Home · Entertainment · Oct 1 archive
Conrad 'Cronos' Lant of Venom Dies at 63
Confirmed
In Short: Eddie Trunk, a well-known metal radio host, highlighted Cronos's impact, stating, 'Conrad’s voice, bass and vision were at the heart of Venom for more than four decades.
Venom's official statement expressed profound sadness, noting that Cronos was at the heart of the band's creation and evolution for over four decades.
Cronos, born Conrad Lant, was a founding member of Venom, which he formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1979 alongside guitarist Jeff “Mantas” Dunn and drummer Anthony “Abaddon” Bray.
The band's early albums, 'Welcome to Hell' (1981) and 'Black Metal' (1982), are credited with naming and creating the black metal genre, setting a template for future extreme metal subgenres.
Venom's raw, aggressive sound and Satanic imagery influenced a global movement in extreme music, including Norwegian black metal, death metal, and thrash metal.
Cronos continued to lead Venom through numerous lineup changes, releasing their latest album, 'Into Oblivion,' earlier this year.
Eddie Trunk, a well-known metal radio host, highlighted Cronos's impact, stating, 'Conrad’s voice, bass and vision were at the heart of Venom for more than four decades.
The band's recent lineup included Cronos alongside guitarist Rage, and they were set to release new material after a three-year hiatus.
Prior to his death, Cronos was involved in a legal dispute over the rights to the band's designs and merchandise, which he claimed he had created.
Cronos's son, Nathan, thanked the band's fans, known as the Legions, for their support over the years.
The band's official statement concluded with messages of gratitude and love for Cronos, emphasizing the enduring legacy of Venom and the importance of their fan base.
What this adds
The cause of Cronos's death was not disclosed.
Three distinct entities were operating under variations of the Venom name at the time of Cronos's death.
Cronos's legal battle over the band's designs and merchandise rights was settled in his favor, with him being recognized as the creator and copyright owner of most of the contested works.
What's confirmed
- “For more than four decades, Conrad’s voice, bass and vision were at the heart of Venom.” “From the first dark rumblings of Welcome to Hell, through Black Metal, At War With Satan, Possessed and beyond, he created something that changed heavy music forever,” the post continued of Venom’s first four albums.
- And Conrad was there at the centre of it all — uncompromising, fearless and unmistakable.” Venom next addressed their fan base, noting, “The Legions have always been an important part of Venom.
- Conrad "Cronos" Lant of black metal pioneers VENOM has died at the age of 63.
- To everyone who stood with the band through the years, bought the records, came to the shows, wore the shirts, shared the music and kept the flame burning — Cronos was always grateful for your loyalty and support." Nathan, Conrad 's son, said: "I want to thank all of the Legions for all of the support you have given my dad over the years.
What's still developing
- Venom, the heavy metal band the singer founded in 1995, announced his death in a Facebook post.
- “It is with profound sadness and broken hearts that we share the news that Conrad ‘Cronos’ Lant has passed away,” the band wrote.
- No cause of death was provided for Cronos, whose birth name was Conrad Lant.
- "Into Oblivion" was VENOM 's sixteenth studio album and marked the band's first new recordings since 2018's "Storm The Gates" LP.
- Prior to Cronos 's death, there were three different bands using variations of the VENOM name for their live shows.
- In June 2024, Cronos filed a lawsuit against Abaddon and Plastic Head Music Distribution Ltd in which he accused the distributor of selling merchandise with Lant 's copyrighted VENOM designs and Bray of approving the infringement through a licensing agreement.
- The dispute revolved around the fact that both parties were licensing and selling official VENOM merchandise featuring the contested designs.
- According to Law360.com, Lant testified in court last year that he joined VENOM in late 1979 and came up with the Satanic-themed designs used in the band's logo and album covers, which included goat heads, pentagrams and inverted crosses.
- Bray filed a counterclaim for infringement against Lant and Lant 's distributor, Razmataz.com Ltd., arguing that Bray was the real author of the works.
- Because Lant was able to produce numerous sketches which demonstrated his design process and Bray was unable to do the same, Bray was deemed the owner of the original logo, while Lant was found to be the creator and copyright owner of all but one of the other artistic works in dispute.
- When I was in high school, Venom’s music scared me cuz of the satanic themes and imagery.
- Cronos was Venom’s gravitational center f o r more than four decades, serving as vocalist, bassist, primary songwriter, and the face and voice of a band that punk-kicked the doors off what heavy metal was allowed to be.