CORONER

"We wanted to make the greatest record, ever". That's what Tom Vetterli said on the Coroner - Rewind documentary. Well, I don't know which album is the greatest record ever, but to my taste it is one of the best Heavy Metal albums, ever, including the future ones.

The band tried to realize their ambition at Greenwood Studios in Switzerland, a very expensive studio which Noise managed to book just because Queen pulled off the last moment and they landed a good price for it. Tom Vetterli was the mastermind of this ambitious plan. The tension that this project imposed on the band members was such that finally the group split. But let's focus on the music. Having perfected in just one album their new direction of Mental Vortex, it was time for Coroner to move into something new. The guitars are lowered to D now and the tempos are slower except on Internal Conflicts (once again samples from a movie are included and this time it is Aliens) which is the only track that could fit in a previous Coroner album. Everything else is totally different and well ahead of its time. On Grin there are elements from the industrial and the alternative metal scene, as well as a certain avant-garde tinge (perhaps influenced by their mentors Celtic Frost). The riffs are unbelievably groovy and heavy wrapped in a dark and sometimes even threatening atmosphere. The most illuminating example is Host which could well be used for a horror movie. This song is dragging and suddenly a sequencer that could be heard in a techno song comes in - and the metalheads of the time scratch their heads in disbelief. The answer to my question why Coroner never became a household name is this: they were too experimental, too progressive, too complex, too technical, too futuristic for the majority of the metal fans who seem to be satisfied by their favourite bands regurgiating the same old stuff. More than that, I don't think that Noise was the right label which didn't quite believe in them. Whatever the reasons, Grin signalled the end of the band and, what is even more sad, scarcely it is mentioned when the topic about the best metal albums is breached. Sometimes when I listen to it, the goal mentioned by Tom Veterrli comes to my mind and I'd like to tell him "But...you did!".

Verdict: an ABSOLUTELY essential album for the fans of progressive metal. Even if, eventually, you don't like it, you truly have to give it the chance it deserves.

Having perfected the thrash direction they aimed for with No More Color it was time for Coroner to move on. We are greeted on the cover by Mr. Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates off the film Psycho. When the needle touches the spinning vinyl, things kick off with a thrash masterpiece (featuring a sample from Re-Animator in the very first seconds) although the diminished 5th chords that Vetterli uses are far from the typical thrash vocabulary. The odd meter changes are here and this time the guitars are tuned a half step lower to achieve a heavier sound. Lyrically, the song addresses the issue of the final moment when you die. After that, the change of the direction becomes evident. Son of Lilith is slower paced, but immensely groovy although Coroner make sure that they make the life of headbangers hard with all these meter changes. The solo is superb - but then again all solos from this greatly underrated guitarist are more or less phenomenal. Semtex Revolution is along these lines, groovy, with constant changes that keep the listener's interest unfaltered. Sirens closes the first side of the vinyl showing no signs of backing down. Metamorphosis is one of the highlights of the album and generally of Coroner. The main riff is groovy as hell, the drumming absolutely driving. Pale Sister, once again, keeps the listener on their toes. It is plain that one has to be really concentrated when they are listening to Coroner or else they are bound to miss a lot of going-ons (I'm convinced that this is the reason why they and other bands of the same league never became household names. The founder of Noise Records, Karl-Ulrich Walterbach, has mentioned that even though they got ravenous reviews by the critics due to their originality, they still never reached big masses). This song alone leaves no doubt why Coroner fall into the progressive category. About Life is the thrashiest since the opener with very thoughtful lyrics (once in an interview Marquis Marky had mentioned that the biggest improvement from R.I.P. to Mental Vortex was the lyrics). Once again there are samples from another film, this time it is Hellbound: Hellraiser II. And then comes the cover the Beatles classic I Want you (She's So Heavy). It would be interesting to listen to all the covers of this song just to make sure that this is the best. A video was made for this one, too.

It was the second flawless album in a row that Coroner came up with. For many fans, this is their best. I really can't tell, but I do know that it is absolutely essential for all metal fans who want to listen something different to 99,9% of the releases out there.

From then on, Coroner truly separated themselves from the vast majority of thrash and heavy metal, in general, bands. The term "The Rush of Thrash Metal" that follows or comes before their monicker is not accidental. On No More Colour every effort to pinpoint some songs or moments as highlights is totally futile. From the frantic guitar lines of Tom Vetterli (who truly shines) of the opener Die By My Hand to the cinematic Last Enertainment that closes the album the music in there never falls from the top. Coroner put to good use their flawless technique and tremendous sense of music to make an album that will be commemorated and adored forever. It's hard to say why it hasn't gained the status of other, undeniably, landmark thrash albums. Perhaps No More Colour was too progressive with these off- the-wall rhythm and meter changes and blazing solos for the fans to feel connected with it. Oh, did I mention that the band wanted on their third album to be less complex than their previous two ones because they thought that it would be more beneficial when it came to live shows?

No More Colour (perhaps the title and also the cover have to do with the lyrics which are quite dismal) was the first of three successive albums that there is not a single superfluous note. Beat that.

"Coroner" in an epoymously titled compilation album by Swiss thrash metal act Coroner. The compilation was released through Noise Records in March 1995. It would be the last release by Coroner featuring new material before they disbanded. Some of the new tracks were actually recorded after the band split-up, as they agreed to unite for a final recording session. Only guitarist Tommy Vetterli is featured on all tracks though. A few tracks feature drums by session musician Peter Haas and "Golden Cashmere Sleeper, Part 2" features bass parts played by Chris Vetterli.

The compilation features material recorded between March 1987 and February 1995, and the tracks featured on the album are a combination of new recorded material and select tracks from their preceding studio albums. One track from each of Coroner´s five albums plus the two cover tracks by The Beatles and The Jimi Hendrix Experience, which are featured on two of their studio albums, and a few rarities. Because the compilation features no less than eight new recordings out of the sixteen tracks on the compilation, it´s often refered to as Coroner´s final (and sixth) full-length studio album. Two of those eight new tracks are short interludes though, so in reality you only get six regular length new compositions on this compilation. The remaining tracks are arguably normal compilation type material.

The new recordings are of course the most interesting part of this compilation, as most people already know the album tracks. Stylistically there aren´t that many surprises as the new tracks sound a lot like the material found on Coroner´s fifth full-length studio album "Grin" (1993). So it´s atmospheric, cold, and sometimes almost robotic/sci-fi futuristic thrash/heavy metal, which is how Coroner sounded at this point. It´s still technically well played, with blistering lead guitar work, and Ron Broder`s raw singing/talking type vocals in front. In other words this sounds unmistakably like Coroner.

The whole package is well produced and this is arguably a good quality release from Coroner. Ultimately I still find it a bit odd to release something which doesn´t know if it wants to be a full-length studio album or a compilation album. Had Coroner recorded just two more new tracks, and left out the "best of" tracks, this could have been their sixth full-length studio album, but now it´s just a sort of inbetween release, where as a seasoned Coroner fan you have to skip the tracks you already know to get to the new material (why on earth have they placed songs like "Serpent Moves" and "Reborn Through Hate" in the middle of newer songs?). A bit frustrating really. But when that is said this is as mentioned still a high quality release from Coroner, and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

4.5 - Excellent debut Coroner is easily one of the most underappreciated thrash bands of the 80's. With R.I.P. Coroner began their career with an excellent album. The band members using their virtuosic capabilities made one of the first technical thrash metal albums and certainly one of the few thrash albums also combining neo-classical shred metal. R.I.P. is a defining debut and also a criminally underrated thrash classic that should be mentioned with the greats of thrash.

R.I.P. sounds like no other thrash album I have heard besides Coroner's follow up Punishment For Decadence. On R.I.P. Coroner play high speed neo- classical tinged thrash riffs with virtuosic leads and solos. The tempo is almost entirely fast paced throughout except on the interludes. An intro a few interludes and an outro give R.I.P. some variety and a nice melodic atmosphere. R.I.P. uses a guitar picking style I have only heard on a few other thrash albums mainly Destructions Eternal Devastation and Coroners next album Punishment For Decadence. The sole instrumental Nosferatu is a clinic in neo-classical shredding and definitely would not sound out of place on an Yngwie J.Malmsteen album albeit the much higher rhythm speeds.

The band's performance is excellent throughout R.I.P. Ron Royce's vocals is the low point for R.I.P. and all of Coroner's future releases he sounds like an early incarnation of death metal growls with a more shouting thrash metal style. Fortunately his bass playing is excellent and his playing style has a similar sound to Steve Harris of Iron Maiden instead of following the guitars he sounds like another lead guitar except lower. Tommy T. Baron's guitar playing is easily the highlight of the album he is extremely underrated and has a very unique style that's all his own. The drummer Marquis Marky is quite good changing rhythm frequently with the guitars and provides many fills and fast double kick bass for the time.

The downsides to this album are few but they are definitely noticeable. The production is the typical raw European thrash style with a murky sound and a very quiet volume. While the interludes are entertaining and useful for atmosphere purposes they could have been combined into the actual songs themselves instead adding more tracks to the album. Finally the second half is definitely weaker it sounds like Coroner ran out of ideas and decided to just repeat the formula from the first half albeit less solid.

Overall R.I.P. is a classic technical thrash assault that is almost always overlooked. Best songs are Reborn Through Hate, When Angels Die, Nosferatu, Suicide Command, and Coma. I highly recommend R.I.P. to any person who wants an excellent piece of technical thrash from Europe.

"Death Cult" is a demo recording by Swiss thrash metal act Coroner. The demo was independently released in 1986 on cassette tape and limited to 250 copies. Some sources say it´s the band´s first demo, while others mention a 1983 demo titled "Depth of Hell", as Coroner´s first demo, which of course would make "Death Cult" the band´s second demo. No matter what the truth is, "Death Cult" was the demo which secured Coroner their label deal with Noise Records, and the subsequent release of their debut full-length studio album "R.I.P." (Noise Records, June 1987). Only "Spiral Dream" from this demo would be re-recorded and included on "R.I.P.". "Death Cult" originally featured four tracks and a total playing time of 24:40 minutes (three of the songs are over 6 minutes long), but later label reissues of the demo add two-three bonus tracks, which were also recorded during the October 10-19th, 1985 recording sessions at Magnetix Studio, Switzerland, but initially not included on "Death Cult".

It´s noteworthy than even though Coroner were already established in their classic trio lineup on "Death Cult", Ron Royce had not yet started to sing, and therefore the vocals on this demo are performed by Tom G. Warrior (Celtic Frost). His raw shouting/singing vocal style is a bit different from Royce´s ditto, but it´s approximately in the same ballpark, so they arguably suit the music well.

Stylistically this is relatively similar to the technically well played speed/thrash metal style of "R.I.P.". The recording quality is just not up to par with the subsequent studio release, which is of course only natural. The instrumental "Aerial Combat" drags a bit and is a bit uneventful, but the other tracks are of a good quality and it´s no surprise that Noise Records handed Coroner a contract soon after they heard the demo. So upon conclusion "Death Cult" is a good quality demo which had the effect a good demo should have. Introduce a band to the world and subsequently result in the band getting a label contract. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)

On Coroner's final album, Grin, the band's perchant for the experimental is given free reign for one last time. The raw aggression of their early albums seems to be questioned here by the technically adept and rather cold approach they take. In fact, the regular use of spoken word samples and the early 1990s production aesthetic keeps making me think they're about to take the plunge and go full-on industrial metal, though they never quite do that - in fact, they never quite focus their approach sufficiently to clearly suggest a direction they could go in after this, which I guess might be part of the reason why they broke up.

I'd suggest making this the last Coroner album you try out, because it's eclectic to the point where it's doubtful you'll dig the entire album from beginning to end, but it's worth it to see them dabbling in all the different directions they might have taken the project had they resolved to pursue one of them above the others.

Coming down off their masterpiece (No More Color), Coroner's Mental Vortex feels to me like a bit of a step down. The band's chops are still tight, but there's points where their technical thrash metal style seems tired and worn out. In particular, the closing cover of the Beatles' I Want You (She's So Heavy) is drab and unimaginative, in stark contrast to previous covers of 1960s psychedelic classics by the band. Still, it's a competent enough album which offers an entertaining listen, but it isn't the world-changing experience No More Color was and suggests that the band's time was running short at this point.

Man, how awesome were Celtic Frost? So awesome, even their roadies could blow lesser metal bands off the stage, that's how! Coroner's No More Color sees Tom Warrior's former road crew craft a punchy thrash metal classic which is actually more interesting than what the Frost were coming up with at the same time. Clever and showing a degree of technical adeptness without crossing the line into showing off, the trio cook up an intriguingly original thrash sound which proves that even as the 80s drew to a close there were still plenty of directions to take the subgenre in beyond what the Big Four were up to at the time.

A brief, aggressive outburst of thrash, Coroner's Punishment for Decadence takes a left-field turn at the end when the band wheel out a thrashed-up cover version of Purple Haze by the Jimi Hendrix Experience which succeeds in teasing out the proto-metal aspects of the song whilst remaining true both to the original tone of the song and the band's aggressive thrash stance. Ron Royce's vocals don't really match up to Jimi's original and are more suited to the muttered threats of the rest of the album, but otherwise it's a solid cover, though for the rest of the album the band seem to be treading water a little.