Album Review: Coroner – Dissonance Theory
Reviewed by Sam Jones
Switzerland has produced some extraordinary bands; Celtic Frost, Messiah, Darkspace being just some of them, yet even fewer are the number of bands who many would consider to have not a single poor release across their discography: Coroner is that band today. Formed way back in 1983 originally as Voltage out of Zurich, Coroner took their new name in 1985 and, already, their earliest Demos showcased the band’s unique thrash stance as well as their exemplary understanding of songwriting. Releasing R.I.P. in 1987 the band grabbed fans quickly and, at that time, expanding the horizons of thrash beyond simply the US and the UK, but it was just one year on with Punishment For Decadence that Coroner proved they were more than just another thrash band. Employing neoclassical guitar playing with mature lyrical content the band shot ever skywards, continuing with No More Colour, Mental Vortex and lastly, Grin. It’s worth stating that for decades Coroner released every album of theirs within only seven years, an astonishing output matched by just a small pantheon of bands. Their rebirth came in 2010 and come 2019 I was lucky enough to see them play Lords Of The Land in Glasgow. Now, finally, thirty-two years on from Grin, Coroner unveil their sixth full length album, Dissonance Theory, for an October 17th release date via Century Media Records. As one of my most hyped and anticipated records of the entire year, Coroner’s new record has been a long, long time coming.
Introductory tracks can be unnecessary at times but given the length of time between records it works for Coroner to give a new generation of fans an opening to their sound. From the get-go the signature chunky yet technical sound that made Coroner so identifiable way back when is back as the band give you no reason to miss out on a single lick. Here Coroner lay their songwriting out extremely clearly for their audience; but its not like a wholly clean production has been applied for their sound has been dirtied along numerous crevices. The band opt for songwriting where each segment they lined up for you can be experienced easily with little getting in the way of processing what’s happening in the moment. If a solo is occurring, then that solo is the chief focus of the band; if a thrashing riff is up next then that becomes the sole important aspect the band want to hone in on. It may have been over thirty years since their last record but the professionalism Coroner are renowned has evidently remained. They’re not the kind of band who are going to leave you in the dust, they went to school, did their lessons, passed their exams and know the absolute ins and outs of how to write grounded thrash metal.
No matter what you write, it needs to stand out. Coroner have never had that issue and, decades later, that remains the case. There are ten tracks across Dissonance Theory and ten times over you’ll receive something thoroughly unique, thoroughly different to the previous and oncoming tracks. Though the band carry the similar atmosphere over the full record the songwriting is so totally different that you cannot in good confidence compare one to another and claim they’re similar. Then there’s the stupendous writing once more; Coroner are kings at this point and here, it's written so ludicrously well, and each section flows so seamlessly like rivers of honey, that you just sit back in awe, hands in air, at how good Coroner still are over forty years on from their inception. Dissonance Theory may be pushing fifty minutes but i must have nearly doubled that time given how often I was replaying tracks on the fly, even at the record’s start, knowing how much more I had yet to experience.
Considering Coroner don’t write thrash metal like the majority of their contemporaries, they really know how to make their songwriting hit hard, so much harder than other records you’ll have heard this year. I think the secret behind this is they make those moments feel genuinely earned; they write and perform riffs alongside gravelly vocals that carry you through each section, building and building, until they finally reach that peak, drop the bomb, until you find there’s another height they’re yet to scale and you’re with them for every step they're making that assent with. Once you’ve reached that zenith don’t mistake the rest of a track as the comedown, Coroner keep you there, basking in the sun, bringing the hammer down over and again. Then they might finally give you a breather but its only to bridge towards the next section of riff playing that strikes just as powerfully. Their songwriting is fascinating in this regard since though they may bring you down from the zenith of their impact, you still feel that impact carried within you as the band proceed along the lines of their songwriting. Their strength absolutely lingers, sticking to the four walls, perhaps due to their riffs being these methodically written beasts that are forever on the move yet seamlessly link together as some intricately engineered creation.
Just as focused and tightly knit as the riffs, are the drums. The drumming here is simply sublime as the band forgo all notions of relying solely on the bass drums for power and employ the entire kit to keep you engaged. If you listen closely to the drums you’ll see how their choppy strikes are brimming with energy and how unlike the previous drum track, sometimes even on the same song earlier, another display of drumming can be. You could say the drums don’t sit still for a minute or that they’re always looking for another direction to branch off in, yet their patterns are so incredibly uniformed and aligned that though the drumming technicality is easy to behold you know they’re still exhibiting supreme order and control, where a seemingly erratic drum pattern can be acknowledged as the prime backbone of a song, as opposed to some minute gimmick. The mix on the whole is fantastic but they bolster the drums especially because they feel like they were performed in a vacuum where all else has been silenced, so the only thing that could be picked up are the drums. The tom-toms are wondrously taut but they don’t feel so tight that their resonance can’t be felt; i swear i felt like i could almost touch the drum skins during this record. Ultimately the drums within the mix occupy that Goldilocks-zone where everything is just right and is so satisfying in recognising it.
There’s a particular guitar effect that Coroner are utilising here and it makes all the difference in giving their performance that extra strength. Its striking that i haven’t encountered more bands using it, potentially owing to the kind of metal they play, but it works for the grounded and thought-out thrash Coroner perform. It feels to be some kind of overdrive applied to the guitar whereby at certain instances the guitar takes several leaps ahead, delivering sweeping volleys that amplify the full band’s performance. It's worth noting it's not used all the time, doing so would lessen its potential impact, but when it does it elevates Coroner to even loftier terrain as one can practically feel them ascending, all the while you understand they’re maintaining contact with the earth. You’ll feel solos and vocal choruses come across with greater weight, their laser-targeted, pinpointed accuracy harnessing power beyond these realms, and driving it forth before you. It also lets the soloing absolutely soar, wings and all, for I've always believed Coroner feature one of the most underrated guitarists out there: Thomas Vetterli
In conclusion, this might just be, without hyperbole, as a sheer matter of fact, one of the greatest comeback/rebirth records ever. What Coroner pull off here is utter magic, whether you’re considering the blitzkrieg-sweeping guitar work, the drums effortlessly tying you down to the band’s performance or Ron Royce’s vocals that have only hardened with grit and determination as he’s grown older, and then the band bring in a hammond-styled keyboard during their album closer “Prolonging” in this cathartic, triumphant opus that takes everything they’ve achieved and cements it into a final declaration of their return. I’m genuinely at a loss for words. Its rare for a band to return strongly after several decades without a new record then you Coroner who kick the door clean off the hinges, plant this record into the ground and show every single band in thrash metal new and old how its done. I was only an infant when Grin came out; its been thirty-two years and Coroner may be on the cusp of releasing their finest material since Punishment For Decadence. The power this record attains throughout its duration is astonishing yet its never overwhelming, its never too much, Coroner throw just the right amount of density your way knowing you can handle it before they take you for an even greater, more intense trip to a realm you never thought could exist. This is one of the easiest Album Of The Year contenders I've ever heard and fans fresh and old alike are going to have their heads ripped off headbanging away to this; the energy and drive and force Coroner are famed for has never dissipated, its been lying in wait for the perfect time to resurface. There were times where i simply laughed with how good it was, where i wanted to break out into an applause, because they actually did it; Coroner have returned in force all guns glazing. As “Trinity” writes: “We’ll meet again, it won’t be long”, I hope so, because Dissonance Theory is too incredible to be a one and done comeback record. Should Coroner come to the UK I'll be there; it won’t matter where, I'll be there. An actual Thrashterpiece.
What a cool and inspiring review you wrote!
Greetings from Switzerland (I am going to see Coroner in Zurich on November 17).
What a cool and inspiring review you wrote!
Greetings from Switzerland (I am going to see Coroner in Zurich on November 17).