VENEREA come from Sweden and have existed with interruptions since 1991. The band has played with just about every band in the scene and should actually be known to everyone. Actually, because they have never really become well-known or famous. Perhaps this is because the band members have always had other bands, or maybe because the band does not want to sell out. Or perhaps it’s because the name also means “sexually transmitted disease(s).”
With “Lean Back in Anger,” VENEREA has released an album that not only showcases the band’s musical talent extremely well. The songs offer melodies, breaks, and hooklines that can make you dizzy, driving drum parts, old-school hardcore(-punk) elements that have their roots in '80s hardcore, and perfect tempo changes that occur repeatedly. The vocals fit perfectly and casually follow the speed of the songs. Especially when it becomes two-part, you can tell that the band hasn’t aged a bit. The guys still play about 80% of the bands against the wall, if not more.
The lyrics offer depth and raise many questions that do not spare their own scene, but are rarely accusatory. The life experience of the band members certainly plays a role here, where disillusionment meets optimism, and realism meets dream worlds.
With “Lean Back in Anger,” VENEREA has created a damn aggressive punk monster that is not made up of blind rage, and that’s exactly why it makes a statement. Despite age and life experience, or perhaps precisely because of it, this album is thoroughly successful.
