Venom (band)

Venom are an English heavy metal band formed in 1979 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Coming to prominence towards the end of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Venom's first two albums—Welcome to Hell (1981) and Black Metal (1982)—are considered a major influence on thrash metal and extreme metal in general. Venom's second album proved influential enough that its title was used as the name of an extreme metal subgenre: black metal.

Band history

Early years (1978–1981)

Venom's original personnel came from three different bands: Guillotine, Oberon and Dwarf Star. The original Guillotine featured Jeffrey Dunn and Dave Rutherford on guitars, Dean Hewitt on bass guitar, Dave Blackman on vocals and Chris Mercater on drums who replaced Paul Burke, the original drummer when the band was founded. Blackman and Mercater were later also replaced by drummer Anthony Bray (b. 17 September 1957 in Jarrow, Tyne and Wear) and vocalist Clive Archer of Oberon after due to not living up to the expectations of Paul Burke on drums, and later on Dean Hewitt was replaced by Alan Winston on bass. Around that time a number of personnel changes occurred. Clive Archer, Eric Cooke, Tony Bray and Ian Kell formed a band called Venom while working at Reyrolles. Ian Kell was replaced in summer of 1978 and went on to play in folk band "Kropotkin Lied" In the late autumn of 1979 Conrad Lant, from the bands Dwarf Star and Album Graecum, replaced Dave Rutherford. Lant later switched to bass after the departure of Winston. The band members took on new stage names. Archer became "Jesus Christ", Lant "Mr. Cronos", Tony Bray "Abaddon", and Jeff Dunn "Mantas".

Bray

Bray (Irish: Bré, meaning "hill", formerly Brí Chualann) is a town in north County Wicklow, Ireland. It is a busy urban centre and seaside resort, with a population of 31,872 making it the ninth largest urban area in Ireland at the 2011 census. It is situated about 20 km (12 mi) south of Dublin on the east coast. The town straddles the Dublin-Wicklow border, with a portion of the northern suburbs situated in County Dublin.

Bray's scenic location and proximity to Dublin make it a popular destination for tourists and day-trippers from the capital. Bray is home to Ireland's only film studios, Ardmore Studios, hosting Irish and international productions for film, television and advertising. Some light industry is located in the town, with business and retail parks concentrated largely on its southern periphery. Bray town centre has a range of shops serving the consumer needs of the surrounding area. Commuter links between Bray and Dublin are provided by rail, Dublin Bus and the M11 and M50 motorways.

Bray (surname)

Bray is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

Bray (musician)

Brayden Gurnari (born October 17, 1972), known by his stage name, Bray, is an American musician and singer-songwriter, whose music incorporates rock, pop, and electro funk.

Early life and education

He was born in Vallejo, California.

Career

Bray began writing songs in high school, inspired by the nearby Oakland funk scene.

In 2003, he released his first full album, Independent Film.

In 2005, he was featured on the soundtrack of a San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival documentary, Blood, Sweat and Glitter.

In 2006, he performed at the "All-Star Tribute to San Francisco Music, Past and Future" at the Warfield Theatre, in San Francisco, California, alongside members of the Sex Pistols and The Doors.

His second album, Pins and Needles, was released in 2007. Two songs from the album, "Cocoon" and "Piece o' Cake", were used in the reality-television series Bad Girls Club.

In 2008, Bray released the album Live in Germany, recorded at a concert in Schmölln, Germany.

1n 2009, he released the album @mphibian, produced by Gary St. Clair. Prince and the Revolution keyboardist Dr. Fink performs on the album.