By James Garvin
I can remove Coroner from the bucket list. The technical thrash masters invaded the sold out Black Circle Brewery in Indianapolis on March 15th, bringing Deceased and Wraith with them. Doors opened at 7:00 PM, and Wraith hit the stage at 7:50. The Indiana thrashers played to something of a hometown crowd, and it did not take long for the bodies to begin flying.
They played a crisp set which featured as much riffing as vocals. Unfortunately, whether intentional or not, vocals were way down in the live mix, and so a lot of their set almost seemed instrumental. Fortunately, they provided enough riffs and aggression.
After their thirty minute set, and a quick set change, made easier because all three bands used the same drum kit, came Deceased. As founder and lead singer King Fowley said, you need to be deceased before you can visit the coroner. So true. The vocal issues which seemed to plague Wraith disappeared when Deceased took the stage. Those of us in the front row received the blessing of the hands from Fowley, which inspired death growls.
Although they were supporting their 2024 release Children Of The Morgue, they only played the title track from that release, and one song from their first release, “Fading Survival” from Luck Of The Corpse, which Fowley called “pre-bald spot.” The stage was rather small for five band members, and so Fowley was the one who was pretty much all over the stage. Bodies were still hitting the floor during Deceased’s set. Fowley also interjects some stand-up comedy in the set.
Deceased’s Setlist:
“Night Of The Deceased”
“The Premonition”
“Fading Survival”
“The Triangle”
“Children Of The Morgue”
“Spit On Your Grave”
“Fearless Undead Machines”
After another quick set change, out came Coroner. Not having been to the Black Circle in a few years, I needed some direction to the restroom. I found myself receiving directions from Tommy Vetterli. Pretty cool. Where Wraith and Deceased are rather bombastic and upfront, Coroner are more laid back and nuanced. Where Wraith and Deceased were almost on top of the audience, the guys in Coroner were a little more towards the back of the stage.
The intricacies of their music almost demand a little more attention. I found little to criticize in the set list, with one inexplicable exception. They opened with “Golden Cashmere Sleeper, Part 1,” off their compilation. Grin was well represented in the set list – “Internal Conflicts,” “Serpent Moves,” “Status: Still Thinking,” and “Grin.” While Grin is something of a controversial release, I will say that live, the selections from that album don’t seem like outliers. They rock just as hard. Of course, the classics went over very well – “Divine Step,” “Semtex Revolution,” “Metamorphosis,” and the encore combining “Reborn Through Hate” and “Die by My Hand.””Purple Haze” appeared on the written set list, but for some reason, they passed it over. Too bad.
Ron Royce announced a new record in October. We’ll see. Hopefully. Seeing Coroner was more than worth the wait after all the years of watching them on Headbanger’s Ball and cranking their records at home, thinking they’ll never make it to America. Well, they’re here. Don’t miss these legends.
Coroner Setlist:
“Golden Cashmere Sleeper, Part I”
“Internal Conflicts”
“Divine Step”
“Serpent Moves”
“Sacrificial Lamb”
“Semtex Revolution”
“Tunnel Of Pain”
“Status: Still Thinking”
“Metamorphosis”
“Masked Jackal”
“Grin”
“Reborn Through Hate”
“Die By My Hand”
The post CORONER / DECEASED – A Grim Corpse In Indy! appeared first on BraveWords - Where Music Lives.
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