Review: Coroner – Dissonance Theory

Style: technical thrash metal (harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Vektor, Voivod, Kreator, Strapping Young Lad
Country: Switzerland
Release date: 17 October 2025

Ah, the year 1993. Seinfeld was in its prime, the internet had hardly reached the public, CDs had just begun to outsell cassettes, yours truly was sporting a diaper, and Swiss metal legends Coroner released Grin, which appeared to be their swan song. The present day is a world apart, yet here I am, listening to what? A new Coroner album, coming out of the band’s thirty-two-year studio hiatus. And we think Tool and Karnivool fans have had it rough…¹

For the uninitiated, Coroner are a technical thrash three-piece that, outside of Hellhammer and Celtic Frost, might be Switzerland’s most important metal group. After a foundational—though unvaried and unpolished—debut in 1987, the band released a renowned trio of albums: Punishment for Decadence (1988), No More Color (1989), and Mental Vortex (1991). These three records not only played a major role in shaping technical thrash as a style but also stand as genre landmarks, influencing countless bands that have decided to take an elevated approach to the speed-driven, battle-jacket-sportin’, PBR-chuggin’ strain of metal. Next came Grin in 1993, where, like all their contemporaries, Coroner changed their sound to be groovier and moodier. But, unlike the transitional albums of those contemporaries, Grin didn’t suck—full of strong riffs and an engrossing, industrial sound, the album has garnered plenty of fans over the years. 

Now, with utter disregard for Father Time, comes Dissonance Theory, Coroner’s return to the sweaty halls of thrash. As before, Tommy Vetterli takes guitar duties, and Ron Broder delivers the bass and vocals.² Original drummer Marquis Marky, however, has been replaced by veteran stickman Diego Rapacchietti. Have the years ticked by for the band with the grace of a Swiss watch, or should the coroner have signed their death certificate decades ago?

A minute of ambience begins the record,³ and I like to think of it as the band emerging from their hibernation—gathering their bearings, wiping the sleep from their eyes, and getting ready to deliver forty-five minutes of techy thrash wizardry. And boy, deliver they do. “Consequence” kicks things off and is guaranteed to make your face scrunch, as Coroner pull out pummeling riff after pummeling riff throughout the track’s six minutes. Beyond its sheer ferocity, “Consequence” sets the atmosphere for the rest of the album: dark, aggressive, and surprisingly potent. Dissonance Theory has a sense of urgency not found in the band’s prior work. In place of his previous, more back-footed delivery, Broder’s gruff vocals now attack in a style similar to Kreator’s Mille Petrozza. Meanwhile, Vetterli’s guitars and Broder’s bass carry a bigger sound than before, bringing an inescapable energy that’s at once both alluring and hostile; measured and merciless. The kit work from newest member Rapacchietti is similarly inspired, a driving force laden with deft fills and cymbal finesse not typically heard in thrash. To put it plainly, everything kicks ass. It’s almost inconceivable that a band not heard from since Jurassic Park reigned could produce something so immense.

Although a beast of its own, stylistically, Dissonance Theory is best placed in the gap between Mental Vortex and Grin. The record holds a slight industrial feel and features numerous slower, brooding sections, but it also offers an abundance of frenetic cuts and fretboard heroics. “Symmetry” is an outright thrasher, moving through technical chops and blistering leads at breakneck speed, save for a slower bridge with a light dissonant touch. Yin to the yang, introspective groover “The Law” comes right after, and inversely treads at a deliberate pace except for a sped-up bridge with a frantic feel. This one-two punch showcases the range present on Dissonance Theory and just how well Coroner execute across the spectrum—and indeed, across the album. Want a thudding, down-tempo riff to batter your brain? Check out “Sacrificial Lamb.” A hypnotically head-bangable mid-pacer? “Trinity.” Another fast and technical track? “Renewal” delivers. And just when you think you’ve heard it all, closer “Prolonging” hits you with an uncharacteristic yet totally slick organ solo. Not a single moment is wasted, making Dissonance Theory fly by without ever loosening its grip. And all the while, a darkened, atmospheric through line ties the whole experience together.

All this said, a few aspects of Coroner’s comeback might leave some fans yearning ever so slightly for the past. Predictably gone is the neoclassical flair present on the band’s first couple of albums, but also missing is the loose playfulness of Mental Vortex or Grin’s adventurousness. On Dissonance Theory, the songwriting is incredibly tight, and the production is sonically dense—even with the album’s progressive nature and varied tracks, there’s a constant, pressing intensity rather than a sense of exploration. I don’t find this to be an issue, but it may be for those who don’t fully buy into the record’s atmosphere. Also, undoubtedly a byproduct of music’s development in the last thirty-plus years, Dissonance Theory isn’t as unique among contemporary albums as Coroner’s previous output. Nothing in the record is truly groundbreaking, but, really, nothing needs to be. The release is distinctive enough to stand out among modern thrash, and in any case, it’s more compelling than the vast, vast majority of what the genre has offered recently.

For me, Dissonance Theory is an easy call as the thrash album of the year. Coroner seem to have lost nothing during their thirty-two-year slumber, and if anything, they woke up revitalized and a little angrier than before. The record is another gem in a discography of gems, and an emphatic middle finger to the idea that time decays all. Dissonance Theory is an essential listen for existing fans, and it’s sure to gain Coroner plenty of new ones who might not have been familiar with the group’s now-ancient catalog. It remains to be seen whether this album marks the true end of a legendary band, or the start of an extraordinarily late rebirth. For the time being, let’s hold off on any calls to the coroner.

Recommended tracks: Consequence, Symmetry, The Law, Trinity, Renewal
You may also like: Watchtower, Toxik, Xoth, Anarchÿ, Cryptosis, Blasteroid
Final verdict: 8/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Century Media Records

Coroner is:
– Tommy Vetterli (guitars)
– Ron Broder (vocals, bass)
– Diego Rapacchietti (drums)

1. Amazingly, Coroner can’t claim the longest broken hiatus this year, even among thrash bands. Just last month, the similarly ancient act Dark Angel released their first album in thirty-four years. It was, well, hardly received as a triumphant return. ↩︎
2. In previous albums, Tommy Vetterli was credited as Tommy T. Baron, and Ron Broder as Ron Royce. ↩︎
3. I typically rag on these intros, which have become completely trite, but Coroner get a pass since they’ve used them dating back to the band’s ‘87 debut. ↩︎