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)
Read My Scars
Coroner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cold like a crystal
Numbered hours creeping
Insanity strangles reality...
Weakened, crushed, formed
New dimensions arise
My mind becomes a fortress
The walls between us make the public safe...
Read my scars...see why I'm like that
Read my scars...and don't ask me why
Whisper turns into a scream
Light would burn my skin
My legs, useless instruments
My eyes, almost blind
See the sunny world outside
Ignorant of the fact
Faking shock, forgetting fast
Freedom is a gift...
My cry echoes on a naked wall
Cold like a crystal
Numbered hours creeping
Insanity strangles reality...
The walls between us make the public safe...
Read my scars...see why I'm like that
Read my scars...and don't ask me why
The walls between us make the public safe...
Read my scars...see why I'm like that
Read my scars...and don't ask me why
The lyrics of Coroner's song "Read My Scars" depict the inner turmoil and struggle of an individual who is facing a difficult situation. The first few lines convey a feeling of loneliness and desperation as the singer's cries echo against a cold, naked wall. The idea of "numbered hours creeping" suggests that time is running out and things are coming to a head. The following lines speak of the insanity that is taking hold of reality as the person's mind is weakened, crushed and formed into new dimensions. The reference to a fortress suggests a kind of self-imposed isolation, where the person is shutting themselves off from the world.
The repeated phrase "Read my scars" serves as a plea for others to understand and empathize with their pain. The use of scars as a metaphor symbolizes the inner wounds that the person is facing, and the idea of asking others not to inquire as to why they are like that suggests that they have grown tired of explaining themselves to others who may not understand. The final stanza repeats the cries against the cold, naked wall, before reiterating the idea that the walls between people are there to make the public safe.
Overall, the lyrics of "Read My Scars" provide a haunting portrayal of a person facing inner turmoil and desperation, seeking to be understood and recognized for their pain.
Line by Line Meaning
My cry echoes on a naked wall
My desperate plea for help goes unheard by those who could have helped.
Cold like a crystal
The lack of empathy or emotion from others is striking and jarring.
Numbered hours creeping
The clock ticks on, but each moment feels agonizingly slow and painful.
Insanity strangles reality...
The grip of madness tightens, and it becomes harder and harder to distinguish reality from delusion.
Weakened, crushed, formed
The damage has been done, and my mind and body are crushed under the weight of trauma.
New dimensions arise
Yet, in spite of the pain, new aspects of myself have emerged, for better or for worse.
My mind becomes a fortress
To protect myself from further harm, I have built up walls and defenses.
Inpregnable, shut
Nothing can get through to me anymore. I am closed off completely.
The walls between us make the public safe...
Society is more concerned with preserving its image of safety and normalcy than addressing the real pain and suffering of individuals.
Read my scars...see why I'm like that
If you truly want to understand me and my pain, look at what I have been through.
Read my scars...and don't ask me why
I shouldn't have to explain myself to those who haven't bothered to try and understand me.
Whisper turns into a scream
My inner turmoil has reached a boiling point and can no longer be contained.
Light would burn my skin
The brightness of the outside world is too much for me to bear.
My legs, useless instruments
I am rendered powerless and unable to escape my pain.
My eyes, almost blind
I can no longer see a way out of my suffering, and I am lost in darkness.
See the sunny world outside
Others who are not affected by my pain carry on with their lives, oblivious to the agony I am going through.
Ignorant of the fact
They have no idea what it's like to be in my shoes and can never truly understand me.
Faking shock, forgetting fast
Those who do offer sympathy or assistance are often insincere and quick to move on from my problems.
Freedom is a gift...
The freedom to live without pain and suffering is a luxury that is often taken for granted by those who don't experience it.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CH BRODER ROLAND, MARKUS EDELMANN, ROLAND CH BRODER, THOMAS VETTERLI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind