Coroner: "We want to prove that we are still relevant"

Just being able to talk about a new Coroner album, 32 years after their last studio release and 15 (!) years after their reunion, is a dream for many of us, especially with "Dissonance Theory" turning out to be a truly wonderful record. One of the most eagerly anticipated comebacks in metal music is finally now a reality, and what better occasion for an in-depth conversation with the guitar god and mastermind of the band, Tommy Vetterli!

Of course, our discussion with Tommy was simply delightful: he had a lot to share about everything that happened over all these years, the long process of creating the album, the difficulties, insecurities, and also their unique way of thinking about music, life, and art. And as expected, being a notable producer himself, Tommy had plenty of technical and aesthetic insights to comment on.

Whether you’ve known them for a long time or are discovering them now, it’s time to show some love to Coroner!

How are things in the band's ranks at the moment?

They're great! I'm super busy with giving interviews, like crazy, a lot of them. But, I guess that's a great sign. It seems that the fans received the first two singles very well and I think their reactions are overwhelming and makes us really happy.

It's been 32 years after "Grin" and you're finally about to return with a new album. While the anticipation is huge among your fans, how does it feel from your side? What are your feelings, your thoughts and expectations?

It's a good question. We don't have any expectations because if you have expectations, you can be disappointed. We really put a lot of hard work in this album, in writing it and recording it and producing it. And it took forever. But we still had a lot of fun doing it. So, I hope the listeners have the same amount of fun when listening to it. That would be great.

Marky never wanted to do a new album, He said "No, never, we're going to destroy our old status"

Yep, I'm sure they will have a great time! There is an obvious question: the band reunited around 2010, so why did it take 15 years to release the album and what were the most important milestones during this time?

When we started our reunion in 2011, we just wanted to play a few shows, like a few festivals, maybe a small tour here and there. And, actually, Marky, he never wanted to do a new album. He said "No, never, we're going to destroy our old status", "We're going to destroy it" and stuff like that. After two years, doing the shows, for him it was enough, so he decided to leave the band. But Ron and myself, we wanted to go on because we just had too much fun. And then it was clear sometimes that we have to write new songs, because we can't play the old classics forever. And then we signed the record contract around 2015 and actually I started writing then.

But then life came into the way, it's like a lot of stuff happened. COVID happened… people died… like my father, Ron's father… I got through a divorce. But I think the biggest problem was my daytime job. You know, I work here all day with bands, and after working for nine hours, it's not possible to write songs. So it only worked when I went to the Swiss mountains just by myself and started writing and then stuff started to flow. But I could do that for three, four days and then I had to go back to the studio, because the next band came in. So that was difficult.

And maybe I also had a little bit of a procrastination problem. Looking back now, maybe I was afraid a little bit. I always had different priorities. And we also took a very long time. I mean, I was obsessive with the writing, like maybe out of 30 or 50 riffs, one made it to the album. And it was the same with the recording. I took two weeks for finding my guitar sounds. Usually for customers, I can do it in two hours. But I wanted to make something really good. Otherwise, I don't see the point in making an album nowadays.

Maybe it's not for everybody, but we're proud of this new album

I was wondering, now that you said that Marky was afraid that you'd ruin your legacy, has he heard the album to share his opinion on it?

Yeah, he heard the two first singles and he likes it very much. That's what he told me. Maybe he's just trying to being nice, but I don't know... I know we have something good. Maybe it's not for everybody, but we're proud of this new album.

So the songs of "Dissonance Theory", when were they composed? In the beginning of all this process, in the last few years or all over the period?

It was always blocks, like the opening for "Renewal", I wrote that in 2015, I remember during a holiday in Thailand, but nobody liked the song, like it's not Coroner enough. It sounds a bit like Slayer or Metallica and I was like "OK, let's leave it". And actually that was the last song that was finished. You know, after we recorded all the songs, I remembered we had this thing, maybe I can make something out of it. And I came up with a new verse, pre-chorus, chorus, the whole middle part, like really fast. Sometimes it needs time. It’s not possible to be creative like "now be creative"… that's just not possible… I produced two Eluveitie albums in that time. These guys come in for two to three months, so during this time I didn’t play the guitar. So when they're finished I needed like a week to relearn all my skills on the guitar. Then I have to find peace with myself and everything. So, yeah, it took forever. Whereas from now, it's like "Why did it take that long?". But I had to work, to keep things going here and stuff. But, it's okay, the songs had time to age like an old wine, to get better with everything.

Sometimes getting the time you need benefits things.

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.

And of course, you told me about the departure of Marky, but what did Diego bring to the table and how important was his contribution in "Dissonance Theory"?

Diego is a drummer on another level. I know him for a long time. I worked with him before in the studio as he was a session drummer for a lot of productions I did. Like different styles. And we worked together very good. And he can play everything, all styles. So he gave me way more freedom with the writing than what I had in the past.

I can't write "No More Color" again. I'm a different person nowadays

So, do you think that the new album marks the evolution of the Coroner from where you stopped in the 90s, or is it a new beginning for you?

For me, it's a new beginning, with paying honor to the legacy, of course… But, I mean, it's me writing the riffs and everything so there's gonna be similarities anyway. Before I started writing I thought a lot about "Should it be more like "Grin" era?". For a lot of people that's their favorite album, other people hate it and they prefer the first three records But I found out really fast, I can't write "No More Color" again. I'm a different person nowadays. So I just started writing and waited what's coming out.

Nowadays, emotions and weight in the music is way more important than playing fast all the time

In my opinion, people will find "Dissonance Theory" to be like a combination of all your previous albums. There are elements from everything, but I think it's a more extrinsic album, more focused on the songwriting and it has a straightforward energy rather than being proggy or spiritual. What was your intention?

It just came out that way. I think a difference is that in the past we, like with the first two albums, obviously we wanted to show people that we practiced a lot. Nowadays, emotions and weight in the music is way more important than playing fast all the time. It was, I suppose, okay when we were young, we still can do it, there is parts like that in it, but we don't play technical for the sake of being technical anymore. You know, song and emotions come first…

Yeah, I get it.

That's probably something that came with age or with my experience as a producer. I produce a lot of pop songs here, you know, with like really hooky choruses and stuff. So. I'm a pop slut anyway… (laughs)

Maybe make a pop Coroner album... No, I'm just kidding.

I think it's still heavy, you know? I mean, I thought "Oh, now a fast old school trash part will fit". And we did it, but not for the sake of "Okay, that's crazy!"... Because the lyrics and the music, there is a narrative between the two things. If the music goes crazy, the lyrics follow and change as well, stuff like that. So everything is there for a purpose on this album.

You gave me a perfect pass, because I wanted to ask about the lyrics next. First of all, does the title of the album refer to the Psychological Theory of that name? And in general, what are the lyrical themes for the new album?

Yeah, you got it right. It's about cognitive dissonance. You know what it is. It's like if you have two different beliefs or meanings at the same time. An easy example would be if you like to eat meat, but on the other hand, you don't want to harm the animals and the environment and stuff like that. So what do you do? You have a conflict in your brain. You say "Oh, maybe being a vegetarian is not healthy or whatever". Or you change and live as a vegetarian or whatever. So that theme is part of all the lyrics for a song, to some extent…

You know, because there is not only one truth. There is always different truths and there is only at least two sides to everything and to every story. So I think that's really interesting topic.

A cause of the problems of the world is that most people only tend to see the one side and not the other side…

Yeah, that's right. Or when somebody has a different opinion, you just shoot him, stuff like that. It makes me kind of angry. It's crazy…

Yeah. Having to think about the other side or others’ perspective is difficult. It needs for you to think and evaluate things...

Right. You're totally right. I agree. Yeah, absolutely.

People tend to avoid difficulties and discomfort in their daily lives. So staying to what you believe is maybe easier…

Absolutely! Like the intro is called "Oxymoron"... Oxy means sharp, intelligent, and moron is dumb…

It’s a Greek word..

Yes, absolutely! So, we use it just for language stuff, but it's about the whole mankind, with all the technology and everything. It's crazy what mankind achieved, but it destroys itself at the same time with this stuff. So that's a little bit the theme of the album.

We wanted to prove that we are still relevant these days, that we still can do it and that we can do it better than in the past

All right, perfect. Now, in metal music, let's say that we've seen quite a few reunions. Bands reuniting and reunion albums. And this is a reunion album in some way. So for you, what is the main goal or the ultimate goal of a reunion album? Is it to reconnect with your fans or is it to try and position the band in a better place in the music industry than it was 30 years ago?

Maybe both things, I mean, if some people who don't listen to metal, I meet them and they say "You play in a band, can I listen something?". And then I have to say "Yeah, but like the newest thing is from 95…". So actually we wanted to prove that we are still relevant these days, that we still can do it and that we can do it better than in the past, actually. I believe in that. And, of course, that helps us get more shows, playing more festivals and stuff like that. It's like both things.

Comparing the past and the present, if you ask ten people who are into metal music, if they prefer how things are now or how they were in the 80s, eight out of ten of them will tell you that they prefer the 80s. But I think that's a product of nostalgia. You've seen both sides. So, what's better and how different things are today? Was it better in the 80s when you thrived with your first albums but in a difficult environment or right now that there are other kind of difficulties and benefits?

I think sound wise from a technician standpoint, I definitely prefer new productions when they're made well. A lot of people use this technology, the new technology, too much. They record one take and then they edit everything for hours. And that gives this digital artificial sound, which works for a lot of bands. But I think a lot of those new productions just sound the same. So for me, it was important to have like a modern big sound, like a clear, warm big sound, but with an old school approach. That's why we did more takes, maybe six or sometimes ten takes till the part or the song felt right. And then we recorded it and kept the editing part to a minimum. I think that's a big part of the sound, I guess.

If I didn't have my own studio, I never could have done this album… not on that level

And apart from the sound, all the other aspects of the industry are in a better place or in a worse place for a new band or a new artist?

Yeah, that's a good question. I mean, like financially, like selling music, it's very difficult nowadays. And on the other hand, smaller bands have a chance to bring out their art to an audience. In the past there had to be a record company. If the record company said no, you couldn't record an album. You know, it wasn't possible without a record company in the eighties and nineties and then that changed a lot. So there is two sides to it. What I hate nowadays is this Spotify guy, he's just an asshole. Musicians don't get paid, so if I didn't have my own studio, I never could have done this album… not on that level. So, a lot of people or a lot of bands, they record themselves like a hobby recording and best case they give it to someone who can mix and then it sounds okay-ish, but that doesn't help the music at all in my opinion. So that's the problem. On the other hand, you get paid a little more for live shows nowadays. But that goes with ticket prices. So for the people, they have to think about how many shows they can go per month. At least for most people.

There's always a good and a bad side in everything.

That's what I'm saying!

If we would have gone for an 80s sound, I would have to concentrate to make it worse!

I have one more question regarding the production and the sound of the album, because I was surprised to see a few fans commenting that they didn't expect such a more modern approach on your sound. I don't know what they expected you to sound like… Like in the 90s or the 80s? I just think it's the metal fan’s mindset sometimes that always wants bands to sound like they used to…

For me, if we would have gone for an 80s sound, I would have to concentrate to make it worse! It doesn't make any sense at all. It makes sense with bands like Opeth. They sound a little bit like the 70s again, but that's a different thing. That's a whole different story. But for metal, no! Like you said before, that's nostalgia. I think it's stupid. Go listen to the old albums, that's okay, you know?

I totally get it. I'm with you in that. Now, the down tuning idea on "Transparent Eye" is pure genius. How did you do this? Is it a pedal effect?

No, I did that with the trembar. Go like, you know, the tremolo.

Yeah…

It was like "gong, gong, gong, gong, gong, gong". It was very hard to do it. To double it was very hard. And with the bass, we had to do it with the tuner. So, it's going to be hard to recreate it live. We have to see if we can play that song live, because the bass will be out of tune after you would do that live.

So making an album after 30 years, did you find that some of the bands that you've listened to or worked with have somehow influenced you or got infused in your sound? Maybe younger bands? For example, I think I felt some Gojira vibes in a few moments of the album. Would you see that? Did you find in retrospect that maybe you were influenced by this or that?

Yeah, it's possible. I like Gojira. I listen to their stuff. I bought their albums. And I like Meshuggah. I listen to Meshuggah a lot when I'm in the gym working out and stuff. It's just perfect for this, you know. Hey, that's possible, but I never went like "Okay, I tried to write a song like this". But maybe it's got stuck in my head somewhere. I don't get the inspirations from other bands, I think. It's more from movies, movie soundtracks, and then other stuff that happens in life.

Okay, I get it. Now, as time goes by, it became obvious that Coroner's legacy wasn't forgotten. On the contrary, it has more value, I think, among metal fans. How do you feel now about the old albums and your achievements back at the day?

We are really proud, I think the key to that was that we never, we never talked about "hey, let's do a song like Metallica, maybe we can fly with a private jet as well". We never did that. We always just wrote the music for ourselves. It had to make us happy in the first place. And so we changed every time and then tried to explore things. And yeah, a lot of people said or wrote that we're ahead of our time and maybe now is the time. I don't know…

So since you're reunion, you've played a few times in Greece. What are your thoughts on these gigs? And are you planning to return and maybe having plans for a new tour for this album?

Yeah, absolutely. It would be awesome to play in Greece again. The shows there were always crazy. The crowd is one of the best in the world, really. Like back in the days when we played Thessaloniki and Athens, sometimes we still talk about it… Sometimes we couldn't hear ourselves on the monitor in quieter passages, because the crowd was so loud. It's crazy. We love to come back as soon as possible, of course. We have a new management and new booking agency at the moment, and they work really hard on organizing all that stuff. And we really want to promote this album because we put all our heart and blood in it. So that would be awesome. I'm sure we're going to play Greece next year.

We'll be waiting for you, and it will be special as always. I can guarantee that.

I know and thank you so much. Thank you.

Apart from touring, have you already started thinking about the future? Like if you'd like to continue this second career of Coroner, if you have a plan to release a new album? Hopefully it won't take so many years…

(laughs) I think it can't take that many years, because we're getting old and it's going to be a bit dangerous. We don't know yet... We did that album. Now we're going to tour and play festivals. And if everything works and people still want to listen to it, then this album will be received very well by the fans. And if it makes sense financially as well… We still have fun and we're still fit enough to do it. There might be another album in two or three years. That's absolutely possible, because now everybody's super motivated and 100% into it.

So, Tommy, that was all from me. I’m really glad that we had the chance to talk. I really enjoyed the conversation. Congratulations for the new album and all the best.

Thank you so much.

We're waiting for you back in Greece to celebrate the new album and the old music as always.

It was a pleasure talking to you. Thank you so much for the interview. And yeah, I hope to see you in Greece next year.

See you soon then!

Photo credits: Manuel Schuez, Grzegorz Golebiowski