BLACK METAL: EVOLUTION OF THE CULT INTERVIEW
By: Dayal Patterson
*Original interview published in the pages of Black Metal: Evolution of The Cult (Softcover) (Nov 2013)
*Original interview + expanded previously unpublished interview in the pages of Black Metal: Evolution of the Cult—Restored, Expanded & Definitive Edition (Hardcover) + (Boxset) (Jul 2023)
“A definitive and essential piece of writing, exposing a genre that has drastically evolved since Black Sabbath and Venom left their stain on the world.”
VENIEN (VON)
There can be few bands in the world of metal with a history as convoluted and confusing as VON. Formed around 1987, the group were arguably the first black metal act in North America and proved both revolutionary and uncompromising, illuminating some listeners while simultaneously alienating many more, their truly barbaric primitivism proving unpalatable to the majority of heavy metal fans at the time. But despite that fact - or indeed because of it - in the years that followed their three-letter, one syllable name would be spoken in the hushed tones of utmost respect. VON would take on an almost mythical status, not least because there was so much confusion about the people behind the band.
*excerpt taken from Black Metal: Evolution of The Cult by Dayal Patterson
Read the full chapter dedicated to VON, as well as an in-depth interview with VON co-creators VENIEN & Goat inside the pages of Dayal Patterson’s book Black Metal: Evolution of the Cult+Restored, Expanded & Definitive Edition from Cult Never Dies Publishing & Decibel Books