Venom is an English heavy metal band formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1978. They rose to prominence during the late new wave of British heavy metal, and their early albums, Welcome to Hell and Black Metal, became highly influential in shaping black metal, thrash metal, and extreme metal. The title of their second album gave its name to the black metal genre, establishing Venom as pioneers alongside bands like Mercyful Fate and Bathory.