Supports: Schizophrenia, Tar Pond
Location: Nobel, Leiden
It is a Thursday, skipping school to catch a live show in a nearby town, where the glorious history of technical thrash metal returns to a Dutch stage after 30 years.
Tar Pond
Coroner, it seems, are like the husband who goes out for “cigarettes” and returns years later as if nothing had happened, and then blows everything out of the water (yes, Ulysses, I’m talking about you).
With “Dissonance Theory,” they shattered the concept of a comeback album, and now that they’re back in the driver’s seat, they’re taking the stage by storm once again. So how could I miss such a wonderful evening?
After strolling and taking photos all the way to the venue, I passed by a small protest against the genocide of the Palestinians at Leiden Central Station, then an amusement park in the city center, and arrived at the welcoming Nobel, where the friendly staff handed me my press pass. Thank you so much, Normand (I hope I’m spelling your name right)!
First on stage were the Swiss doomsters Tar Pond, who dedicated their set to the esteemed Martin Ain (see Celtic Frost), one of the band’s founders who is no longer with us.
Funeral doom (or “doom ‘n’ gloom,” as they call it), with melodies sparsely dotted with notes, dark colors on stage, and a frontman who was static yet respectful of the genre, with sorrow scarred on his face.
The atmosphere had a Candlemass-like vibe, but the intense and perfectly synchronized movements of the three string players made the show more captivating than anyone would have expected. Monolithic drums, low-tuned instruments, and an atmosphere which you would expect is dominated by the odour of incense, but unfortunately, as always, the support acts aren’t playing in front of a big enough crowd.
The sound was excellent, the band was living it to the fullest and swept those who did them the honor of being at the Nobel into a state of ecstasy, with their 40-minute set resonating in the darkness.
Schizophrenia
Soon the baton was passed to the wilder Belgians, Schizophrenia, who, with the intensity of their death/thrash, (which as their name suggests, draws on the sound Sepultura had in their early days) took the stage.
Since they are Belgian neighbors and musically closer to the Swiss headliners, even though they’ve only released one full-length album in their decade-long career, they’re free in motion, seem experienced, and have the ability to set the air ablaze.
With the freedom of wireless transmitters, the three string players switched sides as if in an Xavi formation (at that very moment, Greece had scored the 1-0 goal in the Greece-Netherlands match) and played relentlessly, sweeping everyone along who had then packed the venue.
The stage was filled with sleeveless T-shirts, long hair, studded belts, and liters of sweat generated by fast-paced death/thrash melodies.
The quartet from Antwerp delivered a brutal performance, the first mosh pits formed, and the adrenaline began to surge through our veins.
The Belgians’ performance was top-notch in every respect, and the local scene in Leiden can attest to that, since the frontman of the excellent band Graceless was in the audience.
An hour flew by in a flash, and I wouldn’t have minded seeing them play longer, so I’ll make a note in my notebook for the future, when they’ll be near me as headliners.
Coroner
Without a doubt, this evening was dedicated to all the old-school fans who grew up on “Grin,” “Punishment for Decadence,” and all the rest, who rushed to enjoy the band that, along with the Canadians Voivod, brought a new perspective to thrash metal.
With bassist-vocalist Ron Royce and guitarist Tommy Baron serving as the two stalwarts from the old days, Coroner’s current lineup is rounded out by drummer Diego Rapacchietti and keyboardist Daniel Stössel, who regularly backed up the vocals.
The Swiss band’s insanely driving grooves quickly won over the crowd, starting with two tracks from their recent album, but they soon set our hearts racing with songs like “Serpent Moves”, “Masked Jackal,” and “Semtex Revolution.”
Although their stage presence wasn’t as elaborate as that of the younger band Schizophrenia, the quality of their music, the significance of their songs in metal history, and Tommy’s fantastic solos were enough to create a frenzy in front of the stage, plenty of air guitaring and drumming, and, without a doubt, expressions of excitement, admiration, and pure ecstasy.
Running into an old friend again after many, many years is a feeling that’s hard to explain, let alone when it’s the first time they’re telling you their whole story from the beginning. That is how it felt!
That evening at the Nobel was a unique experience, and no one even thought about having to wake up early the next morning to get ready for work. Besides, the party was over a little after 11, and we all managed to catch our trains home.
Greece and the Netherlands may have ended up in a tie for the Nations League, but in Leiden, Switzerland was the winner.
