Cronos |Dancing In The Fire |Dissonance Productions (Reissue)

Release Date March 13^th, 2026
Format CD
Genre Heavy Metal
Country United Kingdom

Conrad Lant, aka Cronos, is the bass-playing maniac who fronted the notorious Newcastle outfit Venom responsible for sparking extreme music in 1978. Fusing raw punk and heavy metal, his former crew ignited the black metal movement and forged the blueprint for thrash and speed metal. Mainstream media despised their noise. Popular rockers like Jon Bon Jovi complained they gave heavy music a bad name. Diehard headbangers worshipped the fast, abrasive chaos, devouring essential albums like "Welcome To Hell", "Black Metal", and "At War With Satan". The original lineup eventually fractured. Lars Ulrich correctly stated they started death, speed, and black metal. Years down the line, Dave Grohl recruited Cronos for his Probot project on the song "Centuries Of Sin", cementing his massive influence.

Cronos returns swinging on "Dancing In The Fire", originally dropped in 1990 on Neat Records. This Dissonance Productions re-issue resurrects a raging chapter of his solo history. He teamed up with guitarists Jim Clare and Mike Hickey from the "Calm Before The Storm" era. Clare previously shredded in Tank. Hickey later joined Cathedral before teching for Joe Bonamassa. Together, they unleashed a heavy, thrash-oriented assault. The music steps away from full-blown Satanic extremes, stripping back the pure black metal darkness. The sole exception is the crushing cover of "At War With Satan".

"Dancing In The Fire" is a vicious ripper demanding maximum volume. The guitar work from Jim Clare and Mike Hickey shreds through the speakers with absolute hostility. Cronos screams and thumps his bass with total aggression, perfectly matching the frantic thrash riffs. Songs like "Speedball" and "Terrorise" deliver a relentless beating, attacking the listener with chaotic speed and violent grooves. The audio captures the unhinged, rebellious spirit of the 1990 metal scene. Crushing drums and manic guitar solos drive the music into a complete frenzy. You get loud, abrasive metal played by guys who live and bleed the underground lifestyle.

Dissonance Productions stacked this release with excellent bonus material. Respected writer Darren Sadler provides extensive liner notes, including a brand new interview with Jim Clare. Clare also dumped rare photos from his personal stash into the booklet, giving diehards an awesome look behind the scenes. This entire package rules hard. "Dancing In The Fire" destroys the weak, proving Cronos reigns supreme across the entire metal landscape.  

Score: 8.0

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