CORONER Guitarist On Possibility Of New Studio Album: 'You Never Know'

Radio Metal conducted an interview with guitarist Tommy Vetterli (a.k.a. Tommy T. Baron) of the reunited Swiss thrash trio CORONER at this year's Hellfest, which took place June 18-20 in Clisson, France. An excerpt from the chat follows below.

Radio Metal: You have always been clear in past interviews about the fact that CONONER would never reunite ever again. So, how comes you suddenly decided to play some shows again?

Tommy: Yes. Actually, this is not going to end up as a reunion. I mean, there won't be an album. But playing brings so much fun! For a very long time, I played a lot in the studio and I just missed playing live. Therefore I asked the other guys if they would be OK to play a few shows and they said, OK. Why not?" Actually, we haven't rehearsed yet. We're going to start rehearsing in a few weeks, I guess. Then we'll see. You know, the other guys haven't played for more than ten years. We will only go on stage when we are able to play as good as we did when we stopped; otherwise we won't do it.

Radio Metal: Aren't you missing composing music in the style CORONER was famous for?

Tommy: Yes, totally! But, you know, making a new album is kind of difficult… (Pause) Well, you never know. Maybe after four or five shows we'll get into it and say, "Hey! Let's do an album!" Nobody knows what's going to happen. We don't have a master plan. (Laughs)

Radio Metal: You did two albums with KREATOR: "Outcast" and "Endorama". However, they weren't received very well from the fans because of their softer, more melodic and even gothic musical direction. You actually were blamed for this. Isn't it a little bit frustrating?

Tommy: No, because it wasn't my idea. The problem is that Mille (Petrozza, KREATOR mainman) listens to a lot of pop music. He hated metal. He wanted to do "real" music. I told him for "Endorama", "Are you sure you want to do this?" and he said, "Yes! I want to be more commercial." I was just his side man. I was here to help him reach that goal. When an album is not very successful, it's easy to say, "It's all this guy's fault!"

Radio Metal: You're saying that Mille doesn't like metal. Then what is he doing leading a thrash metal band?

Tommy: He has to do it. That's the way he earns his money. There's no other way.

Read the entire interview at Radio Metal.

CORONER — made up of bassist Ron Royce, drummer Marquis Marky (a.k.a. Marky Edelmann) and guitarist Tommy T. Baron — will reunite for an appearance at next year's edition of Hellfest, set to take place June 17-19, 2011 in Clisson, France.

CORONER's name/logo first appeared on a promotional poster that was captured in the photo below, taken at the site of this year's Hellfest.

Originally part of the road crew for fellow countrymen CELTIC FROST, CORONER went on to become one of the most progressive extreme metal acts of the Eighties.

The connection between the Zurich band and CELTIC FROST was so strong, in fact, that CELTIC FROST frontman Tom G. Warrior offered to handle vocals for the emerging band's demo. Warrior and CORONER entered Switzerland's Magnetix studio on October 10, 1985, and nine days later they walked out with the impressive four-song 1986 release, "Death Cult".

While subsequent bootlegged CDs included the bonus tracks of "Arrogance in Uniform" and "Hate, Fire, Blood", the original four-track demo consisted of the following tracks: "Spectators of Sin", "Spiral Dream", "Aerial Combat" and "The Invincible". (Only "Spiral Dream" would make it onto CORONER's 1987 debut LP, "R.I.P.")

According to The BNR Metal Pages, CORONER "progressed from the raw speed of 'R.I.P.' to the more laidback style of 'Grin', releasing five albums (not counting the semi-compilation 'Coroner' album) that are all different and yet all are undeniably related, and undeniably CORONER. The band called it a day in 1994, actually before the release of 'Coroner', with Marky Edelmann joining APOLLYON SUN and Tommy T. Baron going to KREATOR, though neither is still with those bands."