Recent updates
- Dyrathor: Sacred walcraft of Hel (02/09/10)
- A Forest Of Stars: Opportunistic thieves of spring (02/09/10)
- Ingrimm: Böses blut (02/09/10)
- Audio Autopsy - September 2010 (01/09/10)
- Haiduk: Plagueswept (31/08/10)
- Barn Burner: Bangers (31/08/10)
- Gulaggh: Vorkuta (31/08/10)
- Sammath: Triumph in hatred (30/08/10)
- Satan's Host: The great American scapegoat 666 (30/08/10)
- Borgia: Ecclesia (30/08/10)
- read
Recent discussions
Devour the Domination
Not yet familiar with the bands hosted at Global Domination? Now's definitely the time to check 'em out. And what could be a better place for it than their Myspace-pages? Links below...
Class 6(66)
Coroner: No more color
02/11/07 || Global Domination
Released: 1989
Introduction
Coroner was one of the best bands no one ever quite seemed to know about. For unfathomable reasons they never became as big as they should have, and let me tell you, they had all the quality required to do so. They quit on us midway through the 90’s without ever receiving widespread recognition, but today you can safely look back and appreciate their discography for what it is: a collection of ass-kicking masterpieces. “No More color”, their third full-length, represents undeniable proof of such statement, and is by some margin one of the best thrash records ever released.
Songwriting
10. “No More Color” is arguably the peak of Coroner’s creative powers. It’s was a tough call for me to decide that its successor “Mental Vortex” is even better, but anyway, out of the two, our subject of today is the more immediate and straightforward. Grooving, but not as much as later efforts, this album has a more traditional thrash approach, being speedier and meaner, yet somehow still challenging in it’s overall structure and technicality. Energetic, aggressive and complex on all levels, “No More Color” is basically built around the explosive yet thoughtful riffology of Tommy T. Baron, and suffused with an incredible dynamism. Breakneck time signature changes, jazz-like chord progressions, and the unusual ability of the band to construct songs into free-flowing monsters from unexpected and dissimilar segments are best features of “No More Color”. Take “Read My Scars” for example, the perfect Coroner tune: built from a memorable main riff into a snarling, viciously spinning lesson on riff progressions and shifting paces within a song. All of this while still managing to kick you in the teeth with undeniable, yet classy violence!
Production
7. Nice enough for that era and strangely loud for being a Morrisound production. Some of the stuff that came from the studio was irritatingly low in overall volume, but thankfully that didn’t happen to “No More Color”. All instruments can be heard, and the guitarsound is just beautifully overwhelming. The vocals could have been a little higher and clearer on the mix though, and maybe a bit more punch for the cymbals, which sound a bit weak. Those are my only complaints against this record.
Guitars
10. Tommy T. Baron is, in my eyes, the best six-stringer thrash as a genre had to offer, and undoubtedly one of the all time greatest in the history of metal. His abilities are simply outstanding. It must be heard to be believed, I could wax lyrical endlessly about the fact, but is better to listen for yourself to any Coroner album and be convinced. Each and every song here contains some excellent, otherworldly guitarwork, and the solos are exceptional. Check opener “Die By My Hand” and “D.O.A.” for some insane, top-notch riffs that get stuck to your skull. “Mistress of Deception” has the spiraling sensation that most associate with Coroner’s music, some astounding leads and one of the sickest solos I ever heard. “Tunnel of Pain” and “No Need To Be Human” both sport some groovy riffing that crushes midget’s balls with its heaviness. “Last Entertainment” is downright creepy and ends the album on a darker note. And so it goes, I can’t praise Tommy’s work enough, I’ll run out of words. Just fucken magnifique!
Vocals
7. Ron Royce’s thin, malignant rasp was not the strongest weapon of Coroner’s arsenal, but it did fit the music nevertheless. This is thrash after all, not fucken opera. You don’t understand much of what he’s singing about, but it sounds catchy, hell yeah! Cool deep spoken word on “Last Entertainment” too, by the way.
Bass
8. Now, Royce could definitely play that bass skillfully! Very enjoyable, specially the insanely moving section in the middle of “D.O.A.”, or that little solo at the beginning of “Tunnel of Pain”. Following the riffing of Tommy sounds like a difficult task, and Royce manages to do so and lay some damn heavy groove in the process.
Drums
8. Marquis Mark drumming is fairly technical, yet punishing and groovy. His drum intros are fucken cool, like on the opener “Die By My Hand”, or on “Read my Scars”. Very precise, changing tempos flawlessly, ace work I must say. Too bad the production robs some power from it, specially the cymbals, as I mentioned previously. They sound muddied and weak compared to the bass drums and snare. In any case, once you get over these annoying details, Mark’s playing is overall good stuff.
Lyrics
9. Intriguing stuff for the most part. Lyrically, Coroner was not about Satan, death, gore or any such merry topics. This is mainly about whatever cryptic, esoteric thoughts occupied the mind of Marquis Mark. As an interesting sidenote, “Why it Hurts” lyrics were written by fellow Swiss Martin Ain of Celtic Frost fame. All of it is fucken weird, cold, interesting, and me likes!
Cover art
7. Some long haired dude covering his face with both hands, plus a black sidebar with the three-spoke skull emblem distinctive to the band, the band and album name. Slick design, although it whatever the fuck it means is no clearer to me.
Logo
8. Gothic font, elegant yet grim stuff, and the triple-skull thing is an original invention definitely.
Booklet
6. Band info, lyrics, the usual.
Overall and ending rant
9. Coroner is a band that gave an aesthetic dimension to thrash few could properly appreciate at the time it happened. Their sound always evolved, but never betrayed their origins, and took them towards seldom explored territory within the genre’s boundaries. I can safely declare that there hasn’t been a band quite like Coroner. “No More Color” is an important album that stands head and shoulders above most of the releases from their era, and it proves that thrash on the proper hands was able to go further than the parameters set by the pioneers of the genre. Coroner can be remembered fondly, their legacy is safely one of the greatest.