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)
When Angels Die
Coroner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And children ask for reasons why.
When acid rain burns your skin to shreds,
And children die with open eyes.
Disfigured faces, bleeding disease.
Mutilated bodies - sill alive or almost dead.
It makes no sense to protect yourself.
Disfigured faces, bleeding disease.
Mutilated bodies - sill alive or almost dead.
Chemical holocaust, invisible death.
Destruction as far as you can see.
Die right off.
Breathing deep, killing death winds.
Nuclear fall-out, comes down like snow.
And the radiation begins to kill.
When the whole history of this planet,
Seems to be forgotten.
Coroner's "When Angels Die" is a harrowing song that speaks to the tragic destruction of humanity at the hands of chemical and nuclear disaster. The lyrics describe the horrific reality that we face when we continue to ignore the consequences of our actions, and the devastating effects they can have on future generations. The first verse sets the scene, with an image of darkness suffocating the world we live in, and children who are left asking for answers as they witness the destruction around them. The chorus then paints a vivid picture of the suffering and death that human beings can inflict on each other, as "disfigured faces," "bleeding disease," and "mutilated bodies" are alluded to. The second verse is even more graphic, as the song depicts a "chemical holocaust" that leaves only destruction and death in its wake. The final lines of the song are perhaps the most potent, speaking to the idea that our collective memory can fail us when it comes to acknowledging the lasting impact of catastrophic events on our planet and its people.
One critical interpretation of the song would be that it is a warning about the dangers of environmental pollution, nuclear energy, and chemical warfare. The "acid rain" that "burns your skin to shreds" and the "chemical holocaust" that causes "invisible death" suggest that we may be subjecting ourselves to a long-term, irreversible crisis by ignoring these types of hazards. Meanwhile, the reference to "nuclear fall-out" that comes down like snow and causes radiation sickness could represent the terrifying possibility of nuclear war. Ultimately, the message of the song is that we must be aware of the destructive potential of these phenomena and take action to prevent them from harming humanity and our planet. We must not forget the lessons of history and must work to create a world where disasters are less likely to occur.
Line by Line Meaning
Darkness covers the place we live,
The world is consumed by darkness and evil
And children ask for reasons why.
Innocent children cannot understand why this is happening to them
When acid rain burns your skin to shreds,
Acid rain corrodes the skin of the innocent
And children die with open eyes.
Children suffer and die while remaining fully aware of their surroundings
Disfigured faces, bleeding disease.
Victims of this tragedy are left with disfigurement and illness
Mutilated bodies - sill alive or almost dead.
The injured are left alive or barely clinging to life
Time to realize what they've done to us.
It's time to acknowledge the terrible actions of those responsible for this disaster
It makes no sense to protect yourself.
It's futile to try and protect yourself from this tragedy
Chemical holocaust, invisible death.
This chemical disaster has caused mass destruction and death
Destruction as far as you can see.
The damage caused by this disaster is extensive and far-reaching
Die right off.
People are dying immediately from this disaster
Breathing deep, killing death winds.
The air is full of toxic, deadly chemicals that kill those who breathe it in
Nuclear fall-out, comes down like snow.
Nuclear radiation falls like snow from the sky
And the radiation begins to kill.
Radiation is deadly and causing death to those exposed to it
When the whole history of this planet,
The longstanding history of the planet is being erased by this tragedy
Seems to be forgotten.
This disaster has caused people to forget the past and focus only on the present devastation
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CH BRODER ROLAND, MARKUS EDELMANN, ROLAND CH BRODER, THOMAS VETTERLI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind