Below is a travel journal of all the VENOMous journeys we have made to see The Black Metal Gods.
The highs, some lows, some downright heartbreak – everything! Included in this journal is my Wife Daniela, Daughter Lorraine, my Sisters Brenda and Collette, and my Brother Andy. As you will see, we have clocked up some serious VENOM mileage over the years. The approximate distances included are one-way, and these distances were travelled by Car, Motorbike, Plane, Bus, etc.
* Photos and / or reviews from many of these concerts can be found on our PHOTO section
VENOM - Marquee, London, England 1990
Mantas - Abaddon - Al Barnes - Tony Dolan
Travelled from: Balham, South London, England
Travelled to: Soho, London, England
Approximate Distance: 11 KM
Transport Method: London Underground
My first ever VENOM concert. Strange that almost 30 years later as I am writing this, it is still the shortest distance I had to travel to see them. And after the concert, to finally meet two of my all-time Hero’s Mantas and Abaddon – Wow. Not many months after this, I would meet the third Hero (see below)
Parry’s in attendance: John
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CRONOS - Marquee, London, England 1991
Cronos - Mike Hickey - Jim Clare - Chris Patterson
Travelled from: Weil Am Rhein, Germany
Travelled to: Soho, London, England
Approximate Distance: 929 KM
Transport Method: Motorbike
My old Suzuki GS 550 was given the task of driving across Europe to see CRONOS perform at the same legendary venue as VENOM had played a few months earlier. It was so cool to finally see Mr Conrad Lant in the flesh, even helped him carry in some equipment to the venue. Jim, Mike and Chris were also very cool and the concert was excellent, as was the backstage fun afterwards. One downer was a camera that I got a lend of – took 2 rolls of photos and none of them came out – sob!
Parry’s in attendance: John
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VENOM – Volkshaus, Switzerland 1992
Mantas - Abaddon - Al Barnes - Tony Dolan
Travelled from: Otterbach, Weil Am Rhein, Germany
Travelled to: Zurich, Switzerland
Approximate Distance: 87 KM
Transport Method: Car
Arrived at the venue and first thing we see is a notice that VENOM would not be playing. Seriously disappointed, but at least it was only a 90 minute drive home. One of the Sacred Reich guys told us why VENOM would not be playing….. at least something like this would not likely happen again to us, right?? Read on…..
Parry’s in attendance: John & Daniela
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VENOM – Waldrock Festival, Holland 24th June 1995
Abaddon – Mantas – Cronos
Travelled from: Otterbach, Weil Am Rhein, Germany
Travelled to: Burgum, Netherlands
Approximate Distance: 820 KM
Transport Method: Car
A seriously long drive in Mrs P’s old Toyota Starlet, but boy was it worth it – the proper, classic re-united VENOM, and Abaddon, Mantas and Cronos delivered THE greatest concert that we have ever attended!
Parry’s in attendance: John & Daniela
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VENOM – Via Rock Festival, Belgium 1995
Abaddon - Mantas - Cronos
Travelled from: Otterbach, Weil Am Rhein, Germany
Travelled to: Viane, Gerhardsbergen, Belgium
Approximate Distance: 625 KM
Transport Method: Car
Still on a Venomous high from the concert at the Waldrock Festival two weeks earlier, we were totally buzzing with excitement about VENOM playing this festival in Belgium. This was an even longer drive than the one to Eindhoven, and the day before the festival, we phoned through to the organiser just to check that the festival was happening and VENOM would be playing. Yes was the answer to both, so we set off. Long story short – after reaching the hotel near Brussels, and then arriving at the festival site the next day – the security people told us that VENOM would not be playing…..
Disbelief, disappointment and heartbreak were quickly followed by anger. It is hard to describe just how rotten we felt, mainly due to not seeing VENOM of course, but also having wasted all that time, money and energy travelling so far for absolutely nothing. The security people felt awful too, and let us in for free and took us onstage to watch some of the festival, but we were so gutted that we left almost immediately, just got in the car for a most miserable drive home.
Parry’s in attendance: John & Daniela
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VENOM – Dynamo Open Air, Holland 1996
Mantas - Abaddon – Cronos
Travelled from: Otterbach, Weil Am Rhein, Germany
Travelled to: Eindhoven, Netherlands
Approximate Distance: 642 KM
Transport Method: Camper van
Back to Holland again, decided to try for a bit of comfort this time and hired out a Camper Van. My Brother and 2 of the Irish legions joined us for our second greatest concert ever.
Parry’s in attendance: John & Daniela, Andy
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VENOM – Wacken Open Air, Germany 2000
Mantas – Cronos – Antton
Travelled from: Istein, Germany
Travelled to: Wacken, Germany
Approximate Distance: 875 KM
Transport Method: Train
As it was the first time we had left our daughter at home when one of us was not there, we decided to go from the very South of Germany to the very North of Germany by train. The idea being we arrive a few hours before VENOM hit the stage, and get the train back that same night. Fantastic gig, almost overshadowed by some serious backstage mayhem with the V Lads and crew afterwards – great times!
Parry’s in attendance: John & Daniela, Andy
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VENOM – Earthshaker Festival, Germany 22 July 2006
Cronos - Mykvs – Antton
Travelled from: Deepest Hell, Switzerland
Travelled to: Rieden, Germany
Approximate Distance: 447 KM
Transport Method: Car
A very good gig for sure, but the main memory/worry from that day was the huge thunderstorm that hit the festival site before VENOM were due on. It thankfully passed, ensuring we and our fellow Legions did get our V fix that night.
Parry’s in attendance: John & Daniela
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VENOM – Gods of Metal Festival, Italy 2006
Cronos - Mykvs – Antton
Travelled from: Deepest Hell, Switzerland
Travelled to: Milan, Italy
Approximate Distance: 351 KM
Transport Method: Train
Another long trip by Train. Mrs P and myself together with 2 of the German Legions. Excellent gig, the highlight being Senile Decay being performed live. The lowlight would have to be THE most scary drive ever in a Taxi to the Festival site – seems everyone in that part of Italy drives like crazy!
Parry’s in attendance: John & Daniela
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VENOM – Mean Fiddler, London, England 2006
Cronos - Mykvs – Antton
Travelled from: Deepest Hell, Switzerland
Travelled to: London, England
Approximate Distance: 881 KM
Transport Method: Aeroplane
A double-header. Meet up with my Brother and Sister and various other Legions for the gig in London, then travel to Manchester overnight for the gig the following day. The London gig was pretty good, as was the pre-gig drinks in the pub across the road…..
Parry’s in attendance: John & Daniela, Brenda and Andy
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VENOM – Academy 2, Manchester 2006
Cronos - Mykvs – Antton
Travelled from: London Victoria
Travelled to: Manchester
Approximate Distance: 338 KM
Transport Method: Bus
…. Less fun was the bus trip. It was a freezing night, but the bus was so hot you could hardly breath! The concert itself was excellent, better than the London one. Had the usual talk with Antton and Mykvs after the gig, but despite waiting for hours, Cronos could not be arsed to come out to the few Legions who waited around. However, worse was to follow….
…. bus back down to London, then our bus to Stanstead Airport broke down. Took a while for the replacement to reach us, and we were denied boarding our flight because we were 30 seconds too late. Cunts!!! Stayed at a hotel that had no Alcohol just to add insult to thirstiness!
Parry’s in attendance: John & Daniela, Brenda and Andy
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VENOM – Copenhagen 2007
Cronos – Antton - Rage
Travelled from: Deepest Hell, Switzerland
Travelled to: Copenhagen, Denmark
Approximate Distance: 1158 KM
Transport Method: Aeroplane
Another double-header. Unfortunately, a massive setback had hit the band, as Mykvs had enough and left. The gig was not too bad, with Cronos and Antton somehow keeping the ship afloat. Might have been 70 people at the concert, things were looking bleak. Meeting the awesome Leffe – the guy who started the first-ever VENOM website – was a huge plus though! Mrs P returned to Switzerland, while I continued on to Stockholm for the next gig…..
VENOM – Stockholm, Sweden 2007
Cronos – Antton - Rage
Travelled from: Copenhagen, Denmark
Travelled to: Stockholm, Sweden
Approximate Distance: 655 KM
Transport Method: Car
A better gig and a lot more people than the previous night. Earlier in the day way a signing session at a lovely little part of Stockholm, which was fun, and what an honour to stay with the Family of the Legend that is Leffe that night – awesome people!! A short bus ride got me to Stockholm Airport the next morning, and a flight back to Zurich in Switzerland, followed by the drive back home.
Parry’s in attendance: John & Daniela (Daniela – Copenhagen only)
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VENOM – Hellfest Festival, France 2008
Cronos – Antton - Rage
Travelled from: Deepest Hell, Switzerland
Travelled to: Clisson, France
Approximate Distance: 931 KM
Transport Method: Camper
Despite a very poor album (Hell), we thought fuck it – let’s travel almost 1000 KM by CamperVan to Hellfest. Although the fun was good with the accompanying German Legions and my Brother who again made the trip from Ireland, the going seemed very slow. Eventually arrived at a scorched festival site. Again, the guitar was weak, and shortly after Antton left the band, which proved the final straw for us. Seemed we would never see a band called Venom live ever again. Or would we?
Parry’s in attendance: John & Daniela, Andy
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M:pire Of Evil - Maratona Rock - Santhià – Italy - 2012
Mantas, JXN, Tony Dolan
Travelled from: Deepest Hell, Switzerland
Travelled to: Santhià, Italy
Approximate Distance: 419 KM
Transport Method: Car
Parry’s in attendance: John, Daniela & Lorraine
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M:Pire Of Evil - British Steel Saturday Night 2 – France - 2013
Mantas, JXN, Tony Dolan
Travelled from: Deepest Hell, Switzerland
Travelled to: Fismes, France
Approximate Distance: 462 KM
Transport Method: Car
Parry’s in attendance: John, Daniela & Lorraine
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M:Pire Of Evil - Forum - Laudun l'ardoise – France 2013
Mantas, JXN, Tony Dolan
Travelled from: Deepest Hell, Switzerland
Travelled to: Laudun l'ardoise, France
Approximate Distance: 592 KM
Transport Method: Car
Parry’s in attendance: John, Daniela & Lorraine
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M:Pire Of Evil - Local - Marseille – France 2013
Mantas, JXN, Tony Dolan
Travelled from: Deepest Hell, Switzerland
Travelled to: Laudun l'ardoise, France
Approximate Distance: 143 KM
Transport Method: Car
Parry’s in attendance: John, Daniela & Lorraine
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M:Pire Of Evil - Schüür - Switzerland 2015
Mantas, Francesco La Rosa, Tony Dolan
Travelled from: Deepest Hell, Switzerland
Travelled to: Luzern, Switzerland
Approximate Distance: 109 KM
Transport Method: Car
Parry’s in attendance: John, Daniela & Lorraine
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M:Pire Of Evil - Keep It True XVIII - Lauda-Königshofen – Germany 2015
Mantas, Francesco La Rosa, Tony Dolan
Travelled from: Deepest Hell, Switzerland
Travelled to: Lauda-Königshofen, Germany
Approximate Distance: N/A (same concert as VENOM Inc – see below)
Transport Method: Car
VENOM Inc – Keep It True Festival, Germany 2015
Abaddon – Mantas – Tony Dolan
Travelled from: Deepest Hell, Switzerland
Travelled to: Lauda-Königshofen, Germany
Approximate Distance: 369 KM
Transport Method: Car
Officially, we were there to see M:Pire Of Evil. And this festival also doubled as the first ever meeting of our humble VENOM Fanclub, Deepest Hell. However, what our fellow Legions did not know was that we were hiding a secret, and we knew that something VERY special would be happening at Keep It True. Mantas and Abaddon would be re-united onstage, and the core sound of classic VENOM would be back. Despite Mantas being seriously ill that day, it was still oh so glorious to finally see a worthy VENOM back on the stage – Hell Yeah!
Parry’s in attendance: John, Daniela & Lorraine
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VENOM Inc – Komplextreme, Zurich, Switzerland 2015
Abaddon – Mantas – Tony Dolan
Travelled from: Deepest Hell, Switzerland
Travelled to: Zurich, Switzerland
Approximate Distance: 96 KM
Transport Method: Car
Another Deepest Hell meeting was arranged for this one – and Legions arrived from all over Europe. As my Brother and Sister had made the journey over from Ireland, there was a high percentage of Parry’s in the crowd, as the turnout was not great. But the gig was good, and the fun outside the venue with Abaddon and The Deepest Hell people was fuckin’ awesome!! And it was also nice to have a (relatively) short drive back home after being to a V gig!
Parry’s in attendance: John, Daniela and Lorraine, Andy and Collette
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VENOM Inc – K17 Berlin, Germany 2015
Abaddon – Mantas – Tony Dolan
Travelled from: Deepest Hell, Switzerland
Travelled to: Berlin, Germany
Approximate Distance: 882 KM
Transport Method: Aeroplane
… a few days later and, together with the Legion known as Lungi, we took a Flight (Of The Hydra) to Berlin. A great gig, big crowd and some serious Whiskey abuse.
Parry’s in attendance: John, Daniela and Lorraine
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VENOM Inc – Metal Assault Festival, Wurzburg Germany 2016
Abaddon – Mantas – Tony Dolan
Travelled from: Deepest Hell, Switzerland
Travelled to: Wurzburg, Germany
Approximate Distance: 396 KM
Transport Method: Car
Another DH meeting, and this was one seriously cool gig – everything was just Venomously perfect!
Parry’s in attendance: John, Daniela and Lorraine
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VENOM Inc – Metal Bash Festival, Germany 2016
Abaddon – Mantas – Tony Dolan
Travelled from: Deepest Hell, Switzerland
Travelled to: Hamburg, Germany
Approximate Distance: 883 KM
Transport Method: Aeroplane
A great Open-Air in North Germany, and an awesome gig with Pyro going off all the time!
Parry’s in attendance: John & Daniela
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VENOM Inc – Mammothfest, England 2016
Abaddon – Mantas – Tony Dolan
Travelled from: Deepest Hell, Switzerland
Travelled to: Brighton, via London, England
Approximate Distance: 1070 KM
Transport Method: Aeroplane / Train
Another fantastic gig, and terrific fun all day, followed by one of the most Legendary Whiskey sessions ever with our Deepest Hell Brethren!
Parry’s in attendance: John, Daniela and Lorraine
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VENOM Inc – Cafe Central, Germany 2016
Abaddon – Mantas – Tony Dolan
Travelled from: Deepest Hell, Switzerland
Travelled to: Weinheim, Germany
Approximate Distance: 280 KM
Transport Method: Car
A mad dash up the German autobahn in The Hydramobile for this one, which was mid-week. Good gig, venue not great. Abaddon and Mantas’ onstage banter was real fun. Was very glad to have my good buddy Weird Alex with to keep me awake for the long drive home!
Parry’s in attendance: John
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VENOM Inc – Le Gueulard, France 2016
Abaddon – Mantas – Tony Dolan
Travelled from: Deepest Hell, Switzerland
Travelled to: Metz, France
Approximate Distance: 319 KM
Transport Method: Car
Another DH meeting, and another excellent concert. We would never tire of hearing Mantas and Abaddon playing the likes of Sons Of Satan and Welcome To Hell – they had the classics absolutely nailed each time!
Parry’s in attendance: John, Daniela and Lorraine
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VENOM Inc – The X-Mas Rocka, England 2016
Abaddon – Mantas – Tony Dolan
Travelled from: Deepest Hell, Switzerland
Travelled to: Sheffield, via Manchester, England
Approximate Distance: 1288 KM
Transport Method: Aeroplane / Train
More DH mayhem with our good friends, and another absolutely fantastic gig. Even some bell-end throwing a beer at Mantas could not spoil the evening.
Parry’s in attendance: John & Daniela
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VENOM Inc – Sylak Open Air, France 2017
Abaddon – Mantas – Tony Dolan
Travelled from: Deepest Hell, Switzerland
Travelled to: Lyon, France
Approximate Distance: 437 KM
Transport Method: Car
A very long drive down to this festival, arrived late the night before and spent a splendid couple of hours with the band at the hotel, exchanging stories from the good old days. And the concert itself was terrific, even though they fucked up Schizo – ha! Some post-gig Whiskey and fun with Abaddon at the hotel – great times indeed!
Parry’s in attendance: John & Daniela
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VENOM Inc – Festival de Vouziers, France 2017
Abaddon – Mantas – Tony Dolan
Travelled from: Deepest Hell, Switzerland
Travelled to: Vouziers, France
Approximate Distance: 403 KM
Transport Method: Car
Another great little festival, which we really enjoyed. Little did we know what was going to happen in the coming months…. A very sad end indeed.
Parry’s in attendance: John & Daniela
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VENOM Inc – Dublin, Ireland 2017
Abaddon – Mantas – Tony Dolan
Travelled from: Deepest Hell, Switzerland
Travelled to: Dublin, Ireland
Approximate Distance: 1470 KM
Transport Method: Aeroplane
After booking hotel, flights and taking time off work, this one was cancelled (and the real reason it was cancelled made this even worse) – the dream of one day see a VENOM concert in my home Country was gone. Felt so sorry for a lot of people we knew who were travelling over from Central Europe with everything booked….
Parry’s in attendance: John & Daniela
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Cronos Venom – Meh Suff Festival, Switzerland 2018
Cronos – Rage – Dante
Travelled from: Deepest Hell, Switzerland
Travelled to: Hüttikon, Switzerland
Approximate Distance: 86 KM
Transport Method: Car
This one perhaps should not really count, as normally we would never travel to see the Cronos version of Venom. However, this is our local little Open Air, and is one of only 2 festivals we go to no matter who plays (great location, lots of friends, not far to drive and we have seen some real cool bands there over the years). So we were only there by default. The classics were butchered due to the guitar and drumming and the rest seemed rather uninspired…… but Cronos himself was quite entertaining, and it was good to see him on a stage again after so many years.
Parry’s in attendance: John & Daniela & Lorraine
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ABADDON – Grimm Up North Festival, England 2019
Abaddon – Bucket – Hogman
Travelled from: Deepest Hell, Switzerland
Travelled to: Bury, England
Approximate Distance: 1248 KM
Transport Method: Aeroplane, Taxi
A corking ABADDON gig, at a great festival attended by wonderful people, including all staff. Absolute top banter with the band and the gathered Deepest Hell people before and after the concert. More please!!
Parry’s in attendance: John & Daniela
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Additional travels to VENOM-related concerts:
MANTAS – Last One Dying, Stuttgart, Germany 2008
Mantas guesting with Last One Dying
Travelled from: Deepest Hell, Switzerland
Travelled to: Stuttgart, Germany
Approximate Distance: 277 KM
Transport Method: Car
Parry’s in attendance: John & Daniela
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MIKE HICKEY – Twin Dragons, Stuttgart, Germany 2008
Mike Hickey guesting with Twin Dragon
Travelled from: Deepest Hell, Switzerland
Travelled to: Stuttgart, Germany
Approximate Distance: 277 KM
Transport Method: Car
Parry’s in attendance: John & Daniela
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