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Venom singer/bassist Conrad Lant, better known as Cronos, has died at the age of 63.
His band confirmed his death in a statement today (Tuesday, October 1). No cause of death has been given.
On Venom’s social media, Lant’s son Nathan thanks fans for the support they gave his father during his more than four-decade career.
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“I want to thank all of the Legions for all of the support you have given my dad over the years,” he writes. “I know he really appreciated you all. He has laid down his soul, and his music will live on. The legend of Cronos will never die.”
Born in London in 1963, Lant moved to Newcastle aged eight, where he joined Venom in 1978, during the burgeoning New Wave Of British Heavy Metal. Inspired by the rough, DIY nature of punk rock, the trio – completed by guitarist Jeffrey ‘Mantas’ Dunn and drummer Tony ‘Abaddon’ Bray – brought a raw fury to the UK heavy metal scene, first heard on 1981’s controversial yet ultimately seminal debut album, Welcome To Hell. 1982 follow-up Black Metal, the title track of which was the band’s signature song, influencing the namesake extreme metal genre, featuring such bands as Mayhem, Emperor and Darkthrone.
“I loved Motorhead,” Cronos said in 2019, “they were a huge inspiration, but I wanted to have the Black Sabbath satanic thing too, and Alice Cooper’s theatricality, and punk’s aggression. I wanted us to be evil.”
Lant left Venom in 1987, launching a solo career as Cronos, but returned in 1995. From then until his death, he steered the band through multiple personnel changes, the latest lineup being rounded out by guitarist Stuart “LaRage” Dixon and drummer Danny “Dante” Needham. Lant ultimately performed on 12 Venom albums, the most recent being this year’s Into Oblivion.
Venom’s statement did not say whether the band will continue without Lant.