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I was saddened to hear just yesterday of the death of Venom frontman Cronos. It’s impossible to overstate the band’s importance in my own musical development, first as a fan, then keen amateur musician, then professional journalist and - finally - as a professional musician. The keen amateur phase was sparked by my passion for many metal bands but, above all, by my love of Venom. Their raw energy, fuck-you-attitude and us-against-the-world approach inspired my high school band P.I.G. to play gigs before we were ‘ready’ (whatever ‘ready’ is), performing original material while other local acts just ploughed through listless sets of all the usual hackneyed cover versions.
During my writing career, I came to meet all three original members of Venom, penning several magazine features and many reviews, but it was the writing of the booklet accompanying 1991’s best of and rarities compilation ‘In Memorium’ – that really kicked it all off. It was my first paid writing commission - £100 if I recall correctly – and seeing myself in print for the first time was exhilarating.
Cronos made a spectacular guest appearance on ‘Haunted Shores’, the closing number from my second and final album with Cradle of Filth, ‘Dusk and Her Embrace’. Although his vocals were recorded earlier and in a different studio, his epic, spine-tingling performance pushed me to go for broke. During the last one minute plus, the band got to perform with one of our all-time heroes, me throwing choirs, timpani drums and thunderstorm sound effects into the mix as if my life depended on it. It still gives me chills to this day.
So thanks, Cronos, for your immeasurable contribution to ‘Welcome to Hell’, ‘Black Metal’, ‘At War With Satan’ and ‘Possessed’ – four of the most important albums of my life. R.I.P.
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A sad loss, he's up there hanging with Cliff Burton, Dimebag, Lemmy, Bonzo and Dio \m/\m/.
as an old punk, I was lost when it started to fade in the 80s. Venom stepped up to the plate, loved their power & esthetic. "Light em up," heaven's on fire with Cronos as the spark -Tic- tok Boom!