FEAR, EMPTINESS, DECIBEL: CORONER’S NO MORE COLOR GETS INDUCTED INTO THE HALL OF FAME!
Before there were blogs there were these things called magazines, and the only metal magazine we still get excited about reading every month is Decibel. Here’s managing editor Andrew Bonazelli…
Last weekend was, of course, Maryland Deathfest, which Decibel attended, as usual; “Decibel” meaning the editor-in-chief and marketing director, as the eminently false managing editor opted for air-conditioned comfort over concentrated mass-ballsweat, dumbly watching the Mets continue to suck (much like, we presume, one half of your MetalSucks duumvirate). One of the many great bands we passed on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see live was Swiss misters Coroner. Yes, the usage of “Swiss misters” in the extreme lexicon should really only be applied to Celtic Frost, but Coroner roadied for Tom G. back in the day, industriously parlaying his interviews into demo-pimping opportunities. This is one of the first memories the trio reminisces on in our latest Hall of Fame, honoring their 1989 prog-thrash crusher No More Color.
Was No More Color the correct Coroner slab to serenade? Honestly, it was a toss-up between NMC and predecessor Punishment for Decadence (featuring a cover of “Purple Haze” that, uh, compares favorably to the one on Winger’s self-titled debut). Our gut instinct may have been a bit controversial, but it fits the band’s M.O.: after all, their MDF set was largely comprised of tuneage from post-Color jams Mental Vortex and Grin (Tommy T. Baron’s favorite). These crazy prog dudes have a way of marching to their own, uh, guitarist, huh?
-AB
Decibel’s July 2011 issue also features Baroness, Autopsy, Revocation, Wormrot, an incredible article about album packaging, and an awesome flexi disc of The Black Dahlia Murder covering Carcass’ “This Mortal Coil” with Jeff fucking Walker. That issue is available here, but why not get a full subscription to ensure you never miss one?
