Thrash spoke to those of us who wanted more extremity and righteous anger in our metal but refused to be enticed by the nihilism and unruliness of punk. It was a movement at the right time and right place that rejuvenated metal and forged its modern playbook. Beyond the big fours in America and Germany thrash implanted its unrelenting ethos across the global. In Switzerland, three roadies for Celtic Frost were inspired to form a band that took that unstoppable gallop of thrash but pushed its technicality and its spirit of invention forward. Coroner was born, and over thirteen years and five albums, they explored thrash’s avant-garde side, pushing its boundaries and reinventing its rules.

They called it a day in 1996 but were tempted back into circulation in 2011. Since then, rumours of new material have regularly appeared, but nothing concrete has transpired. Until now. For the first time in 32 years, we have a new Coroner album, and it is an absolute beauty. This is a continuation rather than a reinvention of their sound. However, what is extraordinary is how contemporary it sounds. It is a fresh, invigorating album that is inventive and supremely intelligent. It is dense and dexterous, using keys and samples not to dilute the aggressive temperament but to enhance and augment. It is a stunningly clever record that builds huge cathedrals of caustic but cohesive sound. There is always a nervousness when a revered entity makes an album after such a long layoff, but this quite simply is lightning caught in a jam jar. Brilliant.

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