternative that it is had, and it deserves to be celebrated sooner or later. In order that’s mainly what I am planning.”

Elaborating on his causes for eager to exit and play VENOM music once more, Mantas stated: “There’s one thing unusual about being a musician and being within the music business. If by some bloody miracle the unique lineup of VENOM had come again collectively, you’ll have lots of people going, ‘Yeah, fucking good.’ You’ll additionally get lots of people going, ‘No, yeah. They’re solely doing it for the cash’ and all this. Clearly individuals are gonna leap straight on that.

“Here is some extent I might similar to to place on the market,” he continued. “It is 45-years anniversary for the band subsequent 12 months. Now, in the UK, in the event you purchase a home, you’re taking — effectively, at the least once I was residing there — you used to take a 25-year mortgage on that home. So as an instance we have had that home for 45 years. It is an funding. It is a commodity. So after 25 years, you are mortgage free. So after 45 years, you would possibly assume, ‘You already know what it’s. I am almost retiring age. Why do not I simply promote this home, downsize, put all the cash within the financial institution and stay good and comfy?’ Everyone who is aware of you’ll go, ‘Hey, effectively performed. Nicely performed. What an funding. Nice.’ That’s what VENOM is to me. It is my commodity, it is my funding, it is the time that I put in that I did not get any reward for.”

Mantas went on to make clear that there is no such thing as a likelihood of the traditional VENOM lineup coming again collectively. “It is not gonna be the unique lineup,” he stated. “And I’ve seen a great deal of issues since [the Japanese show was announced, where], it is, like, ‘Oh, get Cronos, get Cronos, get Cronos.’ I’ve obtained to say this. It is, like, consider essentially the most poisonous relationship you have ever had and simply invite it again into your life. Truthfully, guys, it isn’t that simple. And what I’ve seen a few weeks in the past, I simply went, ‘Oh, I can not try this once more. No.’ I imply, fucking hell, I am 64 years previous, I’ve had two fucking coronary heart assaults. The primary one killed me for 5 minutes. It is, like, I do not want that stress in my life anymore.”

In response to Law360.com, Lant just lately testified in courtroom that he joined VENOM in late 1979 and got here up with the Satanic-themed designs used within the band’s emblem and album covers, which included goat heads, pentagrams and inverted crosses.

Bray filed a counterclaim for infringement towards Lant and Lant’s distributor, Razmataz.com Ltd., arguing that Bray was the true writer of the works.

Japanese rock music promoter UPP-tone Music introduced earlier within the month that Dunn and Bray will carry out “VENOM classics” on at Shinjuku Antiknock alongside a few of Japan’s most interesting black metallic gamers: Masaki “Gezol” Tachi (SABBAT) on bass and vocals, Mirai Kawashima (SIGH) on vocals, Shinji “Samm” Tachi (METALUCIFER) on drums, and Noboru “Jero” Sakuma (ABIGAIL) on guitar. Assist on the gig will come from SURVIVE and HELL FREEZES OVER.

Practically a decade in the past, Dunn shaped VENOM INC. with Bray and one other former VENOM member, bassist/vocalist Tony “Demolition Man” Dolan.

Final December, roughly eight months after struggling his second assault, Dunn introduced that he was leaving VENOM INC., explaining in a press release that his “well being and wellbeing are of paramount significance to myself and my household,” however including that “there are additionally extra private points which have influenced my choice.”

Dunn suffered his first coronary heart assault in Might 2018 and underwent a double bypass surgical procedure.

Mantas sat out VENOM INC.‘s fall 2023 U.S. tour after revealing that his spouse had been recognized with most cancers. He was changed on the trek by Mike Hickey, recognized for his work with VENOM, CARCASS, CATHEDRAL and CRONOS.

VENOM INC. is to not be confused with the Lant-fronted model of VENOM, which is constant to tour and make albums underneath the VENOM moniker. Becoming a member of Cronos in that group are Rage (a.ok.a. Stuart Dixon) on guitar and Danté (a.ok.a. Danny Needham) on drums.

VENOM‘s traditional lineup trio of Dunn, Lant and Bray recorded 4 studio LPs, “Welcome To Hell” (1981),“Black Steel” (1982),“At Conflict With Devil” (1984) and “Possessed” (1985),and stay album, “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” (1986). Usually cited by bands akin to METALLICA, BEHEMOTH, CELTIC FROST and MAYHEM as main influences, they’re some of the revered bands of their technology. VENOM remains to be fronted by Cronos and headlines festivals all around the globe and continues to launch new music whereas Dunn and Dolan had joined forces within the equally named VENOM INC.

Abaddon was a part of VENOM‘s traditional lineup from 1978 to 1992. He then returned to the band in 1995 and stayed with them for 4 years earlier than becoming a member of VENOM INC. alongside Dunn and Dolan. VENOM INC. launched its debut album, “Avé”, in August 2017. A 12 months later, VENOM INC. revealed that it was recruiting Jeramie Kling of the Tampa-based melodic dying metallic band THE ABSENCE to fill in for Bray on a European tour whereas Abaddon stayed house to spend time together with his new child daughter.
Dunn, Bray and Dolan launched three albums as VENOM between 1989 and 1992 — “Prime Evil” (1989),“Temples Of Ice” (1991) and “The Waste Lands” (1992).

In September 2022, Bray revealed that he had been recognized with lymphoma.