Conrad “Cronos” Lant, vocalist and bassist of Venom, has died at the age of 63.
Venom announced his passing on October 1, 2026. No cause of death has been publicly disclosed.
Cronos stood at the centre of the band’s classic early recordings, including Welcome to Hell (1981), Black Metal (1982), At War With Satan (1984) and Possessed (1985). Those records became fundamental reference points in the development of extreme metal, with Black Metal lending its name to a genre that would develop far beyond Venom’s original sound.
His abrasive vocals, distorted bass sound and uncompromising stage presence became inseparable from Venom’s identity, while the band’s primitive and confrontational approach left a lasting mark across black, thrash and death metal.
More than four decades after Venom’s earliest recordings, Cronos remained one of the most recognisable figures associated with the foundations of extreme metal.
Rest in peace, Cronos. 1963–2026.
