If you’re a nerd for old-school, Swiss proggy thrash, it’s your lucky day. Coroner haven’t made an album in 30 years, but they’re about to change that.
According to a recent interview with Blabbermouth, guitarist Tommy Veterrli says the band will start making their new record in February of next year. They haven’t released a studio album since Grin in 1993 (!!), and the new album is rumored for release sometime next year via Century Media Records. Veterrlie says the band is on a timeline that they absolutely want to meet.
“All the songs have to be finished by mid-December. There’s one song missing. Pre-production needs to be finished by the end of the year. Then, I have recordings for the upcoming Eluveitie album. Ron (Broder, AKA Ron Royce, bass) and I are meeting today to make a plan. We will start recording. in the second half of February.”
When asked about the new direction of the music, Veterrlie gave a somewhat cryptic answer, but a fair one when it comes to reflecting on one’s own music:
“It’s hard to say. It’s more Grin than Reborn Through Hate. For me, these are songs. It’s a showcase of what we learned and practiced. Everybody who has heard the pre-production, including the record company, is really happy and thinks that’s the way the band should sound. It’s more about feel and is song-oriented. The technical stuff is still there, but not the main thing. It’s going to be weird, like all Coroner songs. My goal is always to do something I didn’t hear 100 times before. Most bands are a copy of another band. There are a lot of great bands, but I miss the freshness or originality.”
Coroner made a big splash in the ’90s, stepping in where other Swedish bands were thrashy and melodic, but not as technical, and bringing a new, progressive element to their sound that fans were understandably stoked about. They were known for being avant-garde and unique, and today are an inspiration for many new bands and genres, especially tech death and modern melodic metal. But no one was sure the band would ever release an album again.
The band broke up in 1993 after releasing Grin. After that, they came out with a best-of album, often a death knell for a band calling it quits. After 16 years, Vetterli and Broder started playing previous Coroner songs live with Marky Edelemann, their founding drummer, who has since moved on from the band. In 2014, they replaced him with drummer Diego Rapacchietti.
While the band was back at it playing shows, there was no word about whether or not they’d be making another record. Now, they have finally announce that they are getting back into the studio, and fans have a lot to look forward to. Hopefully, 2023 will bring us that record and also some more live shows.