When an opportunity to speak with a living legend arises, you don’t let it slip by. In this interview, I had the honor of chatting with Abaddon, the legendary drummer of VENOM, a band whose influence on metal is undeniable. We talked about the band’s lasting impact, personal stories, and what’s next for the man behind some of the most iconic metal music.
– Abaddon, welcome to THE GALLERY’s Web Magazine. It’s our honor to host you in our page!
Abaddon: Thank you very much. Very good to be here.
– So let’s just kick it off with the elephant in the room, you’re going to be performing with TRIUMPHER in Athens on Christmas! I take it, there will be Christmas carols and eggnog and all that in the venue.
Abaddon: Mostly, yeah! I mean pigs in blankets, that kind of thing, you know, nice chicken stuffing. Yeah, hahaha!
– So tell me, how did the collaboration with TRIUMPHER come about?
Abaddon: From a friend of mine, Jason. He’s a good guy, lives in the Northeast of England now, and he spoke to Elias about TRIUMPHER coming over to play some shows here. He mentioned that he knew me, and that was that. I had a band, and we talked about doing a couple of collaborations, maybe something in Newcastle as well. So that’s how we initially got to talking about it. But it quickly turned to the fact that the guys were playing in Athens on Christmas Day, and he asked if I would come over and do something with them and with SAKIS as well.
– Have you ever worked with Greek bands or musicians in the past?
Abaddon: I don’t think so. I’ve been over there a number of times. I went over there with SKYCLAD. I was tour managing them. But I’ve got a number of friends over there who I’ve been over and stayed with quite a few times now. So, yeah, looking forward to it.
– Are you familiar with any other Greek bands or Greek musicians you’d like to record with or play with?
Abaddon: Not really. I’ve heard one band recently because my friend Jason was playing one of the tracks. And it was really well recorded, but I can’t remember the name of the band. It was a young band, a new band. I think it’s just one guy, but he records everything, so I might be looking to work with him through Jason, you know.
– That’s cool. We’ll be looking for an exclusive there once it comes out.
Abaddon: All right, yeah, absolutely.
– Can you please share any insights into the set list of Christmas day? Or is that going to be spoiling too much?
Abaddon: Well, I’m only coming over to do two VENOM songs with the guys and with SAKIS. So obviously, there’ll be old VENOM songs, and I think there’ll be tracks that’ll please everybody. You can’t please everybody all the time, but you can try.
– I’m sure they’re gonna be very pleased with the performance.
Abaddon: I’m sure.
– Heavy Metal has evolved so much since VENOM’s early days, right? What thoughts on the current state of the genre? Are there any newer bands that you enjoy lately?
Abaddon: Not so much. To tell you the truth, I do go to see more bands now playing locally. There’s a good local scene here now, five or six really good venues. During the lockdown thing and all that kind of rubbish, it all kind of fell apart a little bit, as it did everywhere. But yeah, it’s kind of getting back up on its feet now, so it’s getting quite kind of healthy.
– Yeah, you can see that there’s a thirst for concerts nowadays. After the pandemic, people just want to see their favorite bands live.
Abaddon: Yeah, absolutely.
– VENOM has left a monumental mark on the metal scene. How does it feel to see the legacy of “Black Metal”, the album, still thriving decades later?
Abaddon: I think it’s great. It’s not something we set out to do. And you know, initially, we just wanted to make the heaviest albums we could. You know, the heaviest records, the heaviest live performances, and be as over the top as we could from the bands that we liked. You know, JUDAS PRIEST, KISS, MOTORHEAD. We just wanted to be heavier than MOTORHEAD. We wanted to have more pyro than KISS, be darker and more evil than what BLACK SABBATH were being at the time, or COVEN, or any of those bands. So we did, we just set out to be over the top. But that’s who we are, it’s who we were, the three of us. We came from a very industrial background here in the Northeast of England, and that lent to some pretty strong upbringings. And it’s reflected, I think, in everything we did. We didn’t set out to have one of the first kinds of unreadable logos, but we did. We didn’t set out to be called Cronos, Mantas and Abaddon, but we were walking up the street one day, and we all agreed that we didn’t want to be called by our first names on the record. We needed to have names and a cover design that would shock people. I designed the logo, and I designed the album covers. And, you know, “Welcome To Hell” when I first took the logo, hand drawn, to NEAT RECORDS they said, we can’t read it. I said, “Yeah, but when you go into a record shop with hundreds of records, that’s the one that stands out”. It’s got a pentagram on the front, it’s got blasphemy on the back, and it’s got this logo that you can’t really read. So you pick it up to look at it and find out what it’s about. That means it’s in your hand, you know? And that’s what sells records. You gotta pick them up first.
– Exactly, boom, it’s right there in front of you.
Abaddon: Yeah, that’s it. That’s exactly right. That’s what people have told me when I’ve spoken to them about what their first introduction to VENOM was. That they were shocked by the album sleeve of “Welcome To Hell” and by “In League With Satan” before they even heard the music. When they took it home, they hid it under the bed from their parents. And it’s not just one person saying that. It doesn’t matter where you go, if you go to Brazil or you go down to Mexico or whatever, these are the same kind of occurrences that people went through to witness VENOM. You know, a lot of people say they didn’t get into VENOM until the second or third album, and they went back to buy the first couple of albums. We always had singles which weren’t necessarily on any of the albums. So, if you’ve got a new VENOM single, it would maybe be a 12 inch EP that would have three or four songs, and they would all be new songs. So, you know there’s a plethora of material out there, an awful lot of material. And it still stands the test of time. I think people still buy it. I’m still signing the albums for people and that’s a good legend to leave behind.
– Yeah, it stands the test of time, just like you mentioned. Besides that though, how do you feel about VENOM’s influence on the extreme side of metal, and do you think it still resonates with the new generation of metalheads?
Abaddon: I think it does. Because I think when I first got into heavy metal, it was a friend of mine who lent me and let me listen to “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”. And I still listen to those albums, you know, the albums by DEEP PURPLE and PINK FLOYD, all those early albums. And I still buy myself, carry them. I still collect them.
– You are name dropping some legends there.
Abaddon: Yeah, absolutely, and they’ll never be any different, you know. And that’s when anybody asks me about, where did VENOM come from? I’ll say, well, that’s what I used to listen to, and that’s what was influencing me at the time. I know with Mantas, it was JUDAS PRIEST and KISS, you know? So you have those influences in the past which resonate in the material you do.
– Speaking of Mantas and the olden days, how are your relations with Mantas and Cronos these days? Are you guys still in touch?
Abaddon: I haven’t spoken to Cronos in a long time. I spoke to Mantas somewhat recently, after he was taken ill, and we talked about how I was diagnosed with cancer a little while ago. We spoke about what could potentially happen for the future, what would need to be done to make that happen. So, you know it was a good phone call. It was only one for a while, but it was a good call.
– I didn’t really want to get into your health issues. I know it’s more personal, but hopefully you are recovering from this, right?
Abaddon: Yeah, it’s been an eye opener, because it’s lymphoma, it’s in the lymph glands, and they’re saying that it could potentially come back. But I know what to expect now. I know what the treatment will be like. And also, you get to that point where you’re getting looked after, because I’m down there having tests every three months, which I wouldn’t have been otherwise. So yes, it swings around about.
– Well, you have all our wishes, obviously, for the all the best and for it to not come back.
Abaddon: Of course, exactly.
– OK, speaking of Cronos, how do you feel about him carrying on with the band without the original members?
Abaddon: In my opinion, there should be at least two of the original members in the band to call it VENOM. If there are no original members in the band or one original member, then, to me, it’s not VENOM. It’s a bunch of people playing some old songs. I guess the difference with the Cronos band is that they’ve done that. The three of them together have done new albums. And I believe that some of those tracks are, at least in the set, along with obviously, all the classics, which they are doing. But no, I think it should be two. I think when we did VENOM INC. and it was myself and Mantas, that was legitimately using the name because we were the band. We were the two members that founded the band.
– So, the million dollar question, is there any hope of an original lineup reunion in the near future for VENOM?
Abaddon: For me, I would say that there should be, because we’re not getting any younger. And you know, both, especially myself and Mantas, have been through a lot. So for me, I would do it tomorrow at the drop of a hat. I still play those songs. I still play that set. We do original songs with ABADDON, but we also do a full set of the old VENOM songs, so I could play that tomorrow even.
– Alright, a little glimpse of hope there. I’ll take it! OK, coming back to the gig with TRIUMPHER. Are there any specific moments in the show that you’re particularly looking forward to?
Abaddon: I’m really looking forward to getting there in the afternoon, to the sound check with the guys, to meet them, and to sound check with them. And where it goes from there is, you know, I don’t know if I’m going to jump up for the last couple of songs or if we’ve got some other tracks we want to finish with, but I’m happy to just go along with what the guys want to do. I’m there as a help, rather than hindrance. Hahaha!
– You’re a very, very special guest so I’m sure the guys are excited, both from TRIUMPHER and Sakis. I’m sure they’re excited to meet you and play with you as well.
Abaddon: I think so.
– Do you have any message for the fans attending the show in Athens?
Abaddon: Yeah, it’s a party! Come and party! It’s Christmas. Drinks are on me. See you at the bar!
– We’ll be looking forward to seeing you there! Thank you once again for your time. All the best with your health issues and with your tours and with your musical endeavors in the future.
Abaddon: Wishing you all the best man. Thank you so much for calling. Thank you.
Interview: Kostantinos Karras
Translation/Rendering in English: Kostantinos Karras
Design & Editing: Alexandros Soultatos
Date: December 20th, 2024
External Link: ABADDON – Facebook Page
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