Departures of note

Conrad Lant, known by his stage name Cronos, was an English musician best known as the vocalist and bassist of the pioneering heavy metal band Venom. Born in London on 15 January 1963, he moved to Newcastle as a child, where he developed a passion for the loud, aggressive rock of Black Sabbath, Motörhead and Judas Priest alongside the impact of punk. In 1978 he joined the band Guillotine, founded by guitarist Jeffrey 'Mantas' Dunn, which soon became Venom; when the original singer left, Lant took over as frontman and adopted the name Cronos. With the debut album Welcome to Hell (1981) and especially Black Metal (1982), Venom injected raw aggression, provocative lyrics and horror iconography into music, and the album's title gave its name to an entire subgenre. Bands such as Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Celtic Frost cited Venom as a primary influence. After leaving the group in 1987 to pursue a solo project under the name Cronos, he returned in 1995 when the classic trio reformed, releasing Venom '96 and Cast in Stone (1997) and touring worldwide. He died in 2026 at the age of 63.