The foundations of black metal shook in Tokyo on Sunday night as two-thirds of the legendary Venom lineup shared the stage for a rare performance. Founding guitarist Jeff “Mantas” Dunn and original drummer Antony “Abaddon” Bray reunited at the Shinjuku Antiknock venue on November 30, treating fans to a blistering set of classics that defined the extreme metal genre.
The performance served as a warm-up for the duo’s ambitious plans to celebrate the 45th anniversary of their seminal debut album, Welcome To Hell, throughout 2026. For this special Japanese appearance, Mantas and Abaddon recruited a “who’s who” of the local extreme metal scene to flesh out the lineup.
The all-star backing band featured Masaki “Gezol” Tachi of Sabbat on bass and vocals, Mirai Kawashima of the avant-garde metal legends Sigh on vocals, Shinji “Samm” Tachi of Metalucifer on drums, and Noboru “Jero” Sakuma of Abigail on guitar. The night also featured opening sets from Survive and Hell Freezes Over.
While the Tokyo gig was a triumph of unity within the underground, it also highlighted the ongoing schism with the third member of the classic Venom trinity: bassist and vocalist Conrad “Cronos” Lant.
In a recent interview with MetalKaoz, Mantas revealed that an olive branch had been extended to Cronos regarding the upcoming 2026 anniversary shows, which include confirmed stops at Germany’s Keep It True festival and Belgium’s Graspop Metal Meeting. The invitation, however, was swiftly rejected.
“I’ll tell you right now that for 2026, the 45th anniversary of Welcome To Hell, Cronos has been invited,” Mantas told the outlet. “He was invited by me. He was invited by the lawyers in the [recent] court case. His answer was, ‘It’s not worth my time.’ That was his answer.”
Despite the rejection, Mantas admitted he isn’t exactly heartbroken over the decision, comparing the dynamic of the original lineup to returning to a poisonous personal relationship.
“What I say to people is this. Fair enough, everybody wants to see their favorite members back together. We know that… Think of the most toxic relationship you’ve ever been involved in, how it made you feel. At your age now, invite it back into your life,” he reasoned.
The relationship between the former bandmates remains fractured by legal battles. In 2024, Cronos filed a lawsuit against Abaddon and Plastic Head Music Distribution Ltd, claiming unauthorized use of copyrighted designs and merchandise.
Reflecting on the early days of Venom, Mantas lamented how business eventually eroded the brotherhood of the band.
“We were three young guys in a band, happy to be in a band and jamming. And that was it. And to us, at that particular point, it didn’t matter who wrote the songs or who did the drawings or whatever. It was one for all and all for one.”
He continued, noting that while the imagery was iconic, the legacy ultimately rests on the music itself.
“Now, it doesn’t matter what your logo looks like. It doesn’t matter how good your album cover is… A band isn’t about logos and t-shirts and stuff like that — it’s about music. Why do you wear the t-shirt of a band? Because you like their music. It’s as simple as that.”
Despite the acrimony, Mantas offered praise for Cronos‘s artistic contributions to their catalog.
“Now, I’m not saying that Cronos didn’t write anything. He wrote some phenomenal lyrics, and I’ve said this. The lyrics to ‘Manitou’, I think they are stunning. The lyrics to ‘Nightmare’ — amazing. We came up with some great songs together in the later stages.”
However, regarding the album they are about to celebrate, Mantas was clear about the creative credits: “Welcome To Hell is my first attempt at writing songs. I hadn’t written anything before that — not a thing.”
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