October 2nd, 2026 - Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and an Oktoberfest for Master Cronos!

 

Guten abend evil-doers!  With the news of Conrad "Cronos" Lant's passing earlier this week, let's all do some heavy duty headbangin' with Venom's classic live album, "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" and a crisp smooth, and refreshing Oktoberfest from Pipeworks Brewing!  Hells yeah!

Album Info: 

• Artist: Venom
• Title: "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik"
• Recorded: October 8th, 1985 at Hammersmith Odeon in London, England and April 4th and 5th, 1986 at The Ritz in New York City, New York 
• Release date: December 1986 (2nd live album released by Venom)
• Record company: Neat Records 
• Production: Keith Nichol, Cronos, and Venom
• Album cover art: Abaddon (art design and layout), Fin Costello (photography), Pete Cronin (photography), Tony Mottran (photography), and Tony Gray (artwork and layout)
• Personnel: Anthony "Abaddon" Bray (drums), Jeff "Mantas" Dunn (guitars), and Conrad "Cronos" Lant (bass and vocals) 
• Musical style: Thrash metal, speed metal, black metal
• Sound: This is it... the ultimate, classic live Venom album!  Fast, furious, raw, and aggressive, the tracks convey the pure, classic, unadulterated sound of the original Venom lineup!  Although all the elements are fantastic, for me the strength of the album lies squarely with the incredibly powerful guitar work of Mantas!  It is a sheer joy to behold!
• Major themes: Death, violence, the occult, Satan, Hell, evil, darkness, horror, heavy metal, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Intro"
2. "Too Loud (For The Crowd)"
3. "7 Gates Of Hell"
4. "Leave Me In Hell"
5. "Nightmare"
6. "Countess Bathory"
7. "Die Hard"
8. "Schizo"
9. "Guitar Solo Mantas"
10. "In Nomine Satanas"
11. "Witching Hour"
12. "Black Metal"
13. "The Chanting Of The Priests"
14. "Satanachist"
15. Flytrap"
16. "Warhead"
17. "Buried Alive"
18. "Love Amongst The Dead"
19. "Bass Solo Cronos"
20. "Welcome To Hell"
21. 'Bloodlust"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Pipeworks Brewing Company (Chicago, Illinois)
• Website: https://pdubs.net/
• Brew: Oktoberfest
• Style: Festbier / Märzen / German Lager
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 5.3%
• Pour: The Oktoberfest pours a fairly clear, golden orange-copper hue with an off-white, frothy, 1+ finger head with good retention and lots of sudsy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is grainy, bready, earthy, and floral.  There are aromas of toasted bread, cracked wheat, honey, and very light, grassy hops.
• Taste: The taste of the Oktoberfest follows the nose with bready, grainy, malty, and earthy flavors.  There are notes of toasted white bread, earthy honey, crackery biscuit, light floral hops, and light caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied with moderate carbonation and low bitterness, the mouthfeel of the Oktoberfest is very crisp and smooth with a dry, crackery, and clean finish.

Overall pairing: I think the Pipeworks Oktoberfest is the perfect brew to throw back while listening to the bold and aggressive heavy metal beast that is Venom's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik"!  Those light, bready, and malty flavors make for a great foil to the darker lyrical subject matter and the intense wails of Cronos, while the crisp body is great for the fiery guitar licks of Mantas!

And if you haven't done so already, check out my interviews with Mantas and Abaddon from a few years back: 

• Anthony "Abaddon" Bray: https://youtu.be/DqzpXhJ6vSo
• Jeff "Mantas" Dunn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgQa6i1R91E

Raise a pint or two tonight to the memory of Conrad "Cronos" Lant... HAILS!!