Cronos, founder of Venom, leaders of extreme metal, dies

He passed away a few days ago conrad ““Cronus” lantfounder, singer and bassist of the legendary Venomone of the essential names in the history of metal and precursor of what would later become black metal.

Cronos was, without a doubt, one of the great references of extreme metal, although listened to now its sound is not as extreme as it was when Lant “Chronos“guitarist Jeff Dunn”Blankets” and drummer Tony Bray”“Abaddon”released their debut album, “Welcome to Hell”in 1981, considered a direct precursor of black metal.

Who died a few days ago at the age of sixty-three, Cronos and his band emerged at the same time as the NWOBHM – New Wave Of British Heavy Metal – but they took the raw and fast sound to its extreme, becoming a reference for a new generation that, based on its postulates, would head towards black metal and speed metal, or even thrash and death metal.

Then they would arrive “Black Metal” (82), “At War With Satan” (83) and “Possessed” (85), with which the band grew until, after the release of ”Calm Before the Storm” (87), Cronos decided to leave the band for a full decade, during which time he would embark on a solo career.

After their return to Venom in 1997, the group released albums such as “Cast in Stone” (97), “Resurrection”(00), “Black Metal” (06), “Venom” (08), or “Fallen Angels” (11).