TONY DOLAN Tries Not To Have Any Issues With Other Former And Current VENOM Members: 'I Love Them All'

In a new interview with Poland's Televizornia, former VENOM and current VENOM INC. frontman Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan spoke about his relationship with other current and former VENOM members, including Conrad "Cronos" Lant, Jeff "Mantas" Dunn and Antony "Abaddon" Bray. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, definitely Mantas is my brother. Yeah, I mean, we're just brothers. It's as simple as that. We love creating music together.

"I think Cronos and Mantas in particular — Abaddon too, but Cronos and Mantas, they had some kind of chemistry together, and me and Mantas have the same chemistry," he continued. "You know [when] you have a best friend and you just wanna tell them everything and they tell you everything, and you don't know why. You don't need to share, but anything happens to you, you have to call them, you have to be with them because they just get you and it's that kind of thing we share. And Tony, Abaddon, of course, he's just such a huge character — so friendly, so open, so humble. He never truly believed in himself, I think. Yeah, it's strange to say. As far as his drumming goes, not the best drummer in the world — nobody would say he was — but it was right for VENOM. It was chaos, and VENOM was chaos. And now it's a bit different because the recording and production, so everybody wants to be clinical and tight."

Dolan added: "I used to go and see punk bands, and if the guitarist didn't play the solo properly, I didn't give a shit. I was in the moment. I wasn't on my phone. I was at the show. The more crazy it was, the better it was. And that's what VENOM had, that spirit. And I think they carried it very well. And they were three huge characters. But they have issues with each other. And I tried not to have issues with them. And I've been dragged in and dragged out of the issues, and I try to say… Even with Conrad, with Cronos, it's, like, listen, you're still doing it. You'll never not be Cronos. It doesn't matter what happens. The planet could blow up, we could all move to Mars. You'll still be Cronos who did those albums. So just love the fans that love your music, support the fans, be grateful to the fans. You don't have to be a dick. It's easy to be a dick, but it's easier not to be a dick. And the fans are the reason you're here. They invested in you. They bought your music. They wanna buy your shirt. They wanna come and see you. So, when you sit in your Lamborghini with a big cigar, they paid for that, their money paid for that. So if they wanna take a photograph, take a fucking photograph. If they want you to sign something, just sign it. Without them, you don't mean anything. So it's like coming together.

"But they [Cronos, Mantas and Abaddon] have issues with each other," Tony repeated. "They have had issues with me over the years, but I try not to have any issues. I love them all. For me, VENOM, from the beginning to the end, it's one family, but that involves the fans — the legions are the family. So I don't care which VENOM you like, I don't care which VENOM song you like, I don't care which VENOM album you like, I just want you to like VENOM. Wherever you come in, just like it, because it means something."

This past April, Mantas suffered another heart attack. The 63-year-old British-born musician, who currently resides with his wife in Portugal, previously suffered a heart attack and underwent a double bypass surgery in May 2018.

Dunn currently plays in VENOM INC. alongside Dolan.

Mantas sat out VENOM INC.'s fall 2023 U.S. tour after revealing that his wife had been diagnosed with cancer. He was replaced on the trek by Mike Hickey, known for his work with VENOM, CARCASS, CATHEDRAL and CRONOS.

Earlier this year, VENOM INC. recruited Marc "JXN" Jackson as the band's new drummer. Jackson was previously a member of M:PIRE OF EVIL, the group formed in 2010 by Dunn and Dolan.

VENOM INC. is not to be confused with the Conrad "Cronos" Lant-fronted version of VENOM, which is continuing to tour and make albums under the VENOM moniker. Joining Cronos in that group are Rage (a.k.a. Stuart Dixon) on guitar and Danté (a.k.a. Danny Needham) on drums.

VENOM's classic lineup trio of Dunn, Lant and drummer Anthony "Abaddon" Bray recorded four studio LPs, "Welcome To Hell" (1981),"Black Metal" (1982),"At War With Satan" (1984) and "Possessed" (1985),and live album, "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" (1986). Often cited by bands such as METALLICA, BEHEMOTH, CELTIC FROST and MAYHEM as major influences, they are one of the most revered bands of their generation. VENOM is still fronted by Cronos and headlines festivals all over the globe and continues to release new music while Dunn and Dolan have joined forces in the similarly named VENOM INC.