Conrad "Cronos" Lant, Venom frontman and black metal pioneer, dies aged 63

Conrad “Cronos” Lant, the frontman of the legendary and highly influential UK metal band Venom, has died at the age of 63, the band announced on Thursday.

The vocalist and bassist’s passing was confirmed in a post on Venom’s official social media from his bandmates, guitarist Rage and drummer Danté, and his son Nathan, Blabbermouth reported. “It is with profound sadness and broken hearts that we share the news that Conrad ‘Cronos’ Lant has passed away,” the statement read. “For more than four decades, Conrad’s voice, bass and vision were at the heart of VENOM.”

No cause of death has been given.

Lant was a member of Venom from 1979 to 1988, and again from 1995 until his passing. Venom’s early albums — Welcome to Hell (1981), Black Metal (1982), At War with Satan (1984) and Possessed (1985) — are regarded as pillars of the first wave of black metal, and the band influenced countless acts that followed, including Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth, Consequence of Sound reported.

Nathan, Conrad’s son, said: “I want to thank all of the Legions for all of the support you have given my dad over the years. I know he really appreciated you all. He has laid down his soul, and his music will live on. The legend of Cronos will never die.”

Cronos’ death comes as a shock: Venom were active in 2026, playing their most recent concert on July 19th in Cremona, Italy, and releasing their sixteenth studio album, Into Oblivion, in May.