In a recent interview with Metal Kaoz, Venom Inc. bassist and vocalist Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan provided insight into the band's current dynamics, particularly the absence of guitarist Jeff "Mantas" Dunn.
Venom Inc. was originally founded in 2015 by former Venom members Dolan and Dunn, plus drummer Antony "Abaddon" Bray. Earlier this month Dunn parted ways with Venom Inc. due to what seems a combination of health reasons and personal issues.
When asked if Mantas is officially out of the band, Dolan explained (as transcribed by Blabbermouth): "Well, he made a statement about a year, probably a year and a half ago when his wife was sick and a statement went out in the press that I didn't know was gonna go out, but he just said that he wasn't gonna do any shows until further notice. So he felt he wanted to express that to people."
Dolan elaborated further, shedding light on Mantas' decision to prioritize his wife's health: "They live in Portugal. They're quite secluded in a lot of ways, [with] not a lot of friends around them. That's how he likes it. But he felt he wanted to stay there and be there for her, which, of course, you had to. But he put this statement out saying he wouldn't do shows until further notice. So I just took that on board. I thought, ‘Well, there's no pressure. I'll just keep going. I'll keep the bus driving, the engines running.' And if she's better, because that's what we were hoping for, that she would be fixed, and when it's time, then we'll just carry on. Just come back and off we go.
"But I was at a point where I've got an obligation to the label, to the manager, to the agents, to the bookers. That's a lot of people who then don't make any money. So I have to keep it going. And you can't take an advance from publishing companies or from record labels and then just run away with the money. That's not how it works. So I had to keep working to push sales to pay them back for what they had generously given us as an advance. So, that was gonna happen," he added.
Despite the challenges, there was hope last year when Mantas seemed ready to return: "Then it got to about halfway through last year, last season, or maybe it was just before the season, she was doing better and he felt really good and he started to run through the material. We had a Belgian festival coming up. It was gonna be the first one [with him back on stage]… And he felt good. He was looking good and he sounded good and he sounded positive. Then I didn't hear from him for three days. And then when I do get in touch with him, he's in hospital and he had a second heart attack."
"And, of course, physically you might be okay, but mentally that's two hits. And I think he just doesn't wanna die running through an airport or walking on a stage in another country, a million miles away from home," Dolan explained. "And I can understand that. So, again, we were back to, ‘Okay, well, you don't wanna tour. So I'll do the touring. And then when the festivals come up, we'll just see if you feel good about doing them.' That was the idea. But then he was out of the game. So we just continued while he stayed home and recuperated. And I kept sending him messages going, ‘There's no pressure. Don't worry about anything. Just get well. And then when you're ready to go, go.' And I kept making sure he was okay for money and everything like that."
"And then last week or something, someone sent me an image from the Internet saying, ‘Oh, why is Mantas not coming back?' And I was, like, ‘Pardon?' And then I get to see this Blabbermouth thing where he said he's not coming back. And it was, like, ‘Okay.'"
Despite the unexpected announcement, Dolan's response was compassionate: "So I don't know. I don't know. As far as I'm concerned, he's my brother. I love him. I don't want anything bad to happen. But I just need him to be happy. And if he's happy being at home and recording in his home studio, his stuff that he does there, then fantastic. I can't make him go out. I wouldn't try and make him go out on the road against his wishes. But Venom Inc. is bigger than the people involved, and it means something. And there's new fans."
When asked about the possibility of Mantas contributing to songwriting in the future, Dolan replied: "Well, we'd already done two albums' worth when we put the last album out [2022's There's Only Black]. So we'd overwritten, it because it was supposed to go across two albums. That was the idea. The original idea was to have it as a double album. So, the first album [that was gonna] go out — it was all about Dante's Inferno and the nine circles of hell. So it was your journey through life, from life to death. And that was the idea. But very quickly, when he had his heart attack, that changed because the meaning of him not seeing any light and seeing there's only black, I was, like, ‘Wow, that's it. There's Only Blac.' And so we went from there. But we still have those recordings."
Dolan added: "He's spent the year recording some of that material that is not Venom-esque. It's kind of rock/metal, I guess, or whatever you wanna call it. It's very him. And he loves doing that and he's singing. So if he wants to do that, that's fine."
"I've been writing more stuff throughout the year, so 2025 will see two live albums go out, an EP — a new EP with this lineup — and a new album. When we get to the album at the end of the year, if he still feels that he's doing what he does and he wants to just do that, then I'll let him do that. But if he feels he wants to push something down the tube, then absolutely. Because it was us, it was us. We were like a double act on stage. We were the Laurel and Hardy or whatever it is, or the Batman and Robin of music. So, it feels weird being without him there. So, however, he wants to do it, I'll be open to however he wants to do it. As long as he's alive and he's okay and he's happy, then I'm happy. That's the point of everything. There's more things to life."
