VENOM guitarist Rage (a.k.a. Stuart Dixon) has opened up about the challenges preventing the pioneering British black metal band from touring the United States, pointing to the high cost and complexity of obtaining visas as the main obstacle. The record was released on May 1 via Noise/BMG.
Speaking in a new interview with Thomas S. Orwat, Jr. of Rock Interview Series, Rage was asked whether there were any plans for VENOM to bring their latest studio album, Into Oblivion, to American audiences.
“We were talking about that. The problem that we’ve got with the States, and it’s getting a little worse, is we need to get visas and stuff like that,” he said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “And they’re really expensive. I think it works out between seven and nine grand. And that’s just for the three members of the band. Obviously what’s happening in the world, fuel prices are going up and stuff like that. And then even with the visas, you’re not guaranteed to get in. I mean, I know, I think CRADLE [OF FILTH] had to delay their tour, and there’s been a few bands from Europe that have just not been able to… I know there was a festival, and I think about the 20 bands couldn’t make it over ’cause they just can’t get the visas. The red tape to try and get over, it’s just… And it’s all about rock and roll. We just wanna come over and put a rock and roll show on and have a good time with fans and new people who [get] into the music and just express love over with music. And it’s made to be so difficult. Like, ‘Oh, you want to work here?’ I say, ‘No, we just wanna come over and play music. It’s not work.’ And it’s just so difficult.”
Rage went on to explain that the issue extends beyond VENOM, affecting many touring rock and metal acts, particularly when it comes to large-scale travel logistics and rising costs.
“I think it used to be easier for the American bands to come over [to Europe],” he continued. “And I think even those [European tours] — I think FORBIDDEN‘s just canceled a European tour, and know ANTHRAX canceled it. And one of the major problems is America’s so f**king big that you need a tour bus. And you’re looking at — it used to be a thousand dollars a day for a tour bus, which is a lot of money, [and now] you’ll not get a tour bus for that price. That’s why I think a lot of the underground bands, they’re the ones out going and touring, ’cause they’ll jump in a little fricking RV and they’ll just go over and just bash, bash, bash, bash, bash. And I think that’s great because they’re sort of keeping the heavy metal legacy still alive, while the sort of bigger bands can’t get over there. But if we get an invite — we’re like vampires; we need to be invited. We can’t come over your threshold without an invitation.”
Despite the difficulties, Rage emphasized that VENOM are still open to touring the U.S. if the right opportunity comes along, though bureaucracy and visa requirements often discourage promoters from moving forward.
“I mean, we keep getting offers and stuff like that, and then once you talk about visas and stuff like that, promoters go, ‘Oh, oh.’ And we’re not gonna risk going over on a tourist visa,” he added. “But we spoke to BMG, and there is ways around that with yearly working visas and stuff like that and make it more feasible. But it’s just a shame, because British bands love… I mean, during the ’70s and all that, ’60s and ’70s, the British invasion, you used to just come across. Every week you had a British band. This week it’s LED ZEPPELIN, HUMBLE PIE, [DEEP] PURPLE‘s coming over. And that just hasn’t happened. And it’s upsetting as well, because we see VENOM as a global band. We’re not just a British band who plays for British people or British band that just plays for European people. We’ve got Canada, South America, places like that. I just wish it was 30 years ago, and then we wouldn’t be having this conversation, ’cause we’d be on a world tour.
“It started getting expensive about 10 [years ago]. I remember last time we got the visas, and you’re sitting in the American embassy in London for half a day. You don’t just go in and say, ‘What do you want?’ You go, ‘Can I have a visa?’ You do, like, three interviews, and you’ve gotta get through every one of those interviews or you get refused. And then you hand your passport over, you pay your money, and then you’ve gotta wait for that to come back with your visa in. So it’s not just a turn up and get a stamp in your visa. It’s a long, old process, and it started to get probably harder about 10 years ago.”
Into Oblivion is VENOM’s sixteenth studio album and features the long-standing line up of Cronos (bass/vocals and founding member), Rage (guitar) and Dante (drums) and marks their first new recordings since 2018’s, Storm The Gates. Into Oblivion consists of thirteen songs that are signature VENOM: heavy, evil and catchy. There’s a combination of their classic 80’s sound adjacent to a more modern, progressive approach but without losing any of their fire and brimstone of old.
The album has been in the works for some years now, but a number of factors held back its completion until now; the Covid pandemic, recording setbacks and the hunger to nail it to perfection, but in the words of Cronos, “This album has really pushed the boundaries, but if you want to make a killer album, you pay for it in blood, sweat and tears.” However, VENOM true to form have overcome adversity to release an album worthy of their legacy as Rage affirms, “I’m so proud of this album, it’s astounding! It feels so different, yet so familiar. The sonics are a step up, no song sounds the same, but they all work together.”
Reeder, the visionary behind Metal Addicts, has transformed his lifelong passion for metal into a thriving online community for metal aficionados. As a fervent devotee of black metal, Reeder is captivated by its dark, atmospheric, and often unorthodox soundscapes.