Two things came to mind when I heard that my beloved CORONER were coming back after a full 32 years: if it’s fake news, I’ll lose it big time! If not, then this is the album I’ll be waiting for with more anticipation than anything else in 2025 – and to be fair, this year has already given us quite a few great comebacks!
Luckily, it turned out not to be a lie.
So, yes, the iconic Swiss pioneering technical thrashers pull off a HUGE surprise and, in 2025, release their sixth studio album titled “Dissonance Theory”.
Watching the video of the first single, “Renewal,” another thought hit me instantly: THIS is the kind of metal that will never die – RAW, TRUE, and DEVOTED to the very artistry it comes from, serves, and elevates. I saw three guys, after decades, return with immense hunger and explosive energy, giving it all, the way it should be – no pomp, no pointless theatrics, only their own presence, playing THAT which ONLY THEY CAN, in the way ONLY THEY KNOW!
But let’s roll things back to the beginning – as always, we start with the theory.
The theory of Cognitive Dissonance, by Leon Festinger, refers to situations where there’s a clash between attitude and behavior – describing the psychological discomfort one feels when holding conflicting beliefs, values, or attitudes, or when behavior contradicts belief.
In today’s liminal, almost dystopian reality, with so many contradictory stimuli, the title and the concept of “Dissonance Theory” – in continuation of CORONER’s always distinctive lyricism – are strikingly relevant and effective.
Moving to the album itself: the band now consists of the two founding members, Ron Broder (vocals & bass) and Tommy Vetterli (guitars), with Diego Rapacchietti on drums – Vetterli knows him from the other Swiss trio he’s been in since 2011 with his former wife, Nina Treml: 69 CHAMBERS.
The album kicks off with a one-minute atmospheric instrumental, “Oxymoron,” serving as the perfect intro to “Consequence,” a furious, fresh composition with a beautiful, haunting, mellow middle section before bursting into a solo and racing to the end, handing the torch seamlessly to “Sacrificial Lamb.” Massive, suffocating riffs, glorious rhythmic unfoldings, clever, hyper-technical shifts, and really great vocals – rougher and harsher than before, yet absolutely faithful to the tone and atmosphere of the songs.
I ALREADY had all I needed to understand that CORONER weren’t back just to tack on another album to their discography, stir up some buzz, and reap fruit from the heavy legacy of their name.
No.
CORONER are back to write yet another brilliant page in the great book of heavy metal history.
Listening to “Cirsium Bound” next, I was completely swept away in the intoxicating whirlpool of a masterful tech/prog thrash piece – dreamy or nightmarish, call it what you will – but as a listening experience, it’s truly unreal!
And the journey continues with the storm called “Symmetry,” a track that grabs you by the throat and instantly owns you.
Up next is the groovy “The Law.” At first, its style made me a bit cautious, but the relentless speed crescendo in the second half is an outburst that simply cannot leave you unmoved.
Then comes “Transparent Eye,” which brings back a slower pace and a somewhat simpler expressive form, before once again exploding into a furious barrage and a very intriguing solo. The mood shifts with “Trinity,” where we encounter a more intricate pattern, before moving on, just before the finale, to “Renewal,” which has already sparked a lot of opinions. Mine? It’s an AMAZING sample of CORONER’s new work, highly representative (especially of the first half of the record), and successful on every front: rhythm, power, and lyrics strike like a fist, delivering a shocking impact. Knock-out, my friend – that’s how the game is played!
“Steel yourself, plague killer,
it’s time to face off with fate
ravenous, maw open wide to bite down
eat the swarm”
The album closes with “Prolonging” and the refrain “What remains, What remains…” echoing from “Renewal.” It’s a distinctive instrumental with a Hammond organ solo, adding a wonderful touch of strangeness right at the final curtain.
And that was it.
Ten tracks, 47 minutes of runtime.
Left in the deafening silence after the first listen, I almost stood up for a standing ovation – suddenly, an incredible feeling washed over me! Pure, genuine joy that I had the fortune to hear this AMAZING and MIGHTY band again, after so many years!
I replayed the album MANY times in a row before writing these words. It might sound different from the style many have long associated with CORONER, but it carries their identity loud and clear. Can something that feels modern also bear the stamp of a classic? Yes, it can!
Perhaps this all comes off so well because the band didn’t overthink anything. They surely understood the pressure of coming back with their first material in three decades, but they shook off that pressure and simply let CORONER be themselves.
Vetterli notes:
“I thought a lot about what CORONER should sound like today — but I pretty quickly realized that looking backwards would’t serve us. What’s past is past. So much time has passed, and we’re not the same people. Just like we didn‘t care about trends back then, we didn’t try to make this record for anyone but ourselves. We weren’t trying to continue a legacy — we were just trying to create something honest and present”.
So, if I had to leave you with one last word, it would be this: DON’T overthink it – just crank it up and buy the album!
CORONER haven’t merely returned – CORONER were, are, and will FOREVER remain, a true metallic milestone in music history. And if this album is their way of proclaiming it to those who missed them back in the day, then yes – they’ve made it ABSOLUTELY CLEAR to everyone that they are, without question, a UNIQUE and ICONIC band!
“Dissonance Theory” will be released on October 17th by Centuria Media as limited double Mediabook CD, with expanded booklet and the legendary “Death Cult” 4-track demo from 1986 as bonus CD – featuring Tom G. Warrior (TRIPTYKON, CELTIC FROST, HELLHAMMER) on vocals-, standard jewelcase CD, and LP in various vinyl editions.
Check the discussion about the album in our forum pages.
You can pre-order the physical formats here.
