Coroner (band)
Encyclopedia
Coroner is a Swiss
thrash metal
/progressive metal
band from Zurich
. They garnered relatively little attention outside of Europe
. Formed in 1983, the band broke up in 1996, but decided to reform 14 years later. The band will perform at multiple live venues and festivals around the world in 2011, and have said that new material is a possibility. Coroner's music combines elements of thrash
, progressive rock
, jazz
, and industrial metal
with suitably gruff vocals. With their increasingly complex style of progressive rock
-infused thrash, they are often labeled as "the Rush
of thrash metal" by music critics. Coroner's sound then progressed and the production became more refined, resulting in the more progressive No More Color
, Mental Vortex
and Grin albums.
for Celtic Frost
. They eventually cut their own hair, 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 to 1993, ending with a greatest hits
collection, Coroner
, in 1995. Lack of media exposure brought this band to disbanding in 1995 — and to their farewell tour consequent to their self-titled album in January and February 1996.
, Hellfest Summer Open Air
and Bloodstock Open Air
. The band was asked if they were planning to write a new album. Guitarist Tommy Vetterli replied, "you know, making a new album is kind of difficult... (Pause) Well, you never know. Maybe after four or five shows we'll get into it and say, 'Hey! Let's do an album!' Nobody knows what's going to happen. We don't have a master plan".
In April 2011, drummer Marky Edelmann was asked why Coroner decided to reunite after their 15 year break up. He replied, "It was a total trip; it was really like a time warp. It was totally strange. Sometimes you could play the songs automatically; it was still somehow programmed. It was really funny; your arms go left and right, and you don't know why. 'Oh, wow, that's why. I have to hit this cymbal right now.' [Laughs] So that was really quite a trip. It makes me feel like being [brought] back [in time] 15 years or more. And I missed playing drums, totally. That was also something I'm very happy about now — to just play drums." Marky also stated that a new Coroner album is not the cards right now, but he also stated that the band could reissue their back catalog.
In June 2011, Vetterli told RadioMetal.com that Coroner has been recording shows for a future live album and also plan to release a career spanning DVD in the future. Asked about new material, he mentioned that they might record one song or two. Tommy also stated that if Coroner makes a new album he will have to "try to convince" Marky and Ron and would not do it without them.
band with gothic
and classical overtones like Celtic Frost and Bathory
into a technical-based band. Coroner's first album, R.I.P., was based on neo-classical
lines and was technical and classically influenced.
The second album, Punishment for Decadence
, saw a progression into a more complex sound with a unison of bass and guitar. Tempo
changes interspersed mid-paced sections and the odd slow passage between the faster passages started to emerge. Lyrically, Coroner began to write about themes such as politics and personal introspection.
No More Color
was produced by Pete Hinton and the band. Coroner's music became more technical on No More Color
as the guitar work was characterized by intricate modes
and arpeggios, solo work that was chromatically colorful, as well as the de rigueur crunchy chords and speed runs; the drumming went beyond the 4/4 time of Coroner's two previous albums to incorporate unusual time signatures which became their trademark. Ron Royce's bass playing is also worth a mention as having an advanced three-finger technique which enables him to double the rhythm line as well as perform more intricate riffs. Prime examples of this are the opener "Die By My Hand" with its vicious riff
ing and the harmonic minor inspired riff in the middle of "Mistress of Deception". There is an altogether dark mood on this album that could be classified as death metal
yet spans many influences from other metal genres. The closer "Last Entertainment" is a prescient take on TV. The opening track "Die By My Hand" is a classic piece of prog come death metal. It is technical but also brutal.
Mental Vortex
continued the evolution over No More Color
. Continuing with the previous album's technical formula, the speed metal formula was re-integrated into Coroner's sound on this album but with a tone that made it sound not at all like R.I.P. or Punishment for Decadence
.
There were slower songs but none of the songs on Mental Vortex
stayed the same speed for very long. The songs on Mental Vortex
ranged from four to eight minutes. Overall, the tone was a shift from the thrash/technical of No More Color
which showed them gravitating towards their opus Grin.
The last track "I Want You (She's So Heavy)
" is a cover of The Beatles
song, and a video was shot of it.
Grin saw a much more industrial
sound and was a natural progression from Mental Vortex
but was different from most of their previous material. It involved a much more reflective guitar riff and underlying bass line. It was slower and more refined in its metal sensibility. Brooding guitar over Royce's bass produced an almost hypnotic
trance
-like sound on some tracks. The lead guitar still shone on all tracks.
Their eponymous album, Coroner
, was a compilation
which contained unreleased material and a selection of hits from previous albums.
The band appears on Brütal Legend
with the song "Skeleton On Your Shoulder".
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
/progressive metal
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
band from Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. They garnered relatively little attention outside of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Formed in 1983, the band broke up in 1996, but decided to reform 14 years later. The band will perform at multiple live venues and festivals around the world in 2011, and have said that new material is a possibility. Coroner's music combines elements of thrash
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
, progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, and industrial metal
Industrial metal
Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws from industrial music and many different types of heavy metal, using repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Founding industrial metal acts include Ministry, Godflesh, and KMFDM.Industrial metal's...
with suitably gruff vocals. With their increasingly complex style of progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
-infused thrash, they are often labeled as "the Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
of thrash metal" by music critics. Coroner's sound then progressed and the production became more refined, resulting in the more progressive No More Color
No More Color
No More Color is Coroner's third album. It is the release where they started to truly 'progress', as the songs are still similar to their older, speedy, European thrash metal but start to feature elements of the avant-garde progressive thrash of their later albums.-Track listing:#"Die by My Hand" –...
, Mental Vortex
Mental Vortex
Mental Vortex is the fourth album of the Swiss thrash metal trio Coroner. It is probably their most progressive and mature achievement and marks an improvement in the production compared to their first three albums...
and Grin albums.
Career and breakup
The Swiss thrash trio Coroner were originally road crewRoad crew
The road crew are the technicians or support personnel who travel with a band on tour, usually in sleeper buses, and handle every part of the concert productions except actually performing the music with the musicians...
for Celtic Frost
Celtic Frost
Celtic Frost was a metal band from Zürich, Switzerland. They are known for their heavy influence on the extreme metal genres. The group was first active from 1984 to 1993, and re-formed in 2001. Following Tom Gabriel Fischer's departure in 2008, Celtic Frost decided to break up again...
. They eventually cut their own hair, 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 to 1993, ending with a greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
collection, Coroner
Coroner (album)
Coroner is the penultimate release by the Swiss thrash metal band Coroner. It is technically a compilation album, although it features new material as well as selected songs from the band's previous albums. It is also regarded as their final album, even though it was succeeded by a final...
, in 1995. Lack of media exposure brought this band to disbanding in 1995 — and to their farewell tour consequent to their self-titled album in January and February 1996.
Reunion
In March 2005, talks of a reunion were in the works, but later retracted. The main reason was that neither Marky, Ron, nor Tommy had the time it would require to do this properly, and also that none of them liked to "reheat things, except spaghetti sauce." However, in June 2010, Coroner eventually decided to reunite and play at the next year's installments of Maryland DeathfestMaryland Deathfest
Maryland Deathfest is an annual extreme music festival held in or near Baltimore, Maryland, USA. The festival mostly features death metal and grindcore bands. It has always occurred during Memorial Day weekend each year....
, Hellfest Summer Open Air
Hellfest Summer Open Air
Hellfest is an annual music festival which takes place in Clisson, France in mid-June. It is held within the Val de Moine sport complex in Clisson, approximately 35 km south-east of the city of Nantes, and approximately 400 km south-west of the nation's capital Paris. Billed as an "extreme music...
and Bloodstock Open Air
Bloodstock Open Air
Bloodstock Open Air is a heavy metal festival held annually at Catton Hall in Walton-upon-Trent, England, since 2005. Previous line-ups have included bands such as Opeth , Children of Bodom , Nightwish , Cradle of Filth , Testament , Arch Enemy , Europe and Twisted Sister .Originally on one stage...
. The band was asked if they were planning to write a new album. Guitarist Tommy Vetterli replied, "you know, making a new album is kind of difficult... (Pause) Well, you never know. Maybe after four or five shows we'll get into it and say, 'Hey! Let's do an album!' Nobody knows what's going to happen. We don't have a master plan".
In April 2011, drummer Marky Edelmann was asked why Coroner decided to reunite after their 15 year break up. He replied, "It was a total trip; it was really like a time warp. It was totally strange. Sometimes you could play the songs automatically; it was still somehow programmed. It was really funny; your arms go left and right, and you don't know why. 'Oh, wow, that's why. I have to hit this cymbal right now.' [Laughs] So that was really quite a trip. It makes me feel like being [brought] back [in time] 15 years or more. And I missed playing drums, totally. That was also something I'm very happy about now — to just play drums." Marky also stated that a new Coroner album is not the cards right now, but he also stated that the band could reissue their back catalog.
In June 2011, Vetterli told RadioMetal.com that Coroner has been recording shows for a future live album and also plan to release a career spanning DVD in the future. Asked about new material, he mentioned that they might record one song or two. Tommy also stated that if Coroner makes a new album he will have to "try to convince" Marky and Ron and would not do it without them.
Evolution and style
Musically, Coroner evolved from a speed metalSpeed metal
Speed metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that originated in the late 1970s from NWOBHM and hardcore punk roots. It is described by Allmusic as "extremely fast, abrasive, and technically demanding" music....
band with gothic
Gothic metal
Gothic metal or goth metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that combines the aggression of doom metal with the dark melancholy of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy metal music...
and classical overtones like Celtic Frost and Bathory
Bathory (band)
Bathory was a Swedish heavy metal band, formed by Quorthon in 1983. They are regarded as pioneers of both black metal and viking metal. Quorthon remained the main songwriter and member of Bathory for more than two decades. Bathory was permanently ended after Quorthon's death in 2004...
into a technical-based band. Coroner's first album, R.I.P., was based on neo-classical
Neo-classical metal
Neo-classical metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that is heavily influenced by classical music. It refers to a very technical performanceExact quote from the french text: "L'arrivée du néoclassique remet au goût du jour la virtuosité et le travail de l'instrument", « Les secrets du metal-...
lines and was technical and classically influenced.
The second album, Punishment for Decadence
Punishment for Decadence
Punishment for Decadence is the second album by the Swiss thrash metal group Coroner. It bears many similarities to the previous album, except the band's performance is more precise and features increased use of slightly more melodic guitar work, as well as a slightly different lyrical style.-Track...
, saw a progression into a more complex sound with a unison of bass and guitar. Tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
changes interspersed mid-paced sections and the odd slow passage between the faster passages started to emerge. Lyrically, Coroner began to write about themes such as politics and personal introspection.
No More Color
No More Color
No More Color is Coroner's third album. It is the release where they started to truly 'progress', as the songs are still similar to their older, speedy, European thrash metal but start to feature elements of the avant-garde progressive thrash of their later albums.-Track listing:#"Die by My Hand" –...
was produced by Pete Hinton and the band. Coroner's music became more technical on No More Color
No More Color
No More Color is Coroner's third album. It is the release where they started to truly 'progress', as the songs are still similar to their older, speedy, European thrash metal but start to feature elements of the avant-garde progressive thrash of their later albums.-Track listing:#"Die by My Hand" –...
as the guitar work was characterized by intricate modes
Musical mode
In the theory of Western music since the ninth century, mode generally refers to a type of scale. This usage, still the most common in recent years, reflects a tradition dating to the middle ages, itself inspired by the theory of ancient Greek music.The word encompasses several additional...
and arpeggios, solo work that was chromatically colorful, as well as the de rigueur crunchy chords and speed runs; the drumming went beyond the 4/4 time of Coroner's two previous albums to incorporate unusual time signatures which became their trademark. Ron Royce's bass playing is also worth a mention as having an advanced three-finger technique which enables him to double the rhythm line as well as perform more intricate riffs. Prime examples of this are the opener "Die By My Hand" with its vicious riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
ing and the harmonic minor inspired riff in the middle of "Mistress of Deception". There is an altogether dark mood on this album that could be classified as death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
yet spans many influences from other metal genres. The closer "Last Entertainment" is a prescient take on TV. The opening track "Die By My Hand" is a classic piece of prog come death metal. It is technical but also brutal.
Mental Vortex
Mental Vortex
Mental Vortex is the fourth album of the Swiss thrash metal trio Coroner. It is probably their most progressive and mature achievement and marks an improvement in the production compared to their first three albums...
continued the evolution over No More Color
No More Color
No More Color is Coroner's third album. It is the release where they started to truly 'progress', as the songs are still similar to their older, speedy, European thrash metal but start to feature elements of the avant-garde progressive thrash of their later albums.-Track listing:#"Die by My Hand" –...
. Continuing with the previous album's technical formula, the speed metal formula was re-integrated into Coroner's sound on this album but with a tone that made it sound not at all like R.I.P. or Punishment for Decadence
Punishment for Decadence
Punishment for Decadence is the second album by the Swiss thrash metal group Coroner. It bears many similarities to the previous album, except the band's performance is more precise and features increased use of slightly more melodic guitar work, as well as a slightly different lyrical style.-Track...
.
There were slower songs but none of the songs on Mental Vortex
Mental Vortex
Mental Vortex is the fourth album of the Swiss thrash metal trio Coroner. It is probably their most progressive and mature achievement and marks an improvement in the production compared to their first three albums...
stayed the same speed for very long. The songs on Mental Vortex
Mental Vortex
Mental Vortex is the fourth album of the Swiss thrash metal trio Coroner. It is probably their most progressive and mature achievement and marks an improvement in the production compared to their first three albums...
ranged from four to eight minutes. Overall, the tone was a shift from the thrash/technical of No More Color
No More Color
No More Color is Coroner's third album. It is the release where they started to truly 'progress', as the songs are still similar to their older, speedy, European thrash metal but start to feature elements of the avant-garde progressive thrash of their later albums.-Track listing:#"Die by My Hand" –...
which showed them gravitating towards their opus Grin.
The last track "I Want You (She's So Heavy)
I Want You (She's So Heavy)
"I Want You " is a song by The Beatles, from their album Abbey Road. It was written by John Lennon, although credited to Lennon–McCartney....
" is a cover of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
song, and a video was shot of it.
Grin saw a much more industrial
Industrial metal
Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws from industrial music and many different types of heavy metal, using repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Founding industrial metal acts include Ministry, Godflesh, and KMFDM.Industrial metal's...
sound and was a natural progression from Mental Vortex
Mental Vortex
Mental Vortex is the fourth album of the Swiss thrash metal trio Coroner. It is probably their most progressive and mature achievement and marks an improvement in the production compared to their first three albums...
but was different from most of their previous material. It involved a much more reflective guitar riff and underlying bass line. It was slower and more refined in its metal sensibility. Brooding guitar over Royce's bass produced an almost hypnotic
Hypnotic
Hypnotic drugs are a class of psychoactives whose primary function is to induce sleep and to be used in the treatment of insomnia and in surgical anesthesia...
trance
Trance music
Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
-like sound on some tracks. The lead guitar still shone on all tracks.
Their eponymous album, Coroner
Coroner (album)
Coroner is the penultimate release by the Swiss thrash metal band Coroner. It is technically a compilation album, although it features new material as well as selected songs from the band's previous albums. It is also regarded as their final album, even though it was succeeded by a final...
, was a compilation
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
which contained unreleased material and a selection of hits from previous albums.
The band appears on Brütal Legend
Brütal Legend
Brütal Legend is an action-adventure/real-time strategy game created by Double Fine Productions and published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game was released during October 2009 in North America and Europe...
with the song "Skeleton On Your Shoulder".
Studio albums
- R.I.P. (1987)
- Punishment for DecadencePunishment for DecadencePunishment for Decadence is the second album by the Swiss thrash metal group Coroner. It bears many similarities to the previous album, except the band's performance is more precise and features increased use of slightly more melodic guitar work, as well as a slightly different lyrical style.-Track...
(1988) - No More ColorNo More ColorNo More Color is Coroner's third album. It is the release where they started to truly 'progress', as the songs are still similar to their older, speedy, European thrash metal but start to feature elements of the avant-garde progressive thrash of their later albums.-Track listing:#"Die by My Hand" –...
(1989) - Mental VortexMental VortexMental Vortex is the fourth album of the Swiss thrash metal trio Coroner. It is probably their most progressive and mature achievement and marks an improvement in the production compared to their first three albums...
(1991) - Grin (1993)
Compilations
- CoronerCoroner (album)Coroner is the penultimate release by the Swiss thrash metal band Coroner. It is technically a compilation album, although it features new material as well as selected songs from the band's previous albums. It is also regarded as their final album, even though it was succeeded by a final...
(1995) - The Unknown Unreleased Tracks 1985-95 (1996)
Miscellanea
- Doomsday News - The New Generation of Heavy Metal (1988)
- Doomsday News III - Thrashing East Live (1990, split album)
Videography
- No More Color Tour '90 - Live in East Berlin (1990, VHS/Laserdisc)
- "Masked Jackal" (music video)
- "Last Entertainment" (music video)
- "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" (music video)
Current line-up
- Ron Broder (as Ron Royce) – vocals, bass (1985–1996, 2010–present)
- Tommy Vetterli (as Tommy T. Baron) – guitars (ex-KreatorKreatorKreator is a thrash metal band from Essen, Germany, formed in 1978, but formalized in 1982 under the name Tormentor. They originally performed a speed metal style with Venom influences. Their style of music is similar to their compatriots Destruction and Sodom, the other two big German thrash metal...
, Clockwork) (1985–1996, 2010–present) - Marky Edelmann (as Marquis Marky) – drums (Apollyon SunApollyon SunApollyon Sun was a Metal band formed by singer/guitarist Tom Gabriel Fischer and guitarist Erol Unala in early 1995, after the termination of Celtic Frost, Fischer's prior group. The group was unofficially dissolved in 2001 when Fischer invited Erol Unala to contribute to the reformation of Celtic...
) (1983–1996, 2010–present)
Former members
- Pete Attinger – vocals (1983–1984)
- Oliver Amberg – guitars (ex-Celtic FrostCeltic FrostCeltic Frost was a metal band from Zürich, Switzerland. They are known for their heavy influence on the extreme metal genres. The group was first active from 1984 to 1993, and re-formed in 2001. Following Tom Gabriel Fischer's departure in 2008, Celtic Frost decided to break up again...
) (1983–1985) - Tommy Ritter – guitars (1983–1984)
- Phil Puzctai – bass (1983–1984)
Guests
- Thomas "Warrior" FischerThomas Gabriel FischerThomas Gabriel Fischer , earlier known by his stage name of "Tom Gabriel Warrior", is a Swiss singer and guitarist. He is considered to be one of the pioneers of the death metal style of singing or growling. Together with Bruce Day and Steve Warrior he formed the seminal metal band Hellhammer in...
- Death Cult demo vocals (ex-Celtic FrostCeltic FrostCeltic Frost was a metal band from Zürich, Switzerland. They are known for their heavy influence on the extreme metal genres. The group was first active from 1984 to 1993, and re-formed in 2001. Following Tom Gabriel Fischer's departure in 2008, Celtic Frost decided to break up again...
, TriptykonTriptykonTriptykon is a musical project of Thomas Gabriel Fischer, founding member of the pioneering heavy metal bands Hellhammer, Celtic Frost and Apollyon Sun. Fischer announced his departure from Celtic Frost in May 2008 and shortly afterwards revealed his new project would be entitled Triptykon...
, Apollyon SunApollyon SunApollyon Sun was a Metal band formed by singer/guitarist Tom Gabriel Fischer and guitarist Erol Unala in early 1995, after the termination of Celtic Frost, Fischer's prior group. The group was unofficially dissolved in 2001 when Fischer invited Erol Unala to contribute to the reformation of Celtic...
)