Released in the Fall of 1977, "VSB" had all of it's attention placed on the album cover rather than the art itself. Ignored were the smooth, velvety, soulful tones, with Venom using a 1954 Gibson 335 Dot with Bigsby Tremolo rather than his usual red and white Strat. Instead, an emphasis was placed on what might have been the greatest, most visionary cover art since Peter Blake's 1967 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band cover for The Beatles. Either way, the album went platinum in an unprecedented three months, and the DP rage was never stronger.
