Mantas

Mantas was the band formed by erstwhile Venom guitarist Jeff Dunn (aka Mantas, naturally) following his acrimonious departure from the group, and their glossy, synthesizer-driven hard rock sound was indeed a far cry from the legendarily crude black metal pioneers. Not that the latter in any way translated into increased record sales, since the group's 1988 debut album — aptly named Winds of Change, and actually recorded four years earlier — was released by the promotionally challenged Neat Records. Rather, both the album and 1989's slightly more aggressive Deceiver EP were total busts with old fans and prospective new ones alike, proving that you can rarely teach an old dog new tricks — and never mess with fans' expectations. Mantas the band (which, incidentally, was rounded out by singer Pete Harrison, second guitarist Al Barnes, keyboardist Keith Nichol, and a drum machine!!!) disintegrated before seeing the 1990s, but a new lineup featuring former Atomkraft and Venom bassist/vocalist Tony Dolan was briefly convened to record 2004's Zero Tolerance LP.