Venom Pioneering Metal Frontman Conrad ‘Cronos’ Lant Dies at 63

Conrad “Cronos” Lant, the charismatic frontman and bassist who co-founded the pioneering extreme metal band Venom, has passed away at the age of 63. The news was announced via the band’s social media channels and reported by the Guardian, though no specific cause of death was provided.

In a tribute statement, Venom highlighted Lant’s enduring impact on the genre. “For more than four decades, Conrad’s voice, bass and vision were at the heart of Venom,” the band said. “He created something that changed heavy music for ever. Venom never followed the rules. They forged their own path. And Conrad was there at the centre of it all — uncompromising, fearless and unmistakable.”

Lant was born in London into a musical family but relocated to Newcastle during his childhood. He began his career at age 16 in a group called Guillotine, which eventually evolved into Venom. Originally a guitarist, he transitioned to bass and ultimately took on lead vocal duties as other members departed. Teaming up with guitarist Jeff Dunn, known as Mantas, and drummer Tony Bray, known as Abaddon, the trio released their debut album, “Welcome to Hell,” in 1981. The record featured the track “In League With Satan,” notable for its backward-recoded speech about the devil.

Venom’s imagery, characterized by skulls, bondage gear, swords, and occult themes, initially led many to dismiss the band as a novelty. However, their sonic aggression and aesthetic profoundly influenced the development of thrash metal, inspiring seminal acts such as Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax. Additionally, Dave Grohl, later famous as the frontman of Foo Fighters, collaborated with Lant on the Probot project in 2004. The band’s 1982 album “Black Metal” is widely credited with naming the black metal subgenre, which was later pushed to further extremes by Scandinavian artists.

The group achieved significant mainstream visibility in April 1985 with the release of “Possessed.” The album’s timing coincided with the rise of the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), an organization led by figures including Tipper Gore that lobbied against explicit content in music. “Possessed” was included on the PMRC’s infamous “Filthy 15” list, alongside works by Prince, Madonna, and Cyndi Lauper. Although the PMRC hearings resulted in warning labels on certain records, the controversy significantly expanded Venom’s audience.

After Venom went on hiatus in 1988, Lant pursued a solo career under the name Cronos throughout the 1990s. The band eventually reformed, releasing seven additional studio albums, with the most recent being 2018’s “Storm the Gates.” Venom continued to perform live tours through the summer of this year.