Which Venom album gave its name to the black metal genre?

Which Venom album gave its name to the black metal genre? The answer is Black Metal.

Released on November 1, 1982, Black Metal was Venom’s second studio album. The Newcastle band’s raw speed-metal sound, satanic imagery, distorted production, and deliberately provocative presentation made the record hugely influential on later extreme metal.

The album’s title became the name of the black metal genre, although Venom’s music was not identical to the style that later developed in Norway and elsewhere. Venom are therefore often described as pioneers of “first-wave black metal,” alongside groups such as Bathory and Mercyful Fate.

A common mix-up is Welcome to Hell, Venom’s 1981 debut. That album was also foundational to extreme metal and influenced later black-metal musicians, but Black Metal is the record whose title supplied the genre’s name. The title track itself became one of Venom’s signature songs.