Venom began in Newcastle in 1978, formed by musicians from three other bands, but it was their second album - Black Metal released in 1982 - that cemented their status in the rock world.
Conrad "Cronos" Lant, the longtime singer and bassist of influential British metal band Venom, has died at 63. Venom announced Lant's death in an October 1 social media tribute, remembering the musician whose voice, bass playing and creative direction remained central to the band for more than four decades. No cause of death was disclosed.
The statement looked back on Lant's work from Venom's landmark early albums Welcome to Hell and Black Metal through At War With Satan, Possessed and the decades that followed. "His music will never die. His voice will never fade," the band said in its tribute.
Conrad 'Cronos' Lant's Son Thanks Venom Fans
The announcement also recognized Venom's devoted fan base, known as the Legions, thanking listeners who supported the group through its records, concerts and changing lineups. Lant's son, Nathan, contributed a personal message to the tribute.
"He has laid down his soul, and his music will live on," Nathan said, adding that "the legend of Cronos will never die."
The wording carries an especially poignant connection to Venom's final album during Lant's lifetime. "Lay Down Your Soul" was released in March as the first single from Into Oblivion, which arrived May 1 through Noise/BMG. The album's release came exactly five months before Venom publicly announced Lant's death.
'Into Oblivion' Became Venom's Final Album With Cronos
Into Oblivion was Venom's 16th studio album and its first collection of new recordings since 2018's Storm the Gates. The 13-track record featured Lant alongside guitarist Rage, whose real name is Stuart Dixon, and drummer Danté, also known as Danny Needham.
The project had been in development for years. Its announcement cited the COVID-19 pandemic and recording setbacks among the factors that delayed its completion. Lant remained closely involved until the end, describing the process earlier this year as one that pushed the band creatively while requiring considerable work to complete.
BMG paid tribute after his death, calling Lant a "true original" whose musicianship and creative vision influenced generations of metal artists. The company said it was proud to have worked with him both on Venom's catalog and on Into Oblivion.
Venom Helped Change the Direction of Heavy Metal
Lant's legacy is tied most closely to the run of albums Venom recorded during the early 1980s with guitarist Jeff "Mantas" Dunn and drummer Abaddon. The trio released Welcome to Hell in 1981, followed by Black Metal in 1982, At War With Satan in 1984 and Possessed in 1985. Those records became influential reference points for later thrash, death and black metal bands.
The title of Black Metal ultimately supplied the name for an entire metal subgenre, while artists including Metallica, Celtic Frost and Mayhem have been cited among the musicians influenced by Venom's early work.
Dunn also responded to Lant's death, reflecting on the sometimes turbulent relationship among Venom's classic members while emphasizing what they created together. Despite their later disagreements, Dunn wrote that the three musicians "changed the direction, the movement and the history of metal."
Cronos' Music Spanned More Than Four Decades
Lant joined Venom during the group's formative period in Newcastle upon Tyne and eventually became its defining vocalist and bassist. Over the decades, the band went through multiple lineup changes, but Lant repeatedly returned to the Venom name and remained the central figure in its most recent incarnation. His career therefore stretches from records that helped establish the vocabulary of extreme metal to an album released only months before his death. For the fans Venom called the Legions, the band's October 1 statement focused on that continuity: the records, concerts and unmistakable voice that kept Lant connected to listeners across generations.
Conrad "Cronos" Lant, the longtime singer and bassist of influential British metal band Venom, has died at 63. Venom announced Lant's death in an October 1 social media tribute, remembering the musician whose voice, bass playing and creative direction remained central to the band for more than four decades. No cause of death was disclosed.
The statement looked back on Lant's work from Venom's landmark early albums Welcome to Hell and Black Metal through At War With Satan, Possessed and the decades that followed. "His music will never die. His voice will never fade," the band said in its tribute.
Conrad 'Cronos' Lant's Son Thanks Venom Fans
The announcement also recognized Venom's devoted fan base, known as the Legions, thanking listeners who supported the group through its records, concerts and changing lineups. Lant's son, Nathan, contributed a personal message to the tribute.
"He has laid down his soul, and his music will live on," Nathan said, adding that "the legend of Cronos will never die."
The wording carries an especially poignant connection to Venom's final album during Lant's lifetime. "Lay Down Your Soul" was released in March as the first single from Into Oblivion, which arrived May 1 through Noise/BMG. The album's release came exactly five months before Venom publicly announced Lant's death.
'Into Oblivion' Became Venom's Final Album With Cronos
Into Oblivion was Venom's 16th studio album and its first collection of new recordings since 2018's Storm the Gates. The 13-track record featured Lant alongside guitarist Rage, whose real name is Stuart Dixon, and drummer Danté, also known as Danny Needham.
The project had been in development for years. Its announcement cited the COVID-19 pandemic and recording setbacks among the factors that delayed its completion. Lant remained closely involved until the end, describing the process earlier this year as one that pushed the band creatively while requiring considerable work to complete.
BMG paid tribute after his death, calling Lant a "true original" whose musicianship and creative vision influenced generations of metal artists. The company said it was proud to have worked with him both on Venom's catalog and on Into Oblivion.
Venom Helped Change the Direction of Heavy Metal
Lant's legacy is tied most closely to the run of albums Venom recorded during the early 1980s with guitarist Jeff "Mantas" Dunn and drummer Abaddon. The trio released Welcome to Hell in 1981, followed by Black Metal in 1982, At War With Satan in 1984 and Possessed in 1985. Those records became influential reference points for later thrash, death and black metal bands.
The title of Black Metal ultimately supplied the name for an entire metal subgenre, while artists including Metallica, Celtic Frost and Mayhem have been cited among the musicians influenced by Venom's early work.
Dunn also responded to Lant's death, reflecting on the sometimes turbulent relationship among Venom's classic members while emphasizing what they created together. Despite their later disagreements, Dunn wrote that the three musicians "changed the direction, the movement and the history of metal."
Cronos' Music Spanned More Than Four Decades
Lant joined Venom during the group's formative period in Newcastle upon Tyne and eventually became its defining vocalist and bassist. Over the decades, the band went through multiple lineup changes, but Lant repeatedly returned to the Venom name and remained the central figure in its most recent incarnation. His career therefore stretches from records that helped establish the vocabulary of extreme metal to an album released only months before his death. For the fans Venom called the Legions, the band's October 1 statement focused on that continuity: the records, concerts and unmistakable voice that kept Lant connected to listeners across generations.