Conrad ‘Cronos’ Lant, Venom frontman and bassist, dies aged 63

Conrad ‘Cronos’ Lant, the singer and bassist of Newcastle heavy metal band Venom, has died aged 63, the band announced on 1 October 2026. His performances and the band’s early records helped shape the sound and imagery of later extreme metal. No cause of death has been disclosed.

In a statement quoted by The Guardian, Venom said Lant’s ‘voice, bass and vision’ had been at the heart of the group for more than four decades. The band said he had helped create music that changed heavy metal and described him as uncompromising and unmistakable. Its announcement marked the loss of the musician most closely associated with Venom’s name and sound.

Lant’s son Nathan also thanked fans for supporting his father. In a message carried on Venom’s social media and reported by Louder, he said Lant had appreciated that support and that his music would live on. Neither the band’s statement nor the reports disclosed when or how Lant died.

How Cronos became the voice of Venom

Born in London, Lant moved with his family to Newcastle as a child. He joined the group that became Venom as a teenager, initially playing guitar before moving to bass and taking over vocals. The band had previously been called Guillotine. As Cronos, Lant became the face and voice of a lineup completed by guitarist Jeff Dunn, known as Mantas, and drummer Tony Bray, known as Abaddon.

Lant later described the ingredients of that approach in an interview cited by Louder: Motörhead was a major inspiration, while he wanted to combine Black Sabbath’s satanic themes, Alice Cooper’s theatricality and punk’s aggression. Speaking to The Guardian in 2019, he said heavy metal should be raw, dangerous and direct. Those accounts help explain why Venom’s abrasive records resonated beyond the band’s commercial reach.

Why Venom’s Black Metal mattered

Venom followed its debut with Black Metal in 1982. The album’s title became the name of a later extreme metal subgenre, although the music that developed under that label was made by many bands. The Guardian describes Venom’s influence on both black metal and thrash; Louder likewise traces the title track’s impact on the later black metal scene. Lant’s role was influential, but the genre’s development cannot be reduced to one musician or album.

Venom’s early work also reached musicians who pushed metal in other directions. The Guardian identifies Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax among the thrash bands drawn to the group’s pace and darkness. Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian recalled hearing Welcome to Hell as something startlingly new. In a separate Louder report, Exodus and Slayer guitarist Gary Holt paid tribute after Lant’s death, saying Venom had helped shape Exodus.

The impact was larger than Venom’s chart record. The Guardian reports that the band reached the UK Top 75 only once. Yet the title Black Metal endured as a genre name, while musicians in subsequent metal scenes cited the group’s intensity and presentation. That contrast helps explain Lant’s place in metal history: the group’s influence was carried through other bands as much as through its own sales.

Lant’s later years with Venom

Venom went on hiatus in the late 1980s, and Lant made music under the Cronos name before later returning to the band. The Guardian reports that he recovered from a climbing injury during another pause in the early 2000s. Venom continued performing afterward, including festival appearances in summer 2026. His stage identity remained tied to the group across those breaks and changes in lineup.

The band’s announcement did not specify whether Venom will continue without Lant, according to Louder. For now, the confirmed news is his death, the family’s thanks to fans and the absence of a disclosed cause. His recorded work with Venom, especially Welcome to Hell and Black Metal, remains the clearest account of why musicians across later generations regarded Cronos as a formative figure.