Black metal mourns pioneering Venom frontman, tell me about this news today
02-10-2026
Conrad “Cronos” Lant, the legendary lead vocalist and bassist of the pioneering British metal band Venom, passed away at the age of 63. The announcement was made through an official statement from Venom, which confirmed his passing “with profound sadness and broken hearts,” though no specific cause of death was made public.
BLABBERMOUTH.NETKey Details of the AnnouncementOfficial Statement: The band emphasized that for over four decades, Cronos’s voice, bass, and vision were the heart and soul of Venom, describing him as “uncompromising, fearless and unmistakable”.
GuitarPlayer.comFamily Message: His son Nathan released a message expressing gratitude to Venom’s worldwide fanbase (known as the “Legions”), writing: “He has laid down his soul, and his music will live on. The legend of Cronos will never die”.
GuitarPlayer.comNo Cause Disclosed: Neither the band nor his family disclosed medical details or circumstances surrounding his death.
Hindustan Times
Formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the late 1970s, Venomanchored by Cronos alongside guitarist Mantas and drummer Abaddonfundamentally reshaped the landscape of heavy music:
Naming a Subgenre: Venom’s seminal 1982 sophomore album, Black Metal, coined the name for the entire genre.
YouTubeFoundations of Extreme Metal: Along with their raw 1981 debut Welcome to Hell, Venom laid the groundwork for thrash metal, speed metal, death metal, and black metal. Their aggressive speed, distorted bass lines, abrasive vocals, and occult imagery broke new ground.
Ground NewsMassive Influence: Key bands across the extreme metal spectrumincluding Metallica, Slayer, Exodus, Celtic Frost, and Mayhemhave consistently cited Cronos and Venom as primary catalysts for their sound and aesthetics.
Tributes from across the global rock and metal community have poured in, celebrating Cronos as one of heavy metal’s most unapologetic and transformative architects.