VENOM Frontman Talks About Guitarist Change

Steve Saks of LivingForMetal.com recently conducted an interview with VENOM frontman Conrad "Cronos" Lant. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

LivingForMetal.com: So what can we all expect from VENOM in 2007 after such a successful 2006? Do VENOM already have any plans confirmed?

Cronos: We've had meetings with our management team and label, agents and lawyers etc and looked at what we achieved in 2006, it was a great year with many positive aspects, although I want it heavier and more aggressive, we need to sharpen VENOM's fangs and take a bigger bite, we need to take this to the next level and move into the next phase.

Mykvs told us after the American tour that his other commitments are now causing him big conflicts, and he was going to find it difficult to commit 100% to the VENOM schedule in 2007, I must admit we were all having such a blast we forgot that Mykvs had other things he'd put on hold, I guess we just hoped he'd be able to get on with his other stuff in between working with VENOM, but anyway, I had alternative ideas up my sleeve ready for this day just in case.

The fact is he nearly didn't make it onto the "Metal Black" album, I was going to have another guitarist replace his guitars on the album just before we went to London to mix the masters in December 2005, I wasn't sure if he was really fitting in, and I also thought it might look too much of a parody to have a guitarist who resembled our other guitarist with long blond hair and a name not too dissimilar, plus as we knew he wouldn't/couldn't commit 100% to the band, this also caused conflicts with our management team to a degree, but after many discussions we decided to leave his guitars on the album and take a chance. The plans for 2007 are to start the year by working on the tracks for the new album, then play some shows from late spring through the summer and onwards, and this is what were working towards, so keep an eye on the website for updates.

LivingForMetal.com: If Mykvs says he cannot commit 100% to the VENOM schedule, does this mean Mykvs will be leaving VENOM? And if so, do you know when?

Cronos: We have just made the announcement in January on the VENOM website that Mykvs is no longer in VENOM. We decided that the time was right to make the move as this was as far as we could go with him, VENOM needs to progress to the next level, and as he cannot commit to our schedule then the time is right to make a change. If sacrifices have to be made for the benefit of the band then so be it, I've learnt a lot from the mistakes of previous lineups of VENOM, there's no point sitting around licking your wounds, everyone in the band has to be 110% into what they are doing as it takes the spilling of blood and guts to create a great band, and if a member isn't able to commit to this or isn't doing the right thing by the band, then its time to move on and find someone better suited. The best thing about this is that there is no bad feelings between anyone here as we both know this is the right move, Mykvs has even wrote to me outlining his feelings about the decision, he thanks me and Antton for giving him the opportunity to play with VENOM again and he enjoyed the experiences of working with the band, he said that he looked forward to seeing the next chapter in the VENOM story. He was concerned that he might tarnish the band name if he continued as he was always tired from traveling and didn't feel he was performing to the best of his abilities, he said, "I'd hate to have the band or music suffer due to my having to commute and live between the USA and the U.K. VENOM is bigger and more important than any one member alone, and out of respect to the legacy of VENOM; and both Cronos and Antton, I would rather leave the band on a good note than be known as the guy who fucked it up." He goes on to thank the legions for their support, Sanctuary and the Agency for all their hard work and professional advice etc, plus all the crew and technicians both studio and live who we've worked with over the last year. He also mentions in his letter that he looked forward to future musical collaborations with me and Antton, so for the new album I've decided to write all new songs from scratch, the demos I recorded with Mykvs and Antton will get put away safe and not used, then if one day we get the chance to work together again I'll get them out and see if anything's worth working on. Mykvs was also really concerned at how everyone would react to this news and he asked me how I thought we should deal with this situation, but I told him that there's no point making up any bullshit, there's nothing bad about any of this and we should just tell it like it is, shit happens so deal with it. It's not like there's been any fighting or anything, its just one of those things, that's life, and plus what the hell, it keeps us on our toes. I don't expect anything to be easy in life, and I always welcome a challenge. I can honestly say I never expected him to stay in the band forever anyway. He has never stuck at anything for very long in his life, and leopards don't change their spots.

Mykvs has helped me to establish VENOM with the "Metal Black" album and our live shows last year and that is all I asked of him really, he spent most of his time commuting back and forth from the U.K. to the USA and it really took its toll on him. He was always tired and looked sick most of the time; the jetlag must have been playing havoc with his system. He's been a mate of mine for over 20 years and this is because we'd always been straight-up with each other, he knows I prefer to deal with matters straight to my face and I'd help him out if he was ever stuck, it's only the liars and cowards that I can't work with. This is the problem with certain past members who went behind people's backs and lied about their intentions, they never last very long in this business. Yeah, they know who I'm fucking talking about.

LivingForMetal.com: Are VENOM now holding auditions? How do VENOM go about finding a new guitarist? Surely this can't be easy task, I don't think just anyone could fit the role.

Cronos: The new guitarist in VENOM is called: Rage. We met Rage (sometimes known as La Rage, or The Rage) a few years ago when Mykvs had flown back to the States to sort out some business. Antton and I still wanted to continue rehearsing for the live set and the album tracks while he was away, but it's not quite the same rehearsing with just bass and drums, so I mentioned to Antton how it would be cool if we could find someone local to stand in while Mykvs was away in the States, then after a day or two Antton mentioned that he knew a guy called Rage who would probably be able to learn the tracks as he is a total metalhead. Rage came along to our rehearsal studios and we discussed what we were after, he said it would be a pleasure to stand in for Mykvs and we set about teaching him the tracks. Rage is bang into metal and came to the first rehearsals with three of his BC Rich guitars, we started going through the tracks and it became apparent why his name is Rage, his playing style is quite aggressive and he's fond of using his trem bar quite a lot, he told us he's listens to bands like TESTAMENT, SLAYER and ARCH ENEMY etc, so we started rehearsing with him whenever Mykvs was out of the U.K., which was great for Antton and I as when Mykvs came back to get ready for the shows etc we were tight as fuck.

When Mykvs told us of his commitment concerns we immediately thought about asking Rage if he'd ever consider playing in the band on a more permanent basis. We weren't sure if he'd even considered it, but we thought he had the right pedigree to make a great addition to the band. The good news is he was right up for it in fact, he was gobsmacked at first and asked what had happened to Mykvs, so we told him straight that if Mykvs had been able to avoid his situation then we wouldn't be having this conversation. Rage started leaping around the room with excitement; we got straight into rehearsals to start work on the new tracks and the tracks for our next live shows. We've now had a couple of photo sessions and we've sent the shots off to the label and our webmaster so the modifications can be made to the website. We're now sorting out other interviews and recordings etc.

LivingForMetal.com: So when can we expect a new album? And are the fans gonna be able to hear Rage playing before your shows in the summer?

Cronos: Indeed, as were recording demos right now I'm gonna do the same as the last album and send a sample or two to the website for the legions to hear, they'll put them on the multimedia section, plus were filming some video stuff with Rage which we may also have ready soon for the website. I'm actually very keen to put some new recordings with Rage on the website so everyone can hear this mad fucker at work. I've always been a big fan of guitar dives and mayhem and even when we were just in rehearsals with him I told Antton that this maniac would sound great in the band, it is what the VENOM sound is about, getting down and nasty with your axe, I mean he has no problem playing any of the solos of the classic tracks and he can play the "Metal Black" solos note for note. I just keep encouraging him to go mental, and in tracks like at the end of "Warhead" he can really let rip.

With regards to the new album, we've been and are currently hard at work on the new demo tracks, this is why we've been so quiet since we came back from the U.S. tour. We've been heads down in the studio with the new guy and the new tracks. We've pencilled in around September for the next album release, again on the Sanctuary Records label.

Read the entire interview at LivingForMetal.com.