About this Artist

• Biography

Editorial Reviews

For the most part, black metal creators Venom have been issuing albums and/or touring in some form or another since their inception. But one brief hiatus occurred in the early to mid-'90s -- which resulted in singer/bassist Cronos issuing a handful of solo albums. With Cronos fronting a whole new lineup of Venom and recording/touring on a regular basis in the early 21st century, the double-disc compilation Hell to the Unknown was issued in 2006. Collecting all of Cronos' solo tracks, Hell to the Unknown includes a total of three albums -- Dancing in the Fire, Rock 'n' Roll Disease, and Venom -- with the first two titles being comprised of then-newly penned tracks and the latter being re-recordings of Venom classics. Expectedly, Cronos' solo studio albums are very Venom-esque -- tracks such as "Vampyr" and "I'll Be Back" could have easily fit on one of his then-former group's releases, while such Venom re-recorded classics as "At War with Satan" sound as dark and heavy as ever. Also included is a surprise or two, including a cover of Thin Lizzy's "Bad Reputation," which sees Cronos momentarily abandon his renowned growl in favor of (gasp!) semi-melodic singing. Venom fans looking to acquire all of Cronos' solo material in one fell swoop will find Hell to the Unknown quite useful. Greg Prato, All Music Guide

Customer Reviews

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