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Conrad 'Cronos' Lant was the founding singer and bassist of Venom, a British band active since 1978. The group is considered pioneers of extreme metal, with albums such as 'Welcome to Hell' (1981) and 'Black Metal' (1982) which influenced genres such as thrash and death metal. Lant had also pursued a solo career with the Cronos project in the nineties.
Conrad Thomas Lant has died at the age of 63: known by his stage name Cronos, he was the singer and bassist of Venom and a central figure in the history of British extreme metal. He passed away on September 29 and the news was confirmed today by the band, without the cause of death being indicated: “For more than four decades, Conrad's voice, bass and vision have been at the heart of Venom,” the group said in a statement. “He created something that changed heavy music forever.” The family, through their son Nathan, thanked the fans: "He left his soul and his music will continue to live. The legend of Cronos will never die."
Who was Conrad 'Cronos' Lant
Conrad 'Cronos' Lant was born in London on 15 January 1963. He then moved with his family to the North East of England when he was still a child, and in Newcastle he began to dedicate himself to music, initially approaching the guitar and punk and hard rock. In 1978 he joined a first punk band and subsequently founded Dwarfstar. At 16 he then joined Guillotine, a band that would later become Venom. Initially a guitarist, he switched to bass and then vocals, taking on the role of frontman. The lineup consolidated with Jeffrey "Mantas" Dunn on guitar and Anthony "Abaddon" Bray on drums.
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Venom's influence on metal
Then came the recording debut in 1981 with Welcome to Hell, an album destined to exert a strong influence: the provocative imagery, the lyrics linked to Satan and Hell and a particularly aggressive sound contributed to breaking with the canons of heavy metal of the time. The subsequent Black Metal, released in 1982, would have even greater importance. The album title in fact became the name of one of the main subgenres. The band exerted a profound influence on European and American metal: groups such as Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax recognized the importance of the Newcastle formation. Scott Ian of Anthrax remembered Welcome to Hell as something extremely dark and innovative for its time.
The Cronos project
Furthermore, Lant also brought a theatrical component to the stage: with leather clothes and a deliberately disturbing image he constructed a stage figure that combined provocation, spectacle and satanic iconography: he said that "Ozzy Osbourne sang about the devil. I wanted to be the devil". In 1988 he temporarily left the group and began a solo career in the United States with the Cronos project. He released Dancing in the Fire in 1990 and Rock 'N' Roll Disease in 1993, but without achieving the same impact as his parent band. In 1995 he returned to lead Venom, starting a new phase in the group's history. His musical activity was also accompanied by different professional interests: in the nineties he also worked as a fitness instructor and dedicated himself to computer engineering and graphics.
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