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Rating: Uh-oh! We are informed that this review also appears (in whole or in part) on shapeless.it
Now in the midst of the thrash decline - we are in 1991 - the only noteworthy releases in the genre are those related to bands - almost all part of the second wave - that, although starting from previously laid grooves, have managed to evolve their sonic matrix in an extremely personal way.
I’ve already described the Coroner's evolution (hopefully decently!) in the reviews of their previous albums, but I certainly won’t hold back in front of “Mental Vortex,” which is, in fact, the masterpiece, the definitive realization of the meticulous work that began to take shape with “Punishment For Decadence.” We spoke of spinning blades/circular saws, and even here they remain indispensable: more massive and robust, certainly cutting with its jagged edge, the record depicted on the back cover anticipates a band that perhaps wants to focus on the essentials without renouncing their musical and compositional characteristics. On the other hand, the cover, with the same theme as the previous "No More Color," further defines the themes of the lyrics, which move from the Ossian shores of the first two albums to introspective, much more rational and reflective zones, profoundly summarizing high-level concepts in a few lines.
Musically, "Mental Vortex" is the refinement, the pushing further (and higher) than the previous album. I prefer this album to "No More Color" precisely for its greater definition and care that stand out on listening, as well as encountering monumental guitar work in continuously weaving riff upon riff, in slightly more complex but also more linear architectures in medium-long duration tracks. The key of the album is the precise fusion of three elements, each directly traceable to an instrument: the dry, cadenced rhythms of the drums are the base upon which the aggressive and sharp guitar riffing rests, mediated by extremely dynamic and harmonic bass lines. The first result is a kind of 'controlled rage': fast riffs (a direct evolution of the speed of the beginnings, as "About Life" shows us) and sudden in changing tempo and meter, contrast with a squared and surgical rhythm section, giving that feeling of rational control over intrinsic rage thanks to the precision and syncopated insertions of cross-beats.
The second effect is the underlying driving groove, mainly due to Ron Royce’s work (who blends so well with the rest it becomes almost imperceptible), capable of providing an extra gear to the effectiveness of tracks like “Son Of Lilith” and the elegant stride of “Sirens”. It’s also noteworthy how the 'mental vortex' dealt with in the lyrics finds correspondences in the songwriting, both through the classic circular riff and the lyrics’ meter (which even includes triplets, allowing for greater definition in closing each round), and through the structural progression of the songs. As in the previous album, Coroner 'assigns' a different rhythmic pattern to each section of these, proposing them in a growing march up to the refrain, which closes the circle and reopens it with the new verse. It's thrilling to note the fluidity in the transitions between these sections, which are counterpointed by the insertions of purely instrumental parts, which not only 'pull' well but also greatly support the solos (excellent in “Sirens” and “Pale Sister”) and wander through atmospheric arpeggios with a characteristically decadent flavor present in “Divine Step” and “Semtex Revolution”, whose refrain will later be revisited by the Gothic period Kreator. There isn't a single track unworthy of note, apart from a relative drop in tone in the first half of “Pale Sister”; also noteworthy is the reinterpretation of the Beatles' blues in “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” that closes the album with progressions and interwoven guitar work; but it's the whole, granitic and refined at the same time, that shines.
With the subsequent "Grin," Coroner will shift the coordinates to what is their definitive masterpiece, but I wouldn’t recommend anyone to overlook an album of the caliber of “Mental Vortex,” one of the best thrash albums if only for the excellent realization of the decadent derivations that permeate the group’s sonic matrix and for the relative future consequences to be read under the heading Meshuggah - "Chaosphere."
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Divine Step (Conspectu Mortis) (07:05)
This is the last hit
Your heart will beat
Into this world
This is the first step
Your soul will take
Up to the sky
No time to pray 'cos you
Can't stay where words
Like that would count
Face the moment
That you feared and
Glide outside your brain
Golden wings
Drawn in blood
What is sin?
And who is God?
This time it's real
And not a game
Now cross the edge of time
The circle's closed
So enter now
The land of unborn life
Golden wings
Drawn in blood
What is sin?
And who is God?
You will find out
If your heaven is colored black
And you will find out
If your suffering will find an end
This is the last hit
Your heart will beat
Into this world
This is the first step
Your soul will take
Up to the sky
No time to pray 'cos you
Can't stay where words
Like that would count
Face the moment
That you feared and
Glide outside your brain
Golden wings
Drawn in blood
What is sin?
And who is God?
You will find out
If your heaven is colored black
And you will find out
If your suffering will find an end
03 Semtex Revolution (05:30)
They tore me down
They threw me out
They shot my mouth
They enslaved my mind
They blocked my way
Holding me back with
Their stupid game
Hand on trigger
Phantom face
Don't trust no one
Always on the run
Eyes all over
Never safe
Virus like
Merciless
I left the row
Erased myself
Designed my plan
Now I revolt
I just say no
I do reject
And don't let it go
I serve the revolution
In a different way
My thoughts are radical
And I don't hesitate to slay
Hand on trigger
Phantom face
Don't trust no one
Always on the run
Eyes all over
Never safe
Virus like
Merciless
My way is fast
I hit and run
Won't leave no trace
I'm a sniper
The signs I set
Are painted
In deepest red
I serve the revolution
In a different way
My thoughts are radical
And I don't hesitate to slay
04 Sirens (04:56)
Oh how I lived the game
When we were dancin' on bridges
High above rivers of tears and
The lightness of innocence gave us wings
We were sleepin' covered
By darkness' black velvet
So far from coldness
So far from light
Where is the place
I used to hide
Where are the hearts
Once given to me
And I can feel it now
The white cold hand
For the first time I'm getting hurt
By the thorns of the roses in my hand
Time is returning to its realm
And it's slowly melting away
Like deep red wax
Leaving pools of blood
Where is the place
I used to hide
Where are the hearts
Once given to me
And sweet voices...
Turn into sirens
Foretelling...
The presence of death!
Oh how I lived the game
When we were dancin' on bridges
High above rivers of tears and
The lightness of innocence gave us wings
We were sleepin' covered
By darkness' black velvet
So far from coldness
So far from light
Where is the place
I used to hide
Where are the hearts
Once given to me
And sweet voices...
Turn into sirens
Foretelling...
The presence of death!
07 About Life (05:18)
In a world
Where we think
That we've seen
Everything
In a world
Where we think
That we rise above
All things
In a time
That is so fast
You have to run
So you won't get lost
In a time
That is so loud
You have to scream
To get recognised
In a land
Where you must fight
For a little Fragement
Of human right
In a system
That uses war
To spread its spirit
Around the globe
A religion
That uses hate
To plug its message
Into your brain
A revolution
That turns back time
Forgets what we have
Learned to be
I'd like to say
I have to say
You...don't know nothin'
You...don't know nothin' about
You...don't know nothin'
You...don't know nothin' at all!
A public
Where shoes do shine
And money beats
Respect for life
In a world
That is cleaned
Of all secrets
That nature kept
A public
Where death's reduced
To be excitement
In late night news
In a time
Where children learn
To ignore the world
Around them
I'd like to say
I have to say
You...don't know nothin'
You...don't know nothin' about
You...don't know nothin'
You...don't know nothin' at all!
I'd like to say
I have to say
You...don't know nothin'
You...don't know nothin' about
You...don't know nothin'
You...don't know nothin' at all!
08 I Want You (She's So Heavy) (07:14)
I want you
I want you so bad
I want you
I want you so bad it's drivin' me mad
She's so heavy
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By EvilSimon
Coroner was one of the few capable of creating and shaping an identity that transcended the limitations of thrash metal.
Mental Vortex manages to demonstrate Coroner’s insane ability to craft songs that are simultaneously complex, sharp, and visionary yet always accessible.
