Snakes Of Russia - Venom

The first time us composers here at The Hill have used a drum library that makes us sound like badass programmers in an instant. Snakes' has taken techniques honed over decades to present a tool kit like no other. Create drum parts tailored to your music without the need for loops or pre-performed rhythms. The environment we have designed is a meeting of minds who agree that creativity shouldn't be stifled or stymied by prescription. Through experimentation and exploration Venom will take your music down a much darker road. You won't know what you have done, or how you have done it. But you'll be glad you have.

"For the recording of my last LP I experimented with re amping drums and synths through loudspeakers and bass and guitar cabinets with incredible results…there is just something special added by capturing an otherwise dry and direct signal through an amp, capturing the room…it imparts such character on the sound. So when Crow Hill approached me for this library, I knew I immediately wanted to explore this idea further.

Because I am a firm believer in limitations, I chose to only use 100% analog sources to create the initial patches…these included a Moog Model D, Korg MS20, Roland Juno 106 and SH101, Soma Lyra 8 and Pulsar 23, DSI OB6, the analog voices in the Elektron Syntakt and Analog Rytm and various eurorack oscillators including a Makenoise DPO, SSF Entity Ultra Perc, and a Erica Synth Fusion VCO. These were sometimes blended with acoustic drum recordings and foley.

From there the patches were processed through various analog effects units including the Overstayer Modular Channel, Elektron Analog Heat, OTO Boum, Dynacord VRS23, pedals including the Earthquaker Devices Life Pedal, ProCo Rat, and EHX Big Muff. I then took all my source recordings to Seahorse Sound in downtown Los Angeles where we re amped them though multiple signal paths…PA speakers and an SVT 8x10 bass cab mic’d both close and far, as well as an EMT 240 Gold Foil Plate reverb and an AKG BX20 spring reverb, and then ultimately these were all recorded to tape."

Joseph Holiday aka Snakes Of Russia - 2025