Every so often there comes a band who rip up the rule book and rewrite history, and such a band is Switzerland’s Coroner. Formed in Zürich in the early 1980’s, this trio evolved from thrashy beginnings into an avant-garde technical crew earning them the title “the Rush of thrash metal”. In light of the band’s eternal explorations, their latest studio album Dissonance Theory finds Coroner pushing at the boundaries of sonic decency to deliver ten tracks which find them marching boldly into the future.
A good introduction can both set the scene and act as a portent for things to come, and that’s exactly what opening track ‘Oxymoron’ does. Like a huge gate opening to reveal the lower circles of Dante’s Inferno, this is 59-seconds of musical horror that is both disconcerting and enticing. It sends a warning to the curious, and those brave enough to step over the threshold will be greeted with the swirling maelstrom that is ‘Consequence’. It’s been a long wait since Coroner’s last studio outing (1993’s Grin) but it transpires that good things do come to those who wait and ‘Consequence’ is a riotous cornucopia of everything you’d ever want from a Coroner long player; thrashy sections, a technical bent punctuated by intersecting lines, along with the band’s trademark punch. In terms of energy levels, it feels as if the band haven’t missed a beat; Dissonance Theory burns with the same kind of energy that characterised their early work. While the band are keen on exploring new sonic vistas, long term fans needn’t worry; Coroner haven’t pulled up their roots or disowned their past, fans of classic albums like No More Color and Mental Vortex will find a spiritual home here, but at the same time, Coroner aren’t treading on old ground and there’s a refreshing originality to the ten tracks that comprise Dissonance Theory.
The very nature of Coroner’s modus operandi means gives the band a whole lot of freedom, meaning that no two songs inhabit the same space. This is an album that’s always shifting gears, like wheels within wheels, it’s constantly revolving and evolving, and it is this which renders the album a breathless affair. From the chugging ‘The Law’ to the explosive ‘Renewal’, Coroner stop at all points in between to create a multicoloured affair, and no more so than on final track ‘Prolonging’. On an album that is largely forward facing, this closer comes wrapped in ‘70’s Hammond-styled organ and gives the feeling that the band are returning home after their musical jaunts.
A triumphant return to the studio from one of thrash metal’s most inventive bands…but hopefully we won’t have to wait decades for the follow-up!
- Dissonance Theory is released via Century Media Records on 17th October 2025.
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Track List:
1. Oxymoron
2. Consequence
3. Sacrificial Lamb
4. Crisium Bound
5. Symmetry
6. The Law
7. Transparent Eye
8. Trinity
9. Renewal
10. Prolonging
