Review by Ben for Coroner - Grin (1993)

Massively underappreciated and ambitious album. Coroner went out in style!

So, it appears there are a stack of fans below that consider Grin to be the worst Coroner album. I couldn't disagree more! This album is a simply wonderful release and one of the very best by these Swiss legends. In fact, I'd probably say that this is my personal favourite! Yes, it's not as consistently shredding as earlier releases. Yes, the band decided to spend more time in each track, with most going over the six-minute mark. But if you give this album the time of day, it rewards massively!

Things kick off with two of the more aggressive tracks with The Lethargic Age and Internal Conflicts. Both are great, exciting pieces that will get your blood pumping with powerful drums and killer riffs. But then things slow down and become far more expansive for most of the rest of the album. Tracks such as Serpent Moves, Paralyzed, Mesmerized and Host may at first seem more simplistic due to their more relaxed atmosphere and lack of metallic edge, but the song writing is pure gold. Each track has multiple levels and themes which the band revisit and build on over their course.

The star of the show is undoubtedly Tommy T. Baron. His guitar performance is simply exquisite, and I can honestly say that the leads on this album are some of the absolute best I have ever heard. I also think this is vocalist Ron Royce's best performance and while he never had much variety in his style, he manages a level of conviction and strength on this album that outdoes anything prior.

I could crap on for ages about how good this album is but seriously, don't let the negative reviews below deter you. If you enjoy Coroner, then I can only assume you enjoy the progressive, technical aspect of their music (that's what makes them so great after all!), and Grin is by far the band's most ambitious work. It's not a failed experiment. It's a huge album that requires multiple listens for it all to sink in, and I don't have too many others that match it for sheer intelligence and talent. Such a shame they split after this, but at least they went out with a bang. Highlights are The Lethargic Age, Internal Conflicts, Paralyzed, Mesmerized and Grin but it's all superb.