The Classic Metal Album Reviews:

	Title: Mental Vortex Artist: Coroner Label: Noise Records Release Date: 1991 Rating: 4 Skulls
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Reviewed by Requiem:
Believe it or not, I actually missed the old school thrash days as a result of being hooked on the glam rock scene at the time. I know what you're thinking... but some of us took the rocky road to get where we stand now. As a result of being caught up with wearing ripped acid washed jeans and rocking to the likes of Def Leppard, Ratt, Kix and bands of that nature, I missed the early days of bands like Kreator, Celtic Frost, Voivod and the legendary Coroner. Since I took hold of the thrash scene during the late 80's/early 90's, I missed some of the prime releases by these bands at the time. Not only that, but most of my thrash diet consisted of Bay Area bands like Testament, Vio-Lence, Forbidden and the whole lot of bands that are performing at this year's Thrash of the Titans. Once I had a firm grasp on the death metal era shortly afterwards, I started to explore the bands of old that never seemed to cross paths with my ever so curious eardrums. And while I wasn't there when the albums had their strongest charisma, I could pick and choose albums with no "sell-out" biases that fans of old may have had, seeing these bands take twists and turns into new territory. With that being said, I tended to lean more towards the more rock and roll oriented vibe of some of these bands. Being a fan of Angel Rat-era Voivod and Mental Vortex-era Coroner may seem ludicrous, but I consider these albums to be the peaks of their careers. And since this review is for the Coroner slice of the pie, I'll explain my reasoning there. Maybe you'll get a Voivod rant out of me at a later time.
While I can respect the other Coroner material, none of it sunk in as well as Mental Vortex did for me. Yes, it does have a more rock feel, but one that is very progressive in nature, with off time riffing placed upon more groove style rhythms. The guitar riffs throughout the album contain serpent-like qualities, which weave in and around the drum tempos with precision and craft. And don't get the idea that their past techniques are long forgotten on this album. Still in tact are the fretboard acrobatics, flashing arpeggio style riffs around as commonly as white trash at your local Wal-Mart. Don't think that the drums have gone for the simple 4/4 timings on this either. When a groove is in need, a groove is supplied but other than that the tempos range from unconventional time signatures to double bass filled fast sections. By no means have they sacrificed anything on this album, but rather refined and matured themselves to what I think is the fine-tuned and top notch era of Coroner. With a 3 man lineup that replicates the Rush setup, Coroner are a without a doubt one of the finest power trios metal has seen.
The whole album really flows incessantly from beginning to end. I like all of the tracks and don't find myself bored at any point during the album's duration. Of course there are some brighter moments than others. "Sirens" is probably my favorite track, which is one of the more upbeat tunes, but is offset my many little intricate complexities to make the straight forward sections really rock. The next track "Metamorphosis" is just as classic with again perfect tempos setting the pace for the Rush style guitar selections alongside the heavier start/stop sections. "About Life" shows off some of the ridiculous skills that Coroner are known for. The solos throughout are beyond commendable. Tommy T. Baron makes the guitar sound like it's been attached to his body since birth. The bass playing keeps up with the erratic guitar patterns that permeate each and every riff. The vocals are the only thing that aren't ridiculously amazing. But they are trademark Coroner vocals and are as essential as beer at a metal show. Marquis Marky, Ron Royce and Tommy T. Baron are all clearly some of the more well rounded musicians the metal movement has seen in its lengthy existence. The album closes with a seriously heavy cover version of the Beatles' "I Want You (She's So Heavy)."
So take it as you will but I'll stand by this album till death. I've even been spotted from time to time proudly adorning a Mental Vortex shirt. The album really exemplifies the undeniable talent that Coroner has and it also may help open the door for those closed minded metal heads to the more progressive rock edge that some of these well known acts have ventured into. Coroner have influenced many bands over the years and they've left a permanent imprint in metal history. I recommend any self-respecting metal head to check out the entire Coroner repertoire for a history lesson if nothing else. And when you do, be sure not to skip over Mental Vortex, for that would surely be a sin.

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