Live Photos: Venom Inc., Bulletbelt - Valhalla, Wellington

English black metal progenitors Venom Inc. brought their pioneering sounds to Wellington's hub of heaviness Valhalla last night, performing alongside local heroes Bulletbelt and Stalker. Driven insane by their quest for the perfect thrash riff, emerging metal overlords Stalker pummelled the early evening crowd with the darkly uncompromising musical vision showcased on their Napalm Records debut album Shadow of the Sword. Bulletbelt are riding high from the release of their third studio album Nine Centuries, and delivered maximum-scale crushing riffage to the tiny venue space. Venom Inc. feature founding members of their devilish namesake band, and were still incredibly tight and undeniably a force to be reckoned with. They ripped through rapid-fire material from throughout their career, including classics 'Black Metal' and 'Countess Bathory', and poured a bottle of Jack Daniels down the gullets of eager front row audience members. They'll be playing again at Auckland's Whammy Bar tonight, punters can get amped for the onslaught via photographer Bruce MacKay's powerful images below...