CRONOS Of VENOM – UNDISPUTED METAL LORD

Unexpectedly, the arrival of Black Metal in the ‘90s gave Venom some well-deserved recognition as the undisputed godfather of a newly evolving scene.

It is hard to describe Venom‘s relevance to heavy metal as a whole. Part of the NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) movement, Cronos (Bass, Vocals), along with Mantas (Guitars) and Abaddon (drums) created a sound that exemplified extremity and became the godfather of multiple genres including, speed metal, death metal and of course black metal.

Growing up in the ‘80s, my introduction to the band came from friends I had who recently moved to the United States from England. I initially thought of Venom as a joke, I thought their music was sloppy and undisciplined when compared to bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest but the song “Buried Alive” off Venom’s second album, Black Metal, changed my tune.

I eventually some to appreciate their speed, distortion and blasphemy as a unique take on music that seemed hell bent on being polished and commercialized. In my mind, it’s not surprising thrash legends like Slayer have mentioned them as a major influence. I believe Venom’s formula can be traced back to every extreme genre that exists today.

Unfortunately, Venom’s influence on metal seemingly wanned after their first three albums: Welcome to Hell (1981), Black Metal (1982) and At War with Satan (1984). Initially, I felt like most NWOBHM bands, their relevancy, was overshadowed by the birth of thrash and the mainstream success of glam metal.

Unexpectedly, the arrival of Black Metal in the ‘90s gave Venom some well-deserved recognition as the undisputed godfather of a newly evolving scene. Spearheaded by bands in the early Norwegian black metal scene, such as Mayhem and Darkthrone, this scene defined black metal as a distinct genre and inspired other scenes throughout the world. A lot of Venom’s early concepts were utilized such as misanthropy and satanism.

Cronos was the undisputed voice of this movement. His lyrics, capitalizing on ‘shock value’, explored the dark topics that had not been featured in metal before. Cronos created something that changed music forever. While his influence on metal may never be truly realized, there is no doubt many bands would not have existed without his contributions.