Cronos Discusses The Importance Of Venom

The following story is courtesy of Jeff Kitts from Guitarworld.com:

Guitar World sits down for an in-depth interview with founding VENOM bassist Cronos to discuss the black history of his highly
influential - and storied - band.

1981 was a good year for metal. IRON MAIDEN’s Killers, BLACK SABATH’s Mob Rules, DEF LEPPARD’s High ’N’ Dry, OZZY OSBOURNE’s Diary Of A Madman: all quintessential, landmark albums in their own right, all indicative of where metal was at the dawn of the Eighties. The genre was still a few years away from poofy-haired MTV domination, but these and other releases, like RUSH’s Moving Pictures, with their singalong choruses and hooky riffage, hinted at the overly commercialized direction metal was headed. And the hard rock community - bands and fans alike - certainly seemed content with this evolution. Except three lads from the north of England, that is.

Conrad Lant, Jeff Dunn, and Tony Bray - three strapping longhairs from Newcastle, England - envisioned a different future for metal, one that did away with all songwriting convention, broke all known speed records, and scared the bejesus out of people. And they accomplished just this in 1981 with the debut album from Venom, Welcome to Hell.

“Venom was unlike anything at the time,” says Lant, known to the Venom legions as the bass-playing warlord Cronos. “People credit us with starting a movement and all, but the truth is I think it was inevitable. Punk had died. Metal was lame. There could only be one new way to do this — for metal bands to get some fucking balls again.”

Read the full article at http://www.guitarworld.com/article/venom039s_cronos_the_guitar_world_interview

Source: GuitarWorld