I can't deride the performances. Cronos and the other musicians have some heat to give off; Cronos' barks are sharp, and guitarist Rage has decent solos plastered everywhere. But "From the Very Depths" is ruined from side to side because the large components continue to fan the flames of the group's stodgy post-reunion direction. The lax, predictable texture of second-rate thrash metal anthems and the ample amount of mid-paced numbers continue to be the two tricks in the book. Here, the riffs and motifs they've been regurgitating for years are staler than ever; Venom's beating of the dead horse seems like the only option. The lyrics are more of the same: I'm guessing Cronos gets his ideas by pulling scraps of paper upon which evil themes and metal clich�s were jotted down out of a hat to come up with song titles like "Long Haired Punks" and "Evil Law."

Venom was never revered for exceptional songwriting-even the twenty-minute "At War with Satan" retained the raw, sloppy signature of the Venom moniker. However, the trio had a sort of charm to its disorderly rampages that is missing here. "From the Very Depths" comes off as a clean record, its sound quality echoing the polished drum and guitar textures of most metal projects in 2015. Yet the group is continuing to heave out traditional Venom cuts that try to conjure up the grit and raw fury of "Welcome to Hell" and "Black Metal." The times have caught up to Venom, and the frenzied style that made the band's first few records masterpieces is rendered obsolete by tracks that are too predictable, too clinical, too uneventful, too bland to savor the flavor.