British extreme metal originators VENOM have pushed back on the notion that the band operates as a solo vehicle for frontman Cronos, with guitarist Rage (Stuart Dixon) and drummer Danté (Danny Needham) describing the songwriting behind current album "Into Oblivion" as a genuinely collaborative process.
Speaking with Sakis Fragos for Rock Hard Greece, Danté detailed how the band builds material from the ground up together rather than around material brought in fully formed. "Every song, it's a group effort. We bounce ideas off each other," he said, describing a process built around jam sessions that get refined through repeated playback and group discussion before songs take final shape.
Rage, who has played alongside Cronos for two decades, directly addressed the perception that VENOM functions primarily as a vehicle for its frontman. He said he would have left long ago if he felt unable to shape the band's creative direction, framing any internal disagreements as focused strictly on musical choices rather than personal friction. The guitarist's remarks pushed back on a characterization that has followed the band for years, particularly given Cronos's role as VENOM's sole original member still active under the name.
Rage also reflected on the band's early years, recalling how harsh reviews of VENOM's technical musicianship affected the group when it was starting out in the early 1980s. He said the band has since shed that insecurity, now performing with the confidence that comes from four decades of influence over extreme metal's development, without concern for critics questioning their chops.
"Into Oblivion," released in May 2026 via Noise/BMG, is VENOM's 16th studio album and the band's first since 2018's "Storm The Gates." The record arrives amid a complicated landscape for the VENOM name: three separate VENOM-related touring projects are currently active, including efforts involving founding members Jeff "Mantas" Dunn and Anthony "Abaddon" Bray, alongside ongoing legal disputes over trademark designs and merchandise rights that were filed in 2024.
Against that fractured backdrop, Rage and Danté's comments serve as a pointed defense of the current lineup's legitimacy, positioning "Into Oblivion" as proof that the band operating under Cronos remains a functioning creative unit rather than a solo project wearing a band's name.