• Voto:
Personalmente ritengo i Coroner la band progressive thrash metal più sottovalutata del loro tempo. Il gruppo, composto da Tommy T. Baron (chitarra - futuro Kreator), Ronald 'Ron' Broder (basso, voce) e Markus 'Marky' Edelmann (batteria), nasce nel 1985 a Zurigo per sciogliersi dieci anni dopo nel '95.
Delle centinaia di gruppi che ho ascoltato nel corso degli anni, ritengo che i Coroner siano stati uno dei pochi in grado di realizzare e modellare un'identità che ha superato le limitazioni del trash metal aprendo le porte a molti degli eventi più progressive e dark del metal odierno. La loro abilità nel comporre musica superava notevolmente molti dei loro presunti pari, tuttavia il successo nel mondo ha sempre continuato ad eluderli: un vero peccato per tutti fan del metal che non hanno potuto conoscerli.
Ritengo "Mental Vortex" il loro capolavoro, un disco che riesce dimostrare l'insana capacità dei Coroner di costruire canzoni allo stesso tempo complesse, taglienti e visionarie tuttavia sempre accessibili. Le liriche sono poetiche ma sempre aggressive e riescono a mettere in discussione i punti di vista dell'ascoltatore relativamente a concetti che spaziano dalla vita e l'oltretomba ("Divine Step") al senso della malinconica vita delle sirene ("Sirens"), dalla sensazione d'impotenza di fronte all'ignoto ("Metamorphosis") all'assoluta necessità di liberare la mente dalla schiavitù del sistema ("Semtex Revolution").
Tecnicamente moltio preparati, i tre componenti del gruppo sviluppano pattern di batteria-basso-chitarra veloci ma sempre precisissimi, soli puliti ed eseguiti con un tocco impeccabile: consiglio l'ascolto (all'infinito) del riff iniziale "Semtex Revolution" per rendersi conto di come possano essere abbinati gusto, velocità e pulizia alla violenza e alla rabbia di un prog-trash ai massimi livelli.
Musicalmente i Coroner mescolano elementi del thrash, neoclassico, della jazz-fusion e perfino delle strutture ambient per generare un denso paesaggio sonoro che circonda l'ascoltatore con la sua pesante ma sempre ricchissima presenza: ogni canzone è un monolite che vive di vita propria e l'inclusione della cover di "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" dei Beatlles sembra essere semplicemente l'unico modo per concludere il Cd.
Raccomando assolutamente "Mental Vortex" a tutti coloro che siano interessati alla genesi del trash metal progressive: una pietra miliare.
"See me become a snake
Wrapped around your neck...
See me become a spike
Pushed deep in your flesh..."
(Mental Vortex)
Elenco tracce testi samples e video
01 Divine Step (Conspectu Mortis) (07:05)
This is the last hit
Your heart will beat
Into this world
This is the first step
Your soul will take
Up to the sky
No time to pray 'cos you
Can't stay where words
Like that would count
Face the moment
That you feared and
Glide outside your brain
Golden wings
Drawn in blood
What is sin?
And who is God?
This time it's real
And not a game
Now cross the edge of time
The circle's closed
So enter now
The land of unborn life
Golden wings
Drawn in blood
What is sin?
And who is God?
You will find out
If your heaven is colored black
And you will find out
If your suffering will find an end
This is the last hit
Your heart will beat
Into this world
This is the first step
Your soul will take
Up to the sky
No time to pray 'cos you
Can't stay where words
Like that would count
Face the moment
That you feared and
Glide outside your brain
Golden wings
Drawn in blood
What is sin?
And who is God?
You will find out
If your heaven is colored black
And you will find out
If your suffering will find an end
03 Semtex Revolution (05:30)
They tore me down
They threw me out
They shot my mouth
They enslaved my mind
They blocked my way
Holding me back with
Their stupid game
Hand on trigger
Phantom face
Don't trust no one
Always on the run
Eyes all over
Never safe
Virus like
Merciless
I left the row
Erased myself
Designed my plan
Now I revolt
I just say no
I do reject
And don't let it go
I serve the revolution
In a different way
My thoughts are radical
And I don't hesitate to slay
Hand on trigger
Phantom face
Don't trust no one
Always on the run
Eyes all over
Never safe
Virus like
Merciless
My way is fast
I hit and run
Won't leave no trace
I'm a sniper
The signs I set
Are painted
In deepest red
I serve the revolution
In a different way
My thoughts are radical
And I don't hesitate to slay
04 Sirens (04:56)
Oh how I lived the game
When we were dancin' on bridges
High above rivers of tears and
The lightness of innocence gave us wings
We were sleepin' covered
By darkness' black velvet
So far from coldness
So far from light
Where is the place
I used to hide
Where are the hearts
Once given to me
And I can feel it now
The white cold hand
For the first time I'm getting hurt
By the thorns of the roses in my hand
Time is returning to its realm
And it's slowly melting away
Like deep red wax
Leaving pools of blood
Where is the place
I used to hide
Where are the hearts
Once given to me
And sweet voices...
Turn into sirens
Foretelling...
The presence of death!
Oh how I lived the game
When we were dancin' on bridges
High above rivers of tears and
The lightness of innocence gave us wings
We were sleepin' covered
By darkness' black velvet
So far from coldness
So far from light
Where is the place
I used to hide
Where are the hearts
Once given to me
And sweet voices...
Turn into sirens
Foretelling...
The presence of death!
07 About Life (05:18)
In a world
Where we think
That we've seen
Everything
In a world
Where we think
That we rise above
All things
In a time
That is so fast
You have to run
So you won't get lost
In a time
That is so loud
You have to scream
To get recognised
In a land
Where you must fight
For a little Fragement
Of human right
In a system
That uses war
To spread its spirit
Around the globe
A religion
That uses hate
To plug its message
Into your brain
A revolution
That turns back time
Forgets what we have
Learned to be
I'd like to say
I have to say
You...don't know nothin'
You...don't know nothin' about
You...don't know nothin'
You...don't know nothin' at all!
A public
Where shoes do shine
And money beats
Respect for life
In a world
That is cleaned
Of all secrets
That nature kept
A public
Where death's reduced
To be excitement
In late night news
In a time
Where children learn
To ignore the world
Around them
I'd like to say
I have to say
You...don't know nothin'
You...don't know nothin' about
You...don't know nothin'
You...don't know nothin' at all!
I'd like to say
I have to say
You...don't know nothin'
You...don't know nothin' about
You...don't know nothin'
You...don't know nothin' at all!
08 I Want You (She's So Heavy) (07:14)
I want you
I want you so bad
I want you
I want you so bad it's drivin' me mad
She's so heavy
Carico i commenti... con calma
Altre recensioni
Di Melibeo
"Mental Vortex, ovvero il capolavoro, la realizzazione definitiva del certosino lavoro..."
"La chiave del disco è la precisa fusione di tre elementi, ognuno direttamente riconducibile ad uno strumento."
