Cronos on New Venom Guitarist Rage
Interview with Venom Frontman Cronos on New Guitarist and More
Black metal legends Venom return with a new album in May. In an exclusive interview singer Cronos discusses their new guitarist and Venom's 'deceptively difficult' style.
In Suite 101's exclusive interview, Venom frontman Conrad 'Cronos' Lant talks about the daparture of former guitarist Mike 'Mykvs' Hickey and the arrival of his replacement, Rage.
Suite 101: Slayer's Kerry King apparently once said 'Venom were the best band in the world with the worst musicians'. Would you agree with that statement regarding your early days and would you say it still applies?
Cronos: “I would say we were young kids, we weren't taught how to play and we did the best we could at the time. I know Venom have had a lot of guitarists over the years and I would challenge any guitarist to come and think he can nail a load of Venom riffs. We don't play in a standard style – a lot of the ways we wrote the songs are not the way people think they are. I mean, the guy that we had on the Metal Black album, Mike Hickey, he's been to f***ing Berklee College of Music and he could not get his head around the riffs. Now that guy can play (jazz guitarist) Allan Holdsworth – jazz and everything – and he used to sit there night after night going over the riffs. We'd be there with the video – 'that's what he's doing with his fingers' and like f**k could he get it. What can you say when you have a guy with pieces of paper stamped by very clever people saying he's an incredible musician but he can't play this riff that this f***ing dumbwit from Newcastle wrote?
“It says a lot for that music. When we first started out it was all about crash-bang-wallop and get it in your face, y'know? We weren't as bothered about the notes as we were about the intensity of the music but I don't think the music can be dismissed as easily as some people think it can. 'Oh a Venom riff- that's dead easy'. I still haven't seen anybody else play those riffs as good as f***ing Mantas.”
Former Venom Guitarist Mike 'Mykvs' Hickey
Suite 101: So what happened with former guitarist Mike Hickey?
Cronos: "Well, last year with Mike coming backwards and forwards from America to England, he was commuting a hell of a lot. It meant every time he went back home, me and Antton (Lant, drums) were sitting here pretty much f***ed. When Mykvs flew in, it was pretty much a couple of weeks, boom, boom, we're ready to hit the stage. Obviously when Mykvs said that he couldn't commit to the band as much as he wanted, he didn't want to let the band down so it was time to part ways. Me and Mike have been friends for a lot of years and I know when a lot of bands split there's all this animosity but I was just really glad we could do this in a friendly way, see eye to eye and get on with our careers."
New Venom Guitarist Rage
Suite 101: And where did you find Rage?
Cronos: "Antton has known Rage for a number of years now and we're fortunate in that he hasn't really whored himself round every band in Newcastle. A lot of musicians have been in and out of about thirty bands. This guy's been in a few bands - he was actually in a Slayer cover band at one point – but he's pretty much kept himself to himself. He's a big fan of the music, lives for metal and he stood in for Mykvs just so we could get some rehearsals done. We put it to Rage – 'how would you like to do this?' and he grabbed it with both hands."
Suite 101: Does it always feel strange when you take to the stage with a new line-up?
Cronos: "It's interesting having the skinhead element adding a bit of nastiness! It's like looking across at Anton LaVey or something. But, this is Venom today and I'm really happy with where it's all going. It's got the power and the intensity and all the things I like about it. F***in' rock on!”
Read more from Cronos in Venom unleash their new album Hell, and for more exclusive metal interviews, check Gary Holt on new Exodus album. Or check out sludge metal legend Kirk Windstein (Crowbar/Down) on his new band Kingdom Of Sorrow.
