Psychodrome Rising: Venator's Ascent Beyond the Gutter

Every diehard traditional metalhead should be howling at the moon right now – because the Austrian hellraisers of Venator are back, storming the NWOTHM battleground with Psychodrome, their much-anticipated second full-length offering. And let me tell you, after that blistering split with Angel Blade and their god tier debut Echoes from the Gutter, the stakes weren’t just high, they were stratospheric. As someone who literally wears my devotion on my back (I commisoned to have the Paradiser EP cover painted on the back of my leather jacket), there was no way I wouldn’t be screaming about this one on the blog.

FORGED IN STEEL CITY

Venator was summoned into existence back in 2016 in the iron-soaked alleys of Linz, Austria – Steel City, baby. Co-founders Leon Ehrengruber and Anton Holzner laid the foundation, Jakob Steidl smashed his way in on drums, Hans Huemer grabbed the mic in 2017, and Stefan Glasner completed the sonic onslaught on bass by 2019. A year later, the Paradiser EP burst onto the scene and put these maniacs firmly on the radar (you’ll get that pun in a sec). Then, boom: Echoes from the Gutter in 2022 – one album and they’d already hit cult status. And now, we stand at the gates of their next chapter.

COVER ART – FROM MEMES TO MAYHEM

Psychodrome dropped April 25, 2025, via underground powerhouse Dying Victims Productions, and reactions are all over the map. Some people don't get it. Others (the true believers) are already worshipping it. But before we even press play, let’s check out the album art which was once again illustrated by frontman Hans Huemer himself. And yeah, it’s become an inside joke in my circle, you see that oddly familiar looking, pointing dude on the left? Flip the cover and he’s basically a Soyjak meme gone metal. It’s hilarious, it’s cursed, and it rules (You're never escaping this one, Hans. It's gonna haunt you forever). But seriously – the art hits hard.

THE SONGS – STRAPPED IN FOR MADNESS

1. Steal the Night
We’re shot into orbit by a synth-drenched intro that screams Blade Runner on acid, and before you can blink, Steal the Night grabs you by the collar and throws you headfirst into 80s metal territory. Riffs that shriek like NWOBHM beasts, choruses that practically beg to be screamed at full volume while speeding down some rain-slicked streetlit highway. If the night’s being stolen, I’ll let it take me.

2. Children of the Beast
Straight outta the Echoes playbook, this one could be a lost B-side from that era. Razor-sharp riffing, howling vocals, a solo that tears time apart. Some might say it’s a little safe, like Venator’s clinging to their comfort zone. Honestly, this might be the case, but they're slowly tapping new waters while keeping some of their old sound.

3. Ravening Angel
Downshift! This mid-tempo banger stomps like a chrome-plated tank through a burning cathedral. It’s all swagger and drama, with riff changes so slick and tight they might as well be illegal. A blueprint in how to do mid-tempo without losing momentum.

4. Final Call
Venator enters apocalypse mode, delivering their longest, darkest, and most dangerous track to date. From the opening riff that sounds like Satan himself lighting a Molotov cocktail to the unhinged narration à la Nightrider, this track is a monument. A dual guitar attack, a chilling bass-led midsection, and a grand finale of solos and screams that’ll leave you winded and wondering if the world just ended.

5. Radar
Just as Final Call ends, Radar smashes in, Venator’s trademark vibe turned to 11 (These numbers all go to 11, all across the board. Please tell me anyone gets this reference). The identity crisis some people hear? I hear evolution. They're not ditching the old ways, they’re cracking open a portal and letting something new crawl in. The drums here? Cut sharp as a guillotine, slicing through the mix with glorious 80s punch.

6. Race to Glory
Shortest track on the album, but it rips like a demon on fire. At 3:30 it leaves scorch marks, not footprints.

7. Dynamite
This one fakes you out. Starts mid-tempo, steady and groove-heavy, almost like it's giving you a breather. But don't be fooled, this thing builds tension like a ticking bomb (or like Dynamite that's just about to explode). The guitars start weaving in more intricate licks, the drums get snappier, and suddenly you're being pulled into a cyclone of shifting grooves. Reminds me of a mix between early and late Thin Lizzy, but stripped of the romance, dipped in gasoline. The way the high-hats cut through the mix, almost like they’re slashing through the fog.

8. (Mid-Tempo Banger #3)
Another slower one? Normally I'd groan – but Venator does these songs the justice they deserve. The secret sauce here is dynamics, they wring emotion and tension out of every note, letting basslines growl, drums build pressure, and Hans riding the storm with his unique trademark vocal command.

9. Astral Seduction
And now we launch into the final starburst—Astral Seduction. This one doesn’t just end the album, it ejects you into orbit. From the first second, that opening riff feels like a hyperspace jump: all tension, all speed, all style. Stefan’s bass is absolute thunder here. It's fuzzy, crunchy, and cutting through like a steamroller with headlights. Jakob’s drums are on another level, too: clean, quick, and sharp like the engine room of a space-faring battleship. Hans is howling like a banshee from beyond Saturn.
And that solo? Throw in a little taste of Middle Eastern melody towards the end (atleast that's what my ears tell me it is), and you've got a curveball that makes the whole track stand out even harder. The mid-tempo drop in the middle, two divebombs back-to-back, a dramatic slow grind, and then it’s back to warp speed.

THE LYRICS – METAL POETRY FOR THE DAMNED

Steal the Night

This track reads like the shadowed sermon of a streetwise specter who feeds on your disillusionment. You’re wandering, lost in the daily grind, when the night claws its way into your soul—a seducer, a savior, and a sinister force in one. It's that moment where you crave release, and something—maybe the devil, maybe the music—answers your call. There's no subtlety here: the night is a thief, and you’re the loot.

The lyrics flirt with themes of existential decay, psychic collapse, and addiction to sensation. "Rotten to the core, desirous for more" – that line reeks of someone slipping into the abyss with a smile on their face. And yet, the lyrics offer companionship in this descent. You're not alone in hell; you've got company in the chaos. The pit of gold? Might just be gilded ruin.

Final Call

This one reads like a grim thunderstrike against blind obedience and political rot. The imagery is relentless—brothers killing, mothers screaming, peace gasping its last breath. And amidst all that? A chilling message: you let this happen. You believe the deceiver. You leave this world behind.

The lyrics paint a world where history repeats, and the players in power roll dice with human lives. There's a bitter edge to every line, spitting venom at false prophets and weak-willed followers. The ending is a funeral march for justice: “The mills of justicia run in favor of the one.” That’s tyranny in full regalia.

It’s a call to arms—not with weapons, but with awareness, resistance, and refusal to kneel. You either stick to your guns or fade into the ashes of a forgotten revolt.

Astral Seduction

Here we’ve got romance and ruin hurtling through the stars. This is no love song—it’s a siren’s snare cast across galaxies. The seductress in this tale is part alien queen, part demonic muse. She doesn’t just break hearts; she rearranges the cosmos.

The lyrics starts off innocent, basking in youthful bliss—then she appears. A celestial succubus dripping with allure and poison. Every gaze, every dance move is a veiled threat. “She crawled into my mind like a woodworm in a tree”—that’s not affection, that’s infestation. The metaphors get wild: Venus’s wrath, neutron stars, scarab skies—it’s a poetic tempest that’s as beautiful as it is deadly.

This song screams astral doom, seductive deception, and the fragility of the self when faced with the divine feminine's darker aspects.

FINAL VERDICT

Look – I didn’t love this album at first. I was married to Echoes from the Gutter. I’d seen Venator live four or five times during that cycle. That record was my gospel. And Psychodrome? At first spin, it felt like a weird dream – not many singalong hooks, no instant gratification. But on the second listen... third..fourth... it clicked. This album is not like Echoes from the Gutter, and it isn't supposed to be like it. It's a tad bit different. It’s moodier, weirder, heavier – and when it hits, it does big time.

I missed their release show (shoutout to my friends in Äxorcist who played there too!), but you bet your ass I’ll be seeing them in a few weeks at Battle Cry Concert in Essen Rock City. Will Psychodrome eclipse Echoes? Only time will tell. But right now? This album stands tall. Screaming, shining, shredding.

Give it a spin. Let it burn into your brain. And support the band – buy their records, their merch, their goddamn patches. Keep true metal alive!

🔥 Grab Psychodrome here:

• Black Vinyl

• Limited Boxset (200)

• Cassette

• Longsleeve Shirt

Venator - Psychodrome