The Swiss thrash trio Coroner were originally road crew 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 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.
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, quote, "reheat things, except spaghetti sauce." However, in June 2010, Coroner eventually decided to reunite and play at the Hellfest Summer Open Air 2011 edition. Asked if the band 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".
Musically, Coroner evolved from a speed metal 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 odd 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 riffing 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.
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.
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.
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".
Current line-up:
Ron Broder (as Ron Royce) – vocals, bass
Marky Edelmann (as Marquis Marky) – drums
Tommy Vetterli (as Tommy T. Baron) – guitars
Former members:
Chris Vetterli - Bass
Oliver Amberg - Guitar
Peter Haas - Drums
Guests:
Tom G. Warrior (Thomas Gabriel Fischer) - vocals (Death Cult demo)
Gary Marlowe - ambient synthesizers and keyboards (Punishment For Decadence album)
Discography:
R.I.P. (1987)
Punishment for Decadence (1988)
No More Color (1989)
Mental Vortex (1991)
Grin (1993)
Compilations
Coroner (1995)
The Unknown Unreleased Tracks 1985-95 (1996)
Singles
"Die By My Hand" (1989)
"Purple Haze" (1989)
"I Want You (She's So Heavy)" (1991)
Demos:
Death Cult (1986)
R.I.P. demo (1987)
Punishment for Decadence (1988)
Split Releases:
Doomsday News III - Thrashing East Live (1990, split album with Kreator, Tankard and Sabbat)
Videography
No More Color Tour '90 - Live in East Berlin (1990, VHS)
"Masked Jackal" (music video)
"Last Entertainment" (music video)
"I Want You (She's So Heavy)" (music video)
About Life
Coroner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where we think
That we've seen
Everything
In a world
Where we think
That we rise above
In a time
That is so fast
You have to run
So you won't get lost
In a time
That is so loud
You have to scream
To get recognized
In a land
Where you must fight
For a little fragment
Of human right
In a system
That uses war
To spread its spirit
Around the globe
A religion
That uses hate
To plug its message
Into your brain
A revolution
That turns back time
Forgets what we have
Learned to be
I'd like to say
I have to say
You, don't know nothin'
You, don't know nothin' about
You, don't know nothin'
You, don't know nothin' at all
A public
Where shoes do shine
And money beats
Respect for life
In a world
That is cleaned
Of all secrets
That nature kept
A public
Where death's reduced
To be excitement
In late night news
In a time
Where children learn
To ignore the world
Around them
The song "About Life" by Coroner is a commentary on the state of the world we live in. The lyrics paint a picture of a society where everything is moving at a fast pace and people are fighting for their basic human rights. It speaks to the constant noise and chaos that we face, where we must scream to be heard, and the corruption in our systems of belief.
The lyrics suggest that despite the advancements we've made, we still have a long way to go. The world is full of secrets that we clean up, insincere people in positions of power, and a system that uses war to spread its message. The message of hate is used to manipulate minds, and revolutions that turn back time instead of progressing forward. It highlights how money has become more important than life and how even our children are learning to ignore the world around them.
Overall, the song is a wake-up call to society, reminding us to pay attention and take action. It suggests that we shouldn't be complacent in the face of injustice, but to stand up for what we believe in.
Line by Line Meaning
In a world
In this existence we call the world
Where we think
Where we perceive ourselves
That we've seen
That we have witnessed everything
Everything
All things that exist or happen
Where we think
Where we believe
That we rise above
That we are superior to
All things
Everything that exists or happens
In a time
In this era
That is so fast
That moves at an incredibly quick pace
You have to run
You must hurry
So you won't get lost
To avoid becoming misplaced or disoriented
In a time
In this era
That is so loud
That is incredibly noisy
You have to scream
You must shout
To get recognized
To be acknowledged or noticed
In a land
In this country or region
Where you must fight
Where you have to struggle
For a little fragment
To obtain a small part
Of human right
Of basic freedoms and entitlements
In a system
In this organization or structure
That uses war
That employs armed conflict
To spread its spirit
To disseminate its ideology or beliefs
Around the globe
Throughout the world
A religion
A faith or theological belief
That uses hate
That employs animosity
To plug its message
To propagate its doctrine or teachings
Into your brain
Into your mind
A revolution
A major, sudden change
That turns back time
That regresses to an earlier era
Forgets what we have
Fails to remember what we know
Learned to be
Taught to exist or behave
I'd like to say
I would prefer to state
I have to say
I must declare
You, don't know nothin'
You possess no knowledge or understanding
You, don't know nothin' about
You are unaware
You, don't know nothin'
You lack comprehension
You, don't know nothin' at all
You have absolutely no grasp of anything
A public
The general population
Where shoes do shine
Where footwear is highly polished
And money beats
And cash triumphs over
Respect for life
Value or appreciation for existence
In a world
In this existence we call the world
That is cleaned
That has been purified
Of all secrets
Without any hidden information
That nature kept
The things that were kept by the natural order
A public
The general population
Where death's reduced
Where demise is minimized
To be excitement
To be thrilling or invigorating
In late night news
In news programs aired at night
In a time
In this era
Where children learn
Where young individuals are instructed
To ignore the world
To choose not to recognize the existence of the world
Around them
In their vicinity
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Father AxeKeeper's Archives
Best song on the Mental Vortex album!
Fusion_0
Certainly the most underrated one.
RattleHead
4:04 sounds like that guitar wailing. Sends chills down my spine.
Mark Willingham
He gets a bit of weak harmonic , with a sweet bend.Magic
SpiralDream
The first song I heard from these guys. Instantly got hooked.
Hakeemdawg
+NTorres321 this band is so awesome
riversedge64
Probably my personal #1 from Mental Vortex. Awesome track...
Alex Forbes
Coroner are just too good... wow! Pinnacle of metal right here.
The masses don’t know nothing about golden music like this album.
Jeffrey Stewart
The guitar riffs in this song are otherworldly! Quite original.
Rubico
i bet these guys listen to jazz. this stuff is so good