MANTAS REISSUES 1988 SOLO ALBUM “WINDS OF CHANGE”
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The legendary VENOM founder and guitarist Jeff Dunn - better known as MANTAS - returns with an official reissue of his 1988 solo album "Winds of Change", arriving February 20, 2026!
Originally released in 1988 on Neat Records (home to Venom, as well as Raven, Tygers of Pan Tang, Fist and White Spirit among others) ‘Winds of Change’ came at a time where Mantas had quit Venom and, temporarily, the music business itself.
This pressing of the album comes fully endorsed by Mantas, with an extended booklet featuring many unreleased photos and images from the era, approved and supplied by Mantas himself from his personal archive.
Formed in 1978 in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England, Venom blazed a trail for a raw hybrid form of punk and metal, wrapped in an overtly Satanic image that is now credited with starting the Black Metal genre, as well as being an influence on the thrash and speed metal scenes that followed. Derided by the media but beloved of fans wanting a harder and faster fix of metal, Venom released three classic LP’s is quick succession; ‘Welcome To Hell’ (1981), ‘Black Metal’ (1982) and ‘At War With Satan’ (1984).
When Mantas returned with this solo effort, it marked a much more hard rock direction than Venom, and featured one time Venom guitarist Al Barnes alongside Pete Harrison on vocals. The release also features two bonus tracks taken from the rare ‘Deceiver’ 12”, including a Fleetwood Mac cover. The booklet contains an extensive new interview with Mantas conducted by respected writer Darren Sadler, as well as an additional interview with guitarist Al Barnes.
Tracklist:01. Let It Rock
Mantas recently reunited with original Venom drummer Abaddon and announced a series of high-profile festival appearances for 2026.
