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)
Shadow of a Lost Dream
Coroner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't know what's happened to you
Yesterday we were one
Now, I don't even know your name
Standing in front of a wall
Hitting it with my fists
But you can't hear
I'd like to understand
What's going on deep in your mind
Why you've destroyed the spell
And how you can be so cool 'bout that
I see you smile it's like a punch in my face
Can't you feel my bleeding heart
Is that you who's standing next to me
Or just a shadow, of a dream I lost
The Coroner's song Shadow of a Lost Dream is a moving reflection on the confusion and pain of a broken relationship. The lyrics express the singer's sense of bewilderment and loss as he comes to terms with the fact that he no longer understands or recognizes his former partner. The opening lines immediately establish the theme of disconnection: the singer confesses that he's uncertain about what's happening and feels lost in the face of an unexpected and disorienting change. The second line reinforces this sense of alienation as the singer laments that he no longer knows the person he once felt so close to. The next lines are even more poignant, as they reveal the depth of the singer's despair at the loss of intimacy and connection. He's now hitting a wall, metaphorically expressing the futility of his attempts to reach out to someone who is either unwilling or unable to respond.
The chorus is a haunting and powerful expression of this sense of loss and disorientation. The singer's plea to understand what's going on in the other person's mind reflects a heartfelt desire to reconnect and to recapture the intimacy that has been lost. But the sentiment is undercut by the realization that the other person seems to have moved on and doesn't seem to be affected by the breakup. The image of the other person smiling is a gut-wrenching metaphor for the singer's pain, as it's almost as if the other person is mocking him by being so indifferent to his suffering. The final line, "Is that you who's standing next to me/Or just a shadow of a dream I lost," is a devastating expression of the singer's sense of loss and dislocation. The person he once knew and loved so deeply is now a distant memory, and the reality of the situation is all too painful to bear.
Overall, the song is an incredibly moving exploration of the emotional turmoil of a broken relationship. It captures the confusion, pain, and despair of the experience in a way that is immediately relatable and deeply resonant.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't know what's going on
I'm confused and unaware of what's happening around me
I don't know what's happened to you
I'm clueless about your situation or behavior
Yesterday we were one
We used to be close or connected
Now, I don't even know your name
We have drifted apart or become strangers
Standing in front of a wall
I'm facing a challenge or obstacle
Hitting it with my fists
I'm trying to overcome it with force or aggression
But you can't hear
You're not receptive or responsive to my efforts
'Cause we're so far apart
Our distance or differences make it hard to connect
I'd like to understand
I want to comprehend or empathize with you
What's going on deep in your mind
I'm curious about your thoughts or feelings
Why you've destroyed the spell
I'm wondering why our connection or chemistry has vanished
And how you can be so cool 'bout that
I'm baffled by your indifference or detachment
I see you smile it's like a punch in my face
Your happiness or positivity hurts me because of our disconnection
Can't you feel my bleeding heart
I wish you could sense or understand my emotional pain
Is that you who's standing next to me
I'm not sure if you're truly present or engaged with me
Or just a shadow, of a dream I lost
I feel like you're a faint or distorted memory of someone I used to know
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CH BRODER ROLAND, MARKUS EDELMANN, ROLAND CH BRODER, THOMAS VETTERLI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind