RVA up-and-comers Venomspitter overload internet with brutal new EP

by | Apr 14, 2015 | MUSIC

While Venomspitter have kept a relatively low profile around the RVA scene in the year or so since they got started, this band has clearly been generating a buzz online. We know this because, when they uploaded their new self-titled EP onto Bandcamp last week, they ran out of free downloads in two days.

While Venomspitter have kept a relatively low profile around the RVA scene in the year or so since they got started, this band has clearly been generating a buzz online. We know this because, when they uploaded their new self-titled EP onto Bandcamp last week, they ran out of free downloads in two days. 200 downloads may not seem like a lot, but in this day and age, when bands have to bust their ass to get anyone to pay attention, even getting 200 people to download your music for free over the course of two days is an achievement.

And one listen to Venomspitter’s self-titled EP demonstrates the reason for the excitement. These songs blow by the listener with a power and fury that’s undeniable, bringing power-violence style blastbeats and abrupt tempo changes to a thrashy, blackened hardcore attack that steamrolls right over you. The vocals are harsh and furious, the riffs create an atmosphere of absolute terror, and the drums keep everything moving along at a million miles an hour. With most of these songs lasting between one and two minutes, it’s closer “Monument” that allows this 6-song EP to stretch beyond the 10-minute mark, ending with a long, trudging breakdown that works perfectly as a culmination of the hectic riffing that’s come before. The vocalist even throws in a great Sworn In-style “bleah!” at the end there, though these guys will probably kill me for bringing that up.

Regardless of how you feel about Sworn In, though, this new Venomspitter EP is amazing, and even with the band having run out of free downloads, it’s only a dollar from Bandcamp right now. In fact, they’ve even got a Mediafire link set up so those who missed the free Bandcamp downloads can still grab it for free–but what, you can’t spare a dollar to support a great RVA band? Buy one less taco at dollar taco night tonight and pick yourself up a copy of the brand new Venomspitter EP right here. And if you’re not sold yet, stream it in full below and find out exactly why you need these songs in your life.

Marilyn Drew Necci

Marilyn Drew Necci

Former GayRVA editor-in-chief, RVA Magazine editor for print and web. Anxiety expert, proud trans woman, happily married.




more in music

Fourth of July 2026 in Richmond: Fireworks, Festivals, and More

The best Fourth of July celebration in Richmond probably isn't the one with the biggest fireworks. It's the one where someone forgot the hot dog buns, the cooler is running low on ice, kids are chasing each other through sprinklers, and somebody insists they know a...

IllumiNATION Tells America’s Story on a Monumental Scale

Editor’s Note: RVA Magazine is partnering with the Virginia Museum of History & Culture on coverage related to America’s 250th anniversary, including Richmond SailFest and IllumiNation. It's hard to impress people with just a building. Yet standing in front of the...

Blöthar: “GWAR Didn’t Change. The World Freakin Changed.”

Richmond metal band GWAR says the Secret Service contacted the group following a recent performance at the Vans Warped Tour in Washington, D.C., that featured the mock execution of a Donald Trump effigy. Video of the performance, which showed band members...

Kelli Strawbridge Re-Releases Kings And Returns To The Camel

Ten years ago, Richmond drummer, bandleader, and all-around musical utility player Kelli Strawbridge released Kings, a collaborative soul and funk record built alongside producer and keyboardist DJ Harrison of Butcher Brown. The album arrived at a moment when...

The Last Ride of The Golden Pony

Every good music scene has a few rooms that become bigger than themselves. They rarely make headlines while they're open, but their importance becomes obvious when they disappear. For Harrisonburg, The Golden Pony was one of those places. After eleven years of hosting...

Stay Hungry pt. 1 | Band on the Road

Editor's Note: Writer's Block is a space for Virginia writers to share personal essays, fiction, memoir, and works that fall somewhere in between. In Stay Hungry, Richmond local Eric Kalata looks back on a cross-country tour and the restless optimism of...