CORONER

Technical Thrash Metal / Thrash Metal / Groove Metal • Switzerland

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Coroner was a Swiss technical thrash metal band from Zurich. They garnered relatively little attention outside of Europe. They combined elements of thrash, progressive rock, jazz, and industrial metal with suitably gruff vocals that have put them at times in a death metal camp. They did not completely fall into any of those categories but integrated influences from them while some defined their style. With their increasingly complex style of progressive rock-infused thrash, they are often labeled as "the Rush of thrash metal" by music critics.

Coroner were originally the roadcrew for Celtic Frost. They eventually formed their own group, recording their demo Death Cult in 1986 with Tom G. Warrior of Celtic Frost on vocals. Their first full-length album R.I.P., released in 1987, featured bass player Ron Broder on vocals and he assumed the role for the rest of the group's existence.

The group released several albums through 1993, read more...

Thanks to UMUR, adg211288 for the updates

Coroner - Die By My Hand online metal music video by CORONER

Coroner - Die By My Hand
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Coroner - Reborn Through Hate (live) online metal music video by CORONER

Coroner - Reborn Through Hate (live)
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Coroner - Nosferatu online metal music video by CORONER

Coroner - Nosferatu
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CORONER-Masked Jackal online metal music video by CORONER

CORONER-Masked Jackal
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CORONER Discography

CORONER albums / top albums

3.89 | 24 ratings

R.I.P.
Technical Thrash Metal 1987

CORONER Punishment for Decadence album cover

3.93 | 31 ratings

Punishment for Decadence
Technical Thrash Metal 1988

4.38 | 44 ratings

No More Color
Technical Thrash Metal 1989

4.15 | 37 ratings

Mental Vortex
Technical Thrash Metal 1991

3.79 | 22 ratings

Grin
Groove Metal 1993

CORONER EPs & splits

CORONER Doomsday News III - Thrashing East Live album cover

3.50 | 1 ratings

Doomsday News III - Thrashing East Live
Technical Thrash Metal 1990

CORONER live albums

CORONER demos, promos, fans club and other releases (no bootlegs)

0.00 | 0 ratings

Depth of Hell
Thrash Metal 1983

3.00 | 1 ratings

Death Cult
Thrash Metal 1986

0.00 | 0 ratings

R.I.P.
Technical Thrash Metal 1987

0.00 | 0 ratings

Punishment for Decadence
Technical Thrash Metal 1988

0.00 | 0 ratings

Last Entertainment
Technical Thrash Metal 1989

0.00 | 0 ratings

Die By My Hand
Technical Thrash Metal 1989

CORONER I Want You (She's So Heavy) album cover

5.00 | 1 ratings

I Want You (She's So Heavy)
Technical Thrash Metal 1991

0.00 | 0 ratings

About Life
Technical Thrash Metal 1991

CORONER re-issues & compilations

3.94 | 4 ratings

Coroner
Technical Thrash Metal 1995

CORONER The Unknown (Unreleased Tracks 1985 - 1995) album cover

0.00 | 0 ratings

The Unknown (Unreleased Tracks 1985 - 1995)
Technical Thrash Metal 1996

CORONER Autopsy: The Years 1985-2014 in Pictures album cover

0.00 | 0 ratings

Autopsy: The Years 1985-2014 in Pictures
Technical Thrash Metal 2016

CORONER singles (1)

0.00 | 0 ratings

Purple Haze
Technical Thrash Metal 1989

CORONER movies (DVD, Blu-Ray or VHS)

0.00 | 0 ratings

No More Color Tour '90 - Live In East Berlin
Technical Thrash Metal 1990

CORONER Reviews

CORONER Coroner

Boxset / Compilation · 1995 · Technical Thrash Metal

UMUR

"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.

3 months ago
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Report #880733

CORONER Death Cult

Demo · 1986 · Thrash Metal

UMUR

"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.

1 year ago
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Report #866305

CORONER Grin

Album · 1993 · Groove Metal

UMUR

"Grin" is the 5th full-length studio album by Swiss thrash metal act Coroner. The album was released through Noise Records in September 1993. It´s the successor to "Mental Vortex" from 1991. "Grin" is generally an album which divide the waters, because Coroner changed their musical direction quite a bit on this album. The signs were already there on "Mental Vortex (1991)" though, as that album introduced a more cold and clinical sound, as opposed to the more organic sounding first three albums.

"Grin" further explores the colder and more clinical sounding thrash metal style of the predecessor, but adds a repetitive industrial element and generally features less focus on technical thrash metal playing and a little more focus on groove (although Coroner are of course as well playing as ever, and there are still quite a few technical details to be found on the album). "Grin" features a bleak atmosphere, and the Tom Morris produced, Morrisound Studios recorded production, suits the material perfectly. The sound is a bit dry, but it´s both powerful and detailed.

The album opens with the short intro "Dream Path" and then "The Lethargic Age", which to my ears is a pretty bad choice for a first track. "The Lethargic Age" is one of the least powerful and least interesting songs on the album, but once "Internal Conflicts" kicks in, things begin to look a little brighter. The rest of the tracks on the album are a bit up and down in quality and catchiness, but "Grin" is generally a good quality release by Coroner. Other than "Internal Conflicts", I´d mention tracks like "Serpent Moves" and "Paralized, Mesmerized" as some of the standout tracks on the album. The tracks are generally pretty long, most of them ranging from 6 to 8 minutes of playing time, but the new repetitive element of the band´s sound makes this necessary.

As always the musicianship is on a high level. Marky Edelmann is a skilled drummer and he plays some pretty interesting rhythms on the album. Lead vocalist/bassist Ron Broder occasionally sounds a bit more restrained when singing on "Grin", than his more raw vocals on the preceding releases, but his vocals are more powerful on some tracks than on others. Guitarist Tommy Vetterli plays some creative thrash/heavy metal riffs and some absolutely brilliant guitar solos.

So upon conclusion "Grin" isn´t as different sounding from the preceding part of the band´s discography as many fans make it out to be. The overall atmosphere is a bit darker/bleaker and there is an emphasis on groove here not heard on previous releases, but at the end of the day this is still unmistakably the sound of Coroner. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

more than 2 years ago
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Report #215934

CORONER Mental Vortex

Album · 1991 · Technical Thrash Metal

UMUR

"Mental Vortex" is the 4th full-length studio album by Swiss thrash metal act Coroner. The album was released through Noise Records in August 1991. It´s the successor to "No More Color" from 1989. The three-piece lineup who recorded all three predecessors is intact: Tommy T. Baron (Tommy Vetterli) on guitar, Ron Royce (Ron Broder) on bass and vocals, and Marquis Marky (Markus Edelmann) on drums.

Stylistically "Mental Vortex" is quite different from "No More Color (1989)". The material on the 8 track, 47:30 minutes long album is still technical thrash metal, but the pace has generally been lowered and the tracks on "Mental Vortex" are predominantly mid-paced and heavy, and features fewer fast-paced sections than the case was on the predecessor. It´s audible that Coroner at this point in their career felt they needed to experiment and develop their style a bit more drastically than they had done between the first three releases (not that there wasn´t great development of sound between those releases too) and paired with the general change on the thrash metal scene in those years, "Mental Vortex" is very much an album of it´s time. Coroner have not "softened" their sound or have begun to incorporate alternative metal elements like some of their contemporaries did in those days, so it´s more a matter of songwriting approach and a refusal to be labelled "just" a thrash metal act. Their brilliant cover of "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" by The Beatles is an example of that. There´s an occasional dark, almost dreamy psychadelic touch to some of the tracks, which is a new element too, but Coroner don´t go overboard with those ideas.

"Mental Vortex" features a detailed and powerful, but also pretty sterile, sound production, which has robbed Coroner´s music of the organic touch it possessed on the previous releases (I´m not surprised that the album is produced by Tom Morris). It´s still a professional and well sounding production job, but it´s just very different from the sound on the predecessors. The playing is as always on a very high level. Especially guitarist Tommy Vetterli delivers one killer riff after another, and his solo work is extraordinaire (and often neo-classical influenced). Sometimes the technical shifts in rhythm sound a bit forced and awkward, disrupting the flow of the tracks, but other times those sections work pretty well.

In addition to the above mentioned cover of "I Want You (She's So Heavy)", highlights include "Son of Lilith" and "Semtex Revolution", but "Mental Vortex" is pretty consistent in both quality and style. So upon conclusion it´s another high quality release by Coroner. It doesn´t exactly reach the heights of "No More Color (1989)", which was always going to be a difficult task, but it´s still an interesting release in its own right. It shows development and reeks boldness, which are parameters I value greatly, so while this is not what I would call Coroner´s best release, I still think a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is fully deserved.

more than 2 years ago
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Report #215933

CORONER No More Color

Album · 1989 · Technical Thrash Metal

UMUR

"No More Color" is the 3rd full-length studio album by Swiss thrash metal act Coroner. The album was released through Noise Records in September 1989. Coroner was formed in 1985 and released their debut full-length studio album "R.I.P." in 1987. They are widely regarded as one of the seminal thrash metal acts on the Swiss thrash metal scene along with artists like Celtic Frost, Poltergeist, and Messiah. The three-piece lineup which recorded the debut album and "Punishment for Decadence (1988)" is intact: Tommy T. Baron (Tommy Vetterli) on guitar, Ron Royce (Ron Broder) on bass and vocals, and Marquis Marky (Markus Edelmann) on drums.

On "No More Color", Coroner continues the technically well played thrash metal style of "Punishment for Decadence (1988)", but add a few more progressive ideas and a generally more adventurous approach to the compositions. None of the aggression or rawness of the predecessor is lost here though, and "No More Color" is still a pretty intense thrash metal album. The band are incredibly well playing, and there are some jaw-dropping moments featured on the album. It´s especially the guitar playing by Tommy T. Baron, which is out of this world. His tone, his dexterity, his speed, and his choice of notes are very effective and quite tasteful. Marquis Marky and Ron Royce deliver very convincing performances too and the latter´s quite distinct vocal style provides that part of the band´s music with something unique. He has a talking/singing raw vocal style, featuring an understated aggression, that´s rather unconventional.

The material on the 8 track, 34:21 minutes long album is relatively varied, while still staying within the band´s core style. So while the music features quite a few adventurous/progressive ideas and sections, it´s not like Coroner suddenly shifts into jazz rock/fusion mode or they play extented instrumental sections or anything like that (although some of the guitar solo sections go through several tempo/section changes). Everything is neatly arranged and fits well within the band´s technical thrash metal style. While I think of the whole album as one long highlight, I´ll mention tracks like "Read My Scars", "why It Hurts", and especially "Mistress of Deception" as standout tracks.

The whole thing is packed in a powerful, raw, and detailed sound production, which suits the material perfectly. Every instrument is placed perfect in the mix, which results in a sound which does the music as much justice as possible. The guitar tone is fierce, the bass has a great powerful sound, and the drums feature a powerful organic sound. The vocals are placed slightly low in the mix, but that´s always been Coroner´s style, and once you get used to it, it only adds to the uniqueness of the album.

Both "R.I.P. (1987)" and "Punishment for Decadence (1988)" are great albums, but to my ears Coroner were only honing their skills and songwriting craft on those two releases and ultimately just warming up to this beast of an album. "No More Color" is intense aggression, technical superiority, and songwriting originality in one package, and there´s really nothing like it out there. Coroner hit gold here and I consider "No More Color" a technical thrash metal masterpiece. A 5 star (100%) rating is deserved.