Venom co-founder Jeff “Mantas” Dunn has paid tribute to Conrad “Cronos” Lant following the bassist and vocalist’s death at 63, setting aside the original lineup’s famously difficult history to remember the friendship that started it.
Cronos’ passing was announced on Thursday, October 1st. A cause of death has not been made public (per Loudwire).
In a statement shared following the news, Mantas revealed that he and original Venom drummer Anton “Abaddon” Bray had known about Cronos’ death two days earlier, but remained silent out of respect for his family’s wishes.
“I speak for myself and Abaddon , who I spoke to today when I say that, despite the turbulent history of this band, it was at the end of the day the three of us , who started something so special and changed the direction, the movement and the history of metal as we know it.”
A defining early run
Mantas, Cronos and Abaddon formed the lineup behind Venom’s defining early run: Welcome to Hell in 1981, Black Metal in 1982, At War With Satan in 1984 and Possessed in 1985. The trio would later reunite for 1997’s Cast in Stone.
Those records pushed heavy metal into considerably harsher territory. Black Metal would lend its name to an entire genre, while Venom’s speed, deliberately abrasive sound and Satanic imagery became an important reference point for the extreme metal bands that followed.
But Mantas’ tribute focused less on that legacy than on what existed before the years of arguments and fractured relationships.
“At times like this the thing I remember is the friendship that we had in those early days,that one for all, all for one mentality, that rebellious quality and the absolute driven urge to be something so different whether it was accepted or not.”
The guitarist also recalled having old footage of the three simply laughing together, before acknowledging just how complicated their shared history had become.
“I thank you all for the countless messages and as I’ve said, despite the history, the arguments, the name-calling, the ups and downs and the dysfunctional manner of this band,this hits hard.”
Mantas ended his statement with five words: “Rest in power, Conrad Cronos Lant.”
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