Album Review: Grin by Coroner 1993 (4/5)

Coroner's Grin, released in 1993 is a very interesting metal album. It's definitely not one that you can pop in for the first time and immediately fall in love with it. At least that wasn't the case with me. Now, you will be able to tell instantly that there is a lot going on and it could be something very special, but it isn't readily apparent just what that is or if it's really worth giving it many more listens to find out.

As I was trying to get into this album, I noticed a couple things: it seems to have all the right elements - the riffs are good, drumming is just fine, the songs seem well put together and the guitar solos are very well crafted and technical. But for some reason I felt tired while listening to this album. I'd be pepped up and ready to go in the beginning but after a few songs I'd feel lethargic and ready to take a nap. Was it just me? Or is this album really a doozer?

After many listens I can say that this is one of those albums that has to grow on you. You have to give it time to set in to get it and enjoy it. But at the same time I do think there are a couple flaws, a few areas that if they would have done better would have taken it it from a 4/5 album to a 5/5 album. One of the main things that hurts this album in my opinion is the production. Now I'm not a producer and it's hard to say exactly what went wrong, but simply put the album sounds boring. It's lifeless. The bass isn't as high in the mix as they should be, and it seems like they were going for a more refined and clean sound - which took away some of the energy it might otherwise have had. It's too quiet - the instruments aren't caked into each other sonically enough - you can see right through them. Also, the snare drum is too loud compared to everything else and the high-hat is too quiet and closed in places where it should be more open and rocking it to give the song more "energy". As I listen to this album I can't help but be reminded of the production sound of White Zombie's La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1. If Grin would have had that type of sound the songs would really have come to life a lot more.

Another thing that makes this album a little tiring is the generally slower tempo for the genre. Every song seems to be dragging just a tad bit. There is also a somewhat "jammy" feel to the album - 1 riff might last a couple minutes, and most of the songs are over 6 minutes. One very high point are the guitar solos by Tommy Vetterli. He does a great job of bringing some emotion into the riffs (which unfortunately sound otherwise somewhat lifeless due to production) and at times his playing reminds us of Joe Satriani.

I'm not going to say that this is a must-have metal album but if you want to expand your horizons just a tad bit and try something new, definitely check out Coroner's Grin.

2011 Album of the year: Cavalera Conspiracy - Blunt Force Trauma

I have to say, it's been a pretty shitty last decade in music and we're well into a new decade that doesn't seem any more promising. The amount of shitty albums you have to go through to find a gem takes so much effort that most give up in the process and just stick to the old stuff. 2011 did bring us one great album and it comes from Sepultura brothers Max & Igor Cavalera's new band "Cavalera Conspiracy". This is actually their second offering since the reunion, the first being "Inflikted", released in 2008.

Most metal bands from the 80s that are still releasing material have watered themselves down and are a parody of what they used to be. They're middle aged, raising kids, and just aren't as pissed off at the world as they used to be. But Cavalera Conspiracy's Blunt Force Tauma sounds very fresh, energetic and angry. The whole album is solid from start to finish and includes a cool cover of Black Sabbath's "Electric Funeral". Cavalera Conspiracy definitely delivers the goods here: there's no stupid parts that make you cringe, there's no filler and it just kicks your ass all the way through.

Max Cavalera has never been the most technical rhythm guitarist, and that doesn't really change much here. Usually in other bands I favor more sophisticated guitar work but Max just makes it work because his riffs are solid and he knows how to put together a good song. Plus he's got his Soulfly bandmate Marc Rizzo on lead guitar and he can really tear it up. Now during my first couple listens of the album I was kind of disappointed with some of the leads. They had the technicality to them, nice sweep picking shred stuff going on, but it didn't really seem to go anywhere. It was a bit too mindless for what I was hoping he'd play. But after several listens it's grown on me and it does go with the music pretty well. You can tell some solos are a lot more thought-out than others. Sometimes you just want to rock out for a moment, not every solo has to be a masterpiece.



Track Listing:

01. Warlord
02. Torture
03. Lynch Mob
04. Killing Inside
05. Thrasher
06. I Speak Hate
07. Target
08. Genghis Khan
09. Burn Waco
10. Rasputin
11. Blunt Force Trauma
12. Psychosomatic
13. Jihad Joe
14. Electric Funeral

Every metal fan should get themselves a copy of Blunt Force Trauma, you won't be disappointed.