Punishment for Decadence in Bloomington, MN

Most anyone still doubting
Coroner
's merits as anything but "the band formed by
Celtic Frost
's old roadies" was likely silenced by their very impressive second album, 1988's
Punishment for Decadence
. Though not nearly as adventurous as their previous employers early on, the members of
had the clear advantage of being incredibly gifted musicians from day one; and aesthetically, they evidently already aspired to become the
thrash metal
power trio equivalent of
Rush
by splitting songwriting duties between guitarist
Tommy T. Baron
and bassist/singer
Ron Royce
, while drummer
Marquis Marky
handled the lyric-writing. The analogy may seem a tad far-fetched, but though
's focus was still very much on speed (as if the players are simply relishing the joys of pulling off such complex technical gymnastics in the first place), there's no disguising
's amazing compositional talents to make it all work. To be sure, songs like
"Absorbed"
and
"Shadow of a Lost Dream"
stay true to
's melody-averse philosophy, but careful listeners will notice
Baron
's solos becoming more musical by the minute -- especially obvious on the frenetic
"Arc-Lite,"
which features a spellbinding workout of
Yngwie Malmsteen
-like speed and dexterity. More accomplished tracks like
"Masked Jackal,"
"Sudden Fall"
and the semi-
industrial
"The New Breed"
all have their moments, but it's the excellent
"Skeleton on Your Shoulder"
which offers the most hints of the band's incredible output in later years. Plus, many
thrash
enthusiasts will find
's over-the-top rendition of
"Purple Haze"
reason enough to investigate this rough-hewn gem. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia