Venom Inc.’s Tony Dolan Learned Jeff ‘Mantas’ Dunn Wasn’t Coming Back Through the Internet
Earlier this month, Venom Inc. guitarist Jeff ‘Mantas’ Dunn announced on his Facebook page that he was no longer coming back to the band. At the time, he cited some hardships that have hit him and his loved ones — including his personal health — as the main reason he was leaving the band.
For fans, that was a rather unexpected announcement, but apparently the rest of the band had no clue Dunn was leaving as well. During a recent interview with Metal Kaoz (as transcribed by Blabbermouth) bassist/vocalist Tony ‘Demolition Man’ Dolan revealed that he only learned of Dunn’s exit because of an article on the internet.
“Well, [Dunn] made a statement about a year, probably a year and a half ago when his wife was sick and a statement went out in the press that I didn’t know was gonna go out, but he just said that he wasn’t gonna do any shows until further notice. So he felt he wanted to express that to people.
“They live in Portugal. They’re quite secluded in a lot of ways, [with] not a lot of friends around them. That’s how he likes it. But he felt he wanted to stay there and be there for her, which, of course, you had to. But he put this statement out saying he wouldn’t do shows until further notice. So I just took that on board. I thought, ‘Well, there’s no pressure. I’ll just keep going. I’ll keep the bus driving, the engines running.’ And if she’s better, because that’s what we were hoping for, that she would be fixed, and when it’s time, then we’ll just carry on. Just come back and off we go. But I was at a point where I’ve got an obligation to the label, to the manager, to the agents, to the bookers. That’s a lot of people who then don’t make any money. So I have to keep it going. And you can’t take an advance from publishing companies or from record labels and then just run away with the money. That’s not how it works. So I had to keep working to push sales to pay them back for what they had generously given us as an advance. So, that was gonna happen.
“Then it got to about halfway through last year, last season, or maybe it was just before the season, she was doing better and he felt really good and he started to run through the material. We had a Belgian festival coming up. It was gonna be the first one [with him back on stage]… And he felt good. He was looking good and he sounded good and he sounded positive. Then I didn’t hear from him for three days. And then when I do get in touch with him, he’s in hospital and he had a second heart attack. And, of course, physically you might be okay, but mentally that’s two hits. And I think he just doesn’t wanna die running through an airport or walking on a stage in another country, a million miles away from home. And I can understand that. So, again, we were back to, ‘Okay, well, you don’t wanna tour. So I’ll do the touring. And then when the festivals come up, we’ll just see if you feel good about doing them.’ That was the idea. But then he was out of the game. So we just continued on while he stayed home and recuperated, really. And I kept sending him messages going, ‘There’s no pressure. Don’t worry about anything. Just get well. And then when you’re ready to go, go.’ And I kept making sure he was okay for money and everything like that. And then last week or something, someone sends me an image from the Internet saying, ‘Oh, why is Mantas not coming back?’ And I was, like, ‘Pardon?’ And then I get to see this Blabbermouth thing where he said he’s not coming back. And it was, like, ‘Okay.’”
Wild how that can happen, man. As it stands, the band still has to figure out who’s going to take Dunn’s space in time for their upcoming tour that’s supposed to start on January 8. You can find the full list of dates below.
Venom Inc. Tour Dates
1/8 Santa Ana, CA Observatory OC
1/9 W. Hollywood, CA Whiskey A Go Go
1/10 Brentwood, CA Brentwood Emporium
1/11 Fresno, CA Full Circle
1/12 San Francisco, CA DNA Lounge
1/14 Denver, CO Oriental Theater
1/16 McHenry, IL The Vixen
1/17 Chesterfield, MI Diesel Concert Lounge
1/18 Columbus, OH The King of Clubs
1/19 Cleveland, OH No Class
1/20 West Chicago, IL WC Social Club
1/22 Cambridge, MA Middle East
1/23 Brooklyn, NY The Meadows
1/24 Waterbury, CT Elite 23
1/25 Clifton, NJ Dingbatz
1/26 Newark, DE Halftime Sports Bar
1/28 Atlanta, GA Masquerade
1/30 W. Palm Beach, FL Banyan Live
1/31 Mount Dora, FL Mt. Dora Music Hall
2/1 Tampa, FL Brass Mug
2/4 Knoxville, TN Open Chord
2/6 Houston, TX Warehouse Live Midtown
2/7 Dallas, TX Trees
2/8 Corpus Christi, TX House of Rock
2/10 Albuquerque, NM Sister
2/11 Glendale, AZ The 44
2/12 Las Vegas, NV Usual Place
2/14 Roseville, CA Goldfield Trading Post
2/15 San Luis Obispo, CA Libertine Brewing
2/16 San Diego, CA Brick by Brick
