Staff Infections- October 2026

Howdy, folks. It’s time for Staff Infections. It’s also time to talk about another death in the metal community. Cronos, founding vocalist and bassist of Venom has, presumably, passed through the seven gates of Hell at age 63. I was too young to appreciate Venom in its pioneering early days, but I got into the band fairly early in my metal journey because bands like Metallica and Slayer cited the trio as an influence. My first exposure was through a best-of compilation put out by, I believe, Relativity records. At the time I didn’t know how to take the band’s over-the-top blasphemy. I wasn’t sure if it was a joke or not, but the riffs were no joke to my ears, and that’s all I ever really needed. Joke or not, I really learned to appreciate Cronos’s delivery. I’m not sure how to describe his appeal, but if Cronos was a rapper, I’d say he had good flow. Few could spew out a bunch of satanic bullshit with such conviction and swagger. As for his playing, I couldn’t tell you if he was a good bassist or not, but his bass tone was fucking nasty. I’ve always loved his sound; the breakdown in 1,000 Days of Sodom gets me every time. Good bye to a true father of extreme meal. Rage in Hell, Cronos.

Let’s see what we’ve been listening to. It’s not a big month for convergent listening habits, but we do have winner for album of the month and a runner-up. Second place goes to avant-garde black metal band, Krallice with its latest album, Scour Order. Our winner is the legendary Godflesh, with what I can only assume is another uplifting folk-pop record in the recently released Decay. Actually, such an assumption is unnecessary, as Admiral Zachbar has a review for us right here.

That’ll just about do it for this month, but, before we go, have a listen to the staff-curated playlist below, and give us your own playlist in the comments. While you’re at it, if you will, give us your favorite Venom song. Mine is “In League with Satan”. Until next time, you all take care.

Playlist

• Andrew Edmunds
  Godflesh – Decay
  Europe – Come This Madness
  Rush – Permanent Waves
  Nunslaughter – Hell’s Unholy Fire
  Sex Prisoner – Cautionary Tale
  Gets Worse – No Bones
• Zach Duvall
  Godflesh – Decay
  Dream Theater – Images and Words
  Earth, Wind & Fire – That’s the Way of the World
  Parliament – The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein
  Pantera – Vulgar Display of Power
  Fates Warning – Parallels
• Captain
  Artificial Brain – Antillia
  Insomnium – Netherworlds
  Forsaker Of The Throne – Exhion
  Tantric Bile – Pyrphoros
  Rosetta – Temporal Lapse
  Ride – Nowhere
• Wolf Rambatz
  Godflesh – Decay
  Polymoon – Mariposa Magic
  Amy Mills – I Think We’ve Met Before
  Krallice – Scour Order
  The Tubs – Hard Life
  Iron Linings – Urban Abyss
• Danhammer Obstkrieg
  Thy Catafalque – XIII: Sárga Erdo
  Gorement – The Ending Quest
  Thorn Wych – Aesthesis
  The Keening – Devotion
  Draconian – In Somnolent Ruin
  Ivo Perelman & Matthew Shipp – Duologues 7: Distillation
• Lone Watie
  The Ocean – Solaris
  Mindwork – Adrift
  Sigh – Goh-Ka
  Miscreance – Reminiscence
  Ozric Tentacles – Harmonic Mind
• Isaac Hams
  Ana Roxanne – Poem 1
  Tove Lo – Estrus
  Lumsk – Einsemda
  Kristoffer Gildenlow – Humanised
  Triosphere – Oceans Above, Stars Below
  Autumnfall – The Archaic Sins
• Spencer Hotz
  Krallice – Scour Order
  Electric Light Orchestra – Electric Light Orchestra
  Green Carnation – Light Of Day, Day of Darkness
  Effluence – Necrobiology
  Wailin Storms – The Arsonist
  Iron Maiden – Iron Maiden
• Jeremy Morse
  Venom – Welcome to Hell
  Ripping Corpse – Dreaming with the Dead
  Chainsword – Blightmarch
  Darkthrone – Pre-Historic Metal
  Trouble – Psalm 9
  Arch/Matheos – Winter Ethereal

Posted by Jeremy Morse

Riffs or GTFO.

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