For the most part, black metal creators
Venom have been issuing albums and/or touring in some form or another since their inception. But one brief hiatus occurred in the early to mid-'90s -- which resulted in singer/bassist
Cronos issuing a handful of solo albums. With
Cronos fronting a whole new lineup of
Venom and recording/touring on a regular basis in the early 21st century, the double-disc compilation
Hell to the Unknown was issued in 2006. Collecting all of
Cronos' solo tracks,
Hell to the Unknown includes a total of three albums -- Dancing in the Fire, Rock 'n' Roll Disease, and Venom -- with the first two titles being comprised of then-newly penned tracks and the latter being re-recordings of
Venom classics. Expectedly,
Cronos' solo studio albums are very
Venom-esque -- tracks such as "Vampyr" and "I'll Be Back" could have easily fit on one of his then-former group's releases, while such
Venom re-recorded classics as "At War with Satan" sound as dark and heavy as ever. Also included is a surprise or two, including a cover of
Thin Lizzy's "Bad Reputation," which sees
Cronos momentarily abandon his renowned growl in favor of (gasp!) semi-melodic singing.
Venom fans looking to acquire all of
Cronos' solo material in one fell swoop will find
Hell to the Unknown quite useful. ~ Greg Prato