Conrad Thomas Lant – known far and wide in metal circles as “Cronos”, and the longtime frontman, vocalist and bassist of British black metal pioneers Venom – has suddenly passed away at the age of 63.
The cause of death is not known.
The sad news about the death of the legendary heavy metal icon was shared today on social media by his son Nathan (below).
Lant was born in London in 1963. At the age of eight he moved to Newcastle, where in 1978, right in the heyday of the ‘New Wave Of British Heavy Metal’, he joined Venom.
In a band inspired by the raw, primal, do-it-yourself spirit of the punk groups, Cronos – together with guitarist Jeffrey “Mantas” Dunn and drummer Tony “Abaddon” Bray, rounding out the trio – brought a level of fury to the British heavy metal scene that nobody had heard before, and all of the band’s snarling mockery was embodied in their 1981 debut studio album “Welcome To Hell”.
The follow-up album “Black Metal”, released in 1982, with its title track that became the band’s trademark, gave its name to – and shaped – the extreme metal genre that early bands like Mayhem, Emperor and Darkthrone would go on to slot into.
Lant left Venom in 1987 and started a solo career under the name Cronos, but returned in 1995. From then on, right up until his death, he steered the band through numerous lineup changes, with the final lineup rounded out by guitarist Stuart “LaRage” Dixon and drummer Danny “Dante” Needham. Lant played on all 12 of Venom’s studio albums, including the latest, “Into Oblivion”, which Venom released this very year.
In the photo: Cronos during Venom’s set on 13. 7. 2017, on the first day of the Bang Your Head!!! festival in Balingen, Germany (RockLine photo archive 2006-2026, all rights reserved). You can read the full report from that festival day HEREJ.
