ObscuraJournal 10/23/25
My eyes are dilated at the moment, so there could be typos ahead.
Tinkered with the theme here a bit. Trying out the different free options. I'm not above paying for a well-developed third-party theme, but I like this one for the moment, and basically this is just a blog/newsletter.
"Fluid reaction mass, chemical incantation
Specific impulse, equations perfеct
Thrust through the vacuum of space
Sent crashing into thе sea of crises
I become fire!
I become fire!"
Crisium Bound lyrics, by Coroner, from the album Dissonance Theory.
I'm really not into writing reviews for anything. With the exception of my long-running weekly column Look Out For ... over at This Is Horror, which is really a preview column and not a review column, my time writing reviews for books, movies, series, music is pretty much over.
Never say never, though ... right?
The new Coroner album, Dissonance Theory, is perhaps one of the best albums of their 40 plus year career. It pains me when I encounter heavy metal lovers who have never heard of Coroner. For those new to the band, the best way to describe them is what many critics have said over the decades, "Coroner is the Rush of heavy metal." Like literally, no shit, they are that fucking good. They are a band definitely before their time. Sure, there are a lot of three piece metal bands out there, but none of them are Coroner, and if there's a newer band you're digging right now, they have most certainly been influenced in one way or another by this Swiss metal band.
I'm not going to lie. I doubted this new album would ever happen. First announced back around 2014, then 2019, then right after Covid, then 2022, and then finally the "we're working on it, it will be ready when it's ready" interview with the band about a year and half ago, it seemed like they were just stringing us along. And here's the real deal ... they were under no obligation at all to ever record another album. They could have recorded some tracks and said "fuck this" and burned the negatives, as they say. I would have been cool with that, because these guys don't owe anybody anything. That the band pulled it off, with solid tracks that hit in all the right places, is a true blessing, and is 100% worth the wait.
They basically took over where they left off, with a new drummer now, while incorporating some of the hallmarks of modern metal, especially heavier sounding drums, better mix on the bass, and enough compression to make your ears ring. Lyrically the phrasing is consistent with their previous offerings, ringing through the same obsessions and infatuations. Tommy Vetterli's guitar playing is top-notch. Obviously, he's improved over the years, which is expected. The guy was a virtuoso back then, and fortunately for us, he can still melt faces with his blistering solos. Ron Broder's voice hasn't changed much, other than normal age and wear and tear. It's not like he hitting Rob Halford high notes here. The new drummer, Diego Rapacchietti, is phenomenal and a solid addition to the band. The unofficial fourth member, Daniel Stössel, on keyboards and sampling, makes a few obvious appearances, especially on the last track, with is basically an extended ending for the previous track. The two tracks run together, so while they can be played on their own, the intent is the listen to them as one.
Which is another thing to say about this album. It sounds like it is intended to be listened to all at once, not track by track. Probably not the same experience as listening to a Blood Incantation album, but you get the idea. All in all, this is a incredibly solid effort from one of the OG heavy metal bands from the late 80s-90s that are definitely saying the immortal words of "Don't Call It A Comeback" while delivering one of the best comeback albums ever.
peace&love