Former Venom Drummer Abaddon Diagnosed With Cancer

Venom drummer Tony Bray

Last week, former Venom drummer Anthony “Abaddon” Bray revealed on Facebook that he was diagnosed with cancer.

Abaddon posted the following message:

I noticed a mass growing on the side of my neck in July 2022, I thought it was maybe an insect bite as I live near the sea and it was a hot month here. The mass grew bigger and, urged by my wife Rachel, I went to see my GP who reassured me that it was most likely not cancer because cancerous lumps don’t come up over night usually, rather they take a longer time to grow.

However, she referred me to the freeman hospital in Newcastle to a specialist who reiterated her thoughts on the speed of my growth. He did some tests then sent me straight away for a biopsy. I had three samples taken and then went back to see my specialist who said that, sadly, it was lymphoma a cancer of the blood.

He sent me immediately for a CT scan and an MRI scan which showed that I also had cancer in my bowel and lower intestinal tract.

With his doctor, Bray has decided on six cycles of chemotherapy.

Venom is an English heavy metal band formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1978. Coming to prominence towards the end of the new wave of British heavy metal, Venom’s first two albums, Welcome to Hell (1981) and Black Metal (1982), are considered major influences on thrash metal and extreme metal in general. Their second album proved influential enough that its title was used as the name of the black metal genre.

Bray, one of the founding members of Venom was born on September 17, 1960.

My brother died from cancer at an early age of 54, younger than I am now. He was a outdoors kind of person, didn’t drink much, never smoked, very happily married. Was dead within two weeks of being diagnosed. Absolutely horrible disease.

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