Interview with Tony “Demolition Man” Dolan
Photographer is unknown. From the collection of Tony Dolan.
Anthony Michael Dolan was born in 1964 and is known for having been the bassist and vocalist for early metal outfit Atomkraft, as well as having been a member of pioneering Black Metal act Venom from 1988 through 1993. In this interview Tony takes us through his early days with Atomkraft as well as his time with Venom. It would truly take a book in order to cover Tony’s entire career, hence treat this interview as an introduction to his life in extreme metal.
Tony, before we get into the nitty gritty details about your band involvements, please tell us a little bit about your childhood growing up in Newcastle upon Tyne and if understood correctly partially in Canada as well.
I was born in a shipbuilding town just outside Newcastle Upon Tyne called Wallsend, named after the wall built by Roman Emperor Hadrian and dividing England and Scotland at the Eastern end. My family were ship builders and that was my initial destiny. Then my mother divorced my father when I was nine years old and we relocated to Windsor, Ontario in Canada in the early ‘70s when she remarried. I returned to England around ‘77/78 and transitioned musically during those years from The Sweet, Slade or T Rex to Ted Nugent, Kiss, Aerosmith etc and from there to The Sex Pistols, Angelic Upstarts, The Clash, Stiff Little Fingers and so on. I had been raised on Bill Haley, Buddy Holly or Johnny Cash so as you can see I was already quite eclectically schooled by the time I decided I’d become a musician as well!
It is my understanding that Punk Rock arrived at the right time for you and many other youngsters to inspire you to become a participant as opposed to just a consumer. Please tell us about what switched for you to choose Metal over Punk in the end, and how did you experience the two different scenes in Newcastle with NWOBHM on the horizon in the late '70s.
Musically, there was so much going on in the late ‘70s everywhere. At first I was a punk and my favorite band was a Californian act called The Dickies, a discovery I made by accident. They played songs around 200 BPM and I fell in love with the speed and energy they exhibited. And then once again not by design but by accident I witnessed Motorhead, and that sound and look simply overpowered me! I’d never heard anything like it before and wondered what if you took the speed of The Dickies and blended it with the raw unrelenting sound and power of Motorhead, which eventually led to Atomkraft’s sound. I think those were the events that changed direction and sent me on a more extreme path. In 1979 I briefly had a punk rock band called Moral Fibre which was short lived as after witnessing Motorhead the same year Atomkraft was born.
Two of Tony’s major influences back in 1979, The Dickies and Motorhead. More on records that changed Tony’s life here.
Tony, what attracted you to music?
Simply put the freedom of expression and that there are no rules. Also, and equally important it can be anything you want, you can love it and it is always there for you, never lies, betrays or leaves you under any circumstance and when you play it, it sets your mind and soul free.
Atomkraft in their early days. Photographer is unknown. From the collection of Tony Dolan.
Speaking of rules, do you think that over the years and decades matters have shifted and more and more rules have found their way into the extreme music scenes?
Yes, most certainly! It’s why my byline I use when I go onstage is: “Tonight there is only ONE rule! There are NO rules!!” This was never meant to have rules and that was the whole point of it, hence I refuse to abide by any. Not being disrespectful, that isn’t the same…but rules? Nah, no thank you!
Tony, you grew up around Newcastle where Neat Records was situated. There is no doubt that Neat took on an important role in establishing the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and other forms of Metal in the UK. Please expand in your own words as to the importance of Neat and how you personally view it shaped the development of extreme Metal in the UK.
Well, at first it was a studio (Impulse studios) in my neighborhood in Wallsend before it turned into the home for Neat Records when they fully launched the label. I knew the studios as I’d recorded there but the label became a key feature as they released a lot of singles and all seemed perfect to me from Fist to Raven or Avenger. Those releases were all just exciting and the label began to grow with Raven and Tygers of Pan Tang getting major label deals raising Neat’s profile. Even Metallica were trying to get on to the label as they were influenced by those bands, Blitzkrieg of course and Diamond Head mostly. Of course Neat released Venom and the world changed fast thereafter as Jon Zazula created Megaforce and signed Metallica, Anthrax etc whereas Brian Slagel started Metal Blade and Slayer appeared. I do feel that Neat albeit by accident became a focal influential point proving an indie label can actually succeed.
Two early Neat Records releases. For a more detailed history of the label, read here.
Tony, when it comes to Atomkraft, what springs to mind first and foremost?
It really meant everything to me from 1979-1988. Of course over time there were changes, but it literally saved my life and those memories shall never leave me. From the time I joined Venom until I released the Cold Sweat EP in 2011 there’s been just me really with the help from amazing musicians and friends, but those early days were just the best times of our lives. Our first studio demo ‘Demon’ from 1981 later popped up as the title for the Clive Archer voiced Venom demos, which seems odd as it never had that title then!
Atomkraft in their early days. Photographer is unknown. From the collection of Tony Dolan.
Atomkraft were around for some years, but it took a long time until the first album was released. Why is that, and do you think had the album come out in 1983 instead of 1985 it would have had a bigger impact?
I completely agree, and as a matter of fact had it been released in 1980, the year after we formed, the world may have been different for us. We played lots of local shows and recorded demos but studios were expensive and we had no money plus no idea of what you were supposed to do once you actually had a demo. I moved back to Canada in late ‘83 and stayed into ‘84 and on returning to the U.K. had learnt how it all worked so within a year I had new members, new demos and a record deal. I’ve applied that determination all my life.
As often is the case studying and understanding the past often makes us understand the present better and clearer. Atomkraft's "Future Warriors" is probably not deemed a classic metal album but to be honest listening to it, it foreshadowed in many ways what was to come in extreme metal. Steeped more in traditional Heavy Metal and early Speed Metal with heavy influences of Venom and Motorhead the album must have left a mark on some bands to leave their mark years down the road. How do you view the album in 2024, and in your own view how has it held up?
Well, funnily enough the album has become a ‘classic’ in the underground, although it remains largely ignored in the commercial market. To be fair though that’s not a ‘fan’ or ‘probable listeners’ decision, it’s the way the industry works. Once labels began paying for ad space to struggling magazines not much room was left for all the lower label bands who weren’t able to buy advertising or interview space or even front cover space. As a result of that many labels and band ended up without any commercial recognition. The internet revolution then moved many of those promotional places online and they needed to draw audiences hence the already established bands were able to profit yet again. Through the growth of gimmick bands, additional shock genres and female artists fighting for attraction reduced to basically wearing underwear and getting professionaly taken photographs to lure in lust filled males left many bands on the underside of that ship. Said evolution resulted in online outlets, not unlike the physical magazines, filled with fans as writers pushing their personal preferences for likes
To give you an example: If a promoter of a festival is a fan or sees you gained a following on social media then your band is on, no matter what. If a writer is a fan or they know people will come because you are well known already then your space is guaranteed. This mustn’t be construed as bitterness, simply observations of facts based on 40+ years in the industry. It’s sad but true and all a manipulation of the audience, but I guess that’s the industry for you as after all for the most part the artists mostly care about making music, the industry around them cares about making money.
To circle back to “Future Warriors”, Motorhead and the Dickies were the fusion that made Atomkraft click, the speed combined with the heavier approach so to speak. I’d been playing shows and demoing for years prior to the album release in 1985. I am proud of the album, although it didn’t quite capture the original atmosphere and power of the band by that point. On top of that I felt that the production let it down and weakened it as well, but I think as an album and knowing most of the tracks were written long before the extreme scene exploded, it is something I am proud of having been part of. My initial intention when I started was to make an album and I think it holds its own amongst what was around then but should have come out earlier than it did.
What are some of your best memories from the Atomkraft days, and did you get to tour a lot, especially outside the U.K.?
We had great fun and lots of crazy stuff happened. We played with Slayer at the old Marquee at their only UK show in ‘85. We also did the Nightmare tour with Venom and Exodus, toured with Nuclear Assault, Nasty Savage, Exumer, played Dynamo ‘87 with Testament, Destruction et al., Hammersmith Odeon with Agent Steel and Onslaught, which was promoted as ‘The "Longest Day’ back in ‘87 where we shot the Live Conductors of Noize video and went out live on BBC Radio 1. The list is long…
Tony in Poland with promoter of Metal Battle ‘88 and Nasty Ronnie of Nasty Savage; Tony with Lemmy and Dawn Masters and Tony with Danny Lilker of Nuclear Assault and Jaimie (Nuclear Assault sound man). Photographers unknown. From the collection of Tony Dolan.
1988 marks the end for Atomkraft, but not before the band played Metal Battle ‘88, for the time a unique show at Spodek Stadium in Katowice, Poland. Upon Atomkraft’s demise Tony is offered to replace Cronos who is departing Venom after disappointing sales figures of the ‘Calm before the Storm’ album.
Did you feel a great sense of pressure to replace Cronos, such an important figure in that original Venom line-up?
Not at all, and I simply didn’t consider that. They were my friends, playing music I liked so I was just stepping in to have fun and play some cool songs. I was before as well as during my time with Venom and ever since first and foremost myself. I never tried to mimic, copy or imitate anybody and just did it my way, something that has not changed to this day.
Cronos is an icon, the musical legacy speaks for itself and that can’t ever change nor should it. As for me I never felt any pressure, and that hasn’t changed either. I know what I am capable of and for me performing is very real, and so it should be.
Tony, when you were asked to join Venom what was the concept or idea as for how the music should evolve going forward?
When I was asked by Abaddon and the then Venom manager, they simply said there was only one person who could do the job and fit the bill. As I’d been so close to Venom as we were all friends and I knew the band from the first single and first local shows in front of thirty people when Clive Archer was still their vocalist. I was a friend and fan and they realised following the release of ‘Possessed’ not being received well with Mantas leaving and sales failing. After the failure of ‘Calm Before The Storm’ they’d lost their way and said I could bring them back …
Of course when I was originally asked there was no Mantas, they’d tried bringing him back and he said no. I began writing on songs immediately but made it clear to everyone that Mantas had to be in or it would not work. They asked me to discuss matters with Jeff ‘Mantas’ and he said: “Ok, if you do it I will” to which I replied: “Well I’ll only do it if you will” and so that was that, I brought him back in.
By that point I’d composed Parasite, Prime Evil (although faster), Blackened Are The Priests and Carnivorous and spent a month every night falling asleep to the ‘Welcome To Hell’ album absorbing the intense youthfulness and chaos that made it so fantastic. I didn’t want to emulate the poor production as that was not by design back then, but by accident. I just needed for the songs to be uncompromising and powerful punky metal with 100% attitude.
Tony during his time with Venom. Photographer is unknown. From the collection of Tony Dolan.
From the three Venom albums you were involved in between 1989 and 1992 "Prime Evil" is generally regarded as the strongest and probably the one that comes closest to the very early Venom albums. Please expand on the making of those albums and how you view them in hindsight.
As for ‘Prime Evil’ I’d have to agree but I think it’s because we had a producer and we were all involved with the cover artwork as well. I had written several songs before Mantas returned and I think we were all inspired and motivated to do it again. We did do four albums actually, one was old songs redone plus two new tracks, being ‘Kissing The Beast.
As for the latter albums Mantas and I had no input on the artwork hence they lack any connection to the music. Also, they did not have any producers as Abaddon and the manager had figured out they could keep the producers fee from the label if done DIY. I was never paid for any songs written, merchandise sold or tours and never received royalties for anything.
In my opinion those latter albums suffered as a consequence of greed and not a lack of song writing. I ended up remastering and releasing them all in a box set few years ago as ‘The Demolition Years’ and tried to make up for some of that. All vinyl, cassette and CD product sold out instantly.
What was it like being in Venom?
Nuts (laughs), to be fair it was great at first but unfortunately I was never paid for anything over the span of ten years, whether it be for live shows, merchandising or all the songs I wrote over four releases! I was ripped off by the same two people who had asked me to join to help them! Aside from the criminality though I did make music I love with my friends and played many great shows and enjoyed that side of it all. Every show was packed and the albums were well received, so in that sense the objective was achieved I suppose. The support was truly incredible everywhere we went and it was an honour to play for the fans and humbling how they took me to their heart…
At one point you joined up with Mantas to play in the band Mantas. What was that like?
Ah yes, well Jeff ‘Mantas’ called me to ask if I’d play bass on his solo album, and of course I said yes. So I had four days to listen and work my parts out and on the last day I finished work then drove six hours, worked over night, and then drove six hours back to work, crazy…I ended up playing two shows with them, London and Earthshaker Festival in Germany then left them to it…Great people and great fun…
Tony, how did Venom Inc. come about, and why?
Back in 2015 I was asked by Oliver Weinsheimer who runs Keep It True festival in Germany if I’d consider playing with my band Mpire Of Evil and at the end do a handful of Venom classics with Abaddon on drums as a surprise treat for the two thousand fans in attendance.
We did it and I got inundated with requests for us to play shows from Japan to Chile. So it was not something planned but rather fan driven from the start. I chose the name Venom Incorporated only to suggest we included our Venom history songs in along with all our other music ‘incorporated’ into what we do, but it soon became just Venom Inc..
Tony in Venom Inc., photographers are unknown. From the collection of Tony Dolan.
Tony, thank you for taking the time. Any closing statements?
Just to say thank you for the loyalty and support of the fans from around the world when it comes to all my musical ventures for more than forty years now. Without YOU the bands are nothing! So thank you ALL and here’s to another 40+!
Tony in recent times. Photographer is unknown. From the collection of Tony Dolan.
