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)
No Need to Be Human
Coroner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
After a long hard ride
I'm on my way
To a place called home
But now I'm here
Lost between machines
Watching grey, mute faces
Why do you do this, stop it now
'Cause in fact you're innocent
Like a new born child
Identity's lost, no need for names
Identity's lost, no need for ideas
Identity's lost, no need for resistance
Identity's lost, no need to be human
Why do you do this, stop it now
'Cause in fact you're innocent
Like a new born child
Why do you do this...stop it now
'Cause in fact you're innocent
Like a new born child
The lyrics of Coroner's song No Need to Be Human depict a person who is trying to find their way back to their home from a long and arduous journey. However, the singer finds him/herself stuck in a world of machines, where people have become like robots, living their lives on autopilot. The faces of these people are described as "grey" and "mute," indicating a sense of lifelessness and lack of individuality. The singer is shocked to see people destroying their own lives in such a manner and questions the reason behind it. The lyrics urge them to stop their mindless behavior and reclaim their innocence, like a newborn child.
The repetition of "identity's lost, no need" in the lyrics highlights the theme of dehumanization and the loss of individuality in a world that's obsessed with machines. The machines have made people indifferent to their surroundings, to the point where they have lost their own sense of identity, name, ideas, and the will to resist. It's as if they have become interchangeable with the very machines that surround them.
Overall, the song No Need to Be Human is a commentary on the dangers of dehumanization in a world where technology has overshadowed the human spirit. It urges us to reclaim our innocence and individuality by breaking free from the monotony of a machine-driven culture.
Line by Line Meaning
A new day's born
The start of a new day after a difficult period.
After a long hard ride
After a challenging journey or experience.
I'm on my way
The singer is progressing or moving forward.
To a place called home
To a familiar or comforting environment.
But now I'm here
The artist has arrived at their destination.
Lost between machines
The singer is surrounded by machinery that creates a sense of confusion or disconnection.
Watching grey, mute faces
Observing people who are expressionless and uninvolved.
Go on and destroy their lives
The people are engaging in activities or behaviors that harm themselves.
Why do you do this, stop it now
The artist questions why others are behaving in such a way and urges them to change.
'Cause in fact you're innocent
The artist believes that the people involved are not fundamentally bad or guilty.
Like a new born child
The people involved are similar to newborns, unspoiled by the world around them.
Identity's lost, no need for names
The importance of one's personal identity, such as their name, has disappeared.
Identity's lost, no need for ideas
The value of one's beliefs or ideas has disappeared.
Identity's lost, no need for resistance
The desire to resist or rebel has disappeared.
Identity's lost, no need to be human
The singer suggests that humanity is no longer important or relevant to these people.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CH BRODER ROLAND, MARKUS EDELMANN, ROLAND CH BRODER, THOMAS VETTERLI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind