ENTREVISTA CON TOMMY VETTERLI (CORONER)

Mi décima colaboración con METAL HAMMER ESPAÑA me ha supuesto la oportunidad de poder hacer una entrevista por primera vez, nada menos que al gran THOMAS VETTERLI (también conocido como TOMMY T. BARON), genial guitarrista de los suizos CORONER.

El enlace debería llevar a ambos idiomas, español e inglés, pero no hay traducción al inglés por ahora,  no sé por qué, pero la pondré aquí yo. La entrevista ha sido mínimamente editada para dejar fuera algo de conversación prescindible:

TOMMY VETTERLI / METAL HAMMER ESPAÑA

No puedo negar los nervios previos, ya que nunca había entrevistado a nadie, y si bien todo se calmó bastante al empezar la entrevista (Tommy ayudó, desde luego), sí que es verdad que me hubiese gustado mucho más hacer algo así en persona, y no a través de una pantalla. No sólo por conocer en persona a alguien a quien admiro, si no por haber podido estar más tranquilo. 

Tommy Vetterli

Como le comento en la entrevista, me hubiese pasado horas preguntando cosas, ya que unos cuantos temas se quedaron sin sacar, pero el tiempo, hasta donde yo sé, se suele reducir a treinta minutos. Desde luego que le hubiese preguntado acerca de su paso por KREATOR, pero tengo que reconocer, y con vergüenza, que no sabía que hubiese estado con ellos. La razón es que el período en el que se unió a la banda es el más oscuro y extraño de los alemanes, y ni tengo ni he escuchado los dos discos que grabó con ellos. Escasa disculpa, lo sé, pero qué puedo decir?

Coroner, con el actual batería Diego
Rapacchietti, a la izquierda. Ron a la
derecha y Tommy en el medio

Me habían ofrecido una entrevista antes, pero era con alguien cuya carrera no sigo, y no me pareció correcto aceptar. Ahora no podía decir que no, a pesar de los nervios. Esperemos que salga mejor la próxima vez, si hay otra oportunidad. Muchas gracias de nuevo a JESÚS LUX por acordarse de mí para esto. Aún no me lo creo.

Saludos!

ENGLISH

INTERVIEW WITH TOMMY VETTERLI (CORONER)

My tenth contribution with METAL HAMMER ESPAÑA meant having the chance to interview someone for the first time, the great THOMAS VETTERLI (aka TOMMY T. BARON), no less, who is primarily known for playing guitar with Switzerland's CORONER.

This link was supposed to take the reader to both languages, spanish and english, but so far there is no english translation, I do not know why, even though I sent one. Sorry about that. I'll ask about it and I'll post it myself.  The interview has been edited a little bit, in order to omit some expendable small chat:

TOMMY VETTERLI / METAL HAMMER ESPAÑA

I can't deny being nervous in anticipation, for I had not interviewed anybody before, and, as much as I calmed down once it all started (Tommy helped, no doubt), it's also true that I wish I had had the chance to do something like this in person, instead of through a computer screen. Not only for meeting someone I admire, but also for being capable of calming myself down completely.

As I told him during the interview, I could have spent hours on end asking him about this and that, because some subjects remained unspoken, but as far as I know, these usually are thirty minutes long affairs. Sure I would have asked him about his tenure with KREATOR, but I must admit with embarrassment that I did not even know he had been with them. The reason why is because that very time when he joined the band, was the germans' most weird and obscure one, and I haven't listened to either of the two records Tommy did with them. Not enough as an apology, I know, but what can I say?

I had been offered interviewing someone before, but the interviewee was someone whose career I'm not familiar with, and I thought the right thing to do was to pass. Now I couldn't say no, despite the excitement and the nerves. I hope I'll get better next time, if there is any other chance. Thanks a million, once again, to JESÚS LUX for counting on me for this. I still can't believe myself.

Interview:

Tommy Vetterli is Coroner’s amazing guitar player. The Swiss combo is one of my favourite bands, and having the chance to talk to someone as praised and out of the ordinary as he is, means having a privilege I could have never dreamt of. Let alone in what has become my first interview. I’m a lucky guy. Let’s find out if the likable, talented and punctual Tommy can consider himself one, just a few days ahead of the release of Coroner’s first album in 32 years, no less. Dissonance Theory Will hit the shelves on the next 17^th of October, through Century Media.

“I get bored very quickly, and when writing, I got bored with certain things… maybe this has already been heard before, or this sounds like this or that and all that, you know? In the end, out of every 30 or even 50 riffs, only one made it onto the album. Otherwise, it wouldn't have made sense to make an album today. I wanted an album that I was happy with, and so was the whole band. We wrote for ourselves”

Hi Tommy! Everything okay? My name is Diego. Greetings from Metal Hammer Spain.  Talking to you is a pleasure and an honour, although I think you should know in advance that this is my first time doing an interview.

Very well, how are you? OK, no problem, we'll do it.

Where are you right now? Switzerland?

Yes, near Zurich. I usually do interviews in my home studio, where I live.

I want you to know that, a few months back, I was asked if I could write some reviews for this magazine, and the second one I did was No More Color’s, to be honest. I'm a big fan of that album, and it's one of my favourites.

Cool, thanks!

When I was told I was going to interview Coroner, I got really excited, and nervous. I'm not going to say that I've been following you since the beginning, because I was very young, but I started listening to you in the nineties, so I've had plenty of time to get to know your music. And I got even more nervous when I found out that it was going to be you, in particular, the one who was going to be interviewed. Guitar playing is what I focus the most on, and the guitar is my favourite instrument. I used to play a little myself a while back. It didn't get me anywhere, of course, because I lacked technique and patience, but I had fun, and you've always been what I consider a guitar hero.

Thank you very much.

My pleasure. And what about you, guys? Are you nervous one month ahead of the release of the new album, after like 32 years without releasing anything new?

Yes, but it's a really good feeling. We've finally finished it. It took us forever, but it's been worth it. It's the first album I'm completely happy with, and I thought I'd have some time to myself after it was finished, but no way (laughs), I'm doing a lot of interviews. But it's cool, it's like everyone is super motivated and we can't wait for next year to arrive, so we can tour a lot and see what happens.

Any plans of maybe coming to Spain?

Hopefully. I have to say that we have a new agency in Europe now and they're working hard. They've just started and there are a lot of projects, but I can't tell anything for sure. There are some festivals confirmed, but as for the rest, it's still up in the air. But they're brave and they're doing a great job, and we want to tour a lot to support this album. After all the hard work, we have to do it.

Of course, and if you do come here, I hope I can attend one of the shows, in Madrid, for example, which is the most common place in Spain for bands to play in. And well, this is the most expected question, and the one you're probably asked everywhere... what took you so long? (he laughs). Coroner disbanded in 1996, right? And you got back together in 2010, although Marquis left in 2014. But Diego (Rappachietti, the drummer) joined a few months later and you've been touring for many years now, but no new album whatsoever. What happened? Did you start working on it and forgot about it, or what? Or maybe it wasn’t the right time?

It was in 2014, I think, that we had to resign our contract, and the following year I wanted to start writing, but then life happened... a lot of things happened, people died, like my father and Ron's (bass and vocals), I got divorced, and above all, there was my work. I have a recording studio in Switzerland and I produce bands on a daily basis, so after working with other artists, the night comes and I'm no longer creative. I don’t even feel like listening to music. So, every time I wanted to write, I had to take a few days off and go to the mountains on my own, and then the ideas flowed a little. But then I had to go back to work with a new band and everything got difficult. And then there was Covid and you know, I had time, but I wasn't in the mood, and I got interested in other things. I built a big pedalboard for my gear, because I wanted something big, like David Gilmour, and it was crazy, but I did it and learned a lot from it. But in the end, the main problem has been the studio, as I had to put in long hours to keep my customers happy and keep everything afloat. Another reason was that I was very picky when it came to composing, the production and everything else. I get bored very quickly, and when writing, I got bored with certain things… maybe this has already been heard before, or this sounds like this or that and all that, you know? In the end, out of every 30 or even 50 riffs, only one made it onto the album. Otherwise, it wouldn't have made sense to make an album today. I wanted an album that I was happy with, and so was the whole band. We wrote for ourselves, and the production was also tough. I needed a guitar sound that inspired me, and it took me about three weeks to get it right and be satisfied. In the end, everything is fine, because everything you hear is there for a reason. I'm happy.

Okay. Long story short, life got in the way, then Covid, and then the fact that all three of you wanted everything to be perfect, right?

Exactly.

Well, thank you. I've always had an idea about Coroner, and I don't know if you'll agree, but when I think about your past, and about the albums you made when you were still with Marquis, I always think of two different eras: the first one, with the first three albums, is a full-on thrash metal assault, even if the albums are different from one another, since on RIP you could hear all that neoclassical stuff, and then you became even more technical, always within what we understand as thrash. And then along came Mental Vortex and Grin, which can also be considered thrash, for the most part at least, but there's more groove and new sounds and influences. That's why I talk about two eras, I don't know if you see it the same way.

More than two eras, I consider this an evolution of our back catalogue. When we started with RIP, we were young, everything was exciting, and we wanted to show that we practiced a lot. There's a lot of technical stuff on that album. We had never played a concert before writing that album. After it came out, we went on tour and learned a little bit about what works and what doesn't, and that influenced us. Then, starting with the third album, I started listening to jazz and progressive rock musicians from the 70s.

I guess that's why people used to talk about avant-garde metal when talking about you guys, in the past. You could say you were different, but for all the good reasons. And I don't know if these were your own words, or those of some other member of the band, but I once read that this album, Dissonance Theory, was intended to be a continuation of Grin, as if you were trying to pick things up where you left them off, but I don't get that feeling. It's not like the first three, but it's not like Grin either. When you get to the heavier parts, it's thrash metal, but not as on the first three albums, and on the other hand, I find that there are many more nuances, and they don't fit within the Grin mold. How do you see it?

I think Grin was a special album because that was a special time. Metal was in decline and no one was impressed by it, and then there was the techno scene, which was huge in Switzerland, and then Seattle and grunge came along, so everyone was experimenting with their new influences, and that's what Grin is. It is what it is, and I still like it. As for the new album, I thought a lot about how it should sound, whether like Grin, the first three albums, or something else, until I realized that playing fast all the time is not an option because I'm not the same person that I was and that wouldn't make any sense. I had to sit down and think about all this. In the past, we rejected writing for others or doing a Metallica-style riff, just because it would mean selling a few more records. We never did that and always played what we liked. Same now.

And that's what made you special, of course.

Thank you!

Let's talk about some specific songs now, if you don't mind, or at least the moments that I think are the most special ones. For example, “Consequence”, the second track. Let’s forget about “Oxymoron”, since is a short intro, something you've done in the past. I see “Consequence” as a summation of the album, with the thrashier, chugging, simpler parts, which are great, and then that middle section with clean guitars. And back to square one and an incredible guitar solo. It's as if you wanted to throw everything you had into that first song.

No, it just turned out that way. We had an intro and we started from there. The clean part is a bit surprising, but we thought it was perfect when we wrote it, and that's why it stayed. It all came naturally.

Okay, what about the second track, “Sacrificial Lamb”? Another very special one. I have to be honest about this, because if you made me listen to this song and told me that this is what Coroner's new album is going to be like, then I'll tell you that it's weird, and that I don't know if I'm going to like this album if it's all like this. But after 3 or 4 listens, I'm all hooked. It's different, with some groove, but then there's another slower middle section, quite melodic and I think with some keyboards in the background, and then everything speeds up and there's a guitar solo that is like a minute long and which is just otherworldly, really, and above all its second half. It's what they call a song within a song.

That's what I try to do, you know, guitar solos for me are not just improvising from an idea, but trying to create a theme within the theme itself. And it's also important that the whole album sounds like one song. As for “Sacrificial Lamb,” which you mention, the middle part changes with the lyrics, and there's a certain narrative balance between the music and the lyrics. It's not just heavy music about slaying dragons and fighting on a battlefield.

No need for that (we laugh). And what about “The Law”, which may be the most special track, along with the previous one. I wanted to ask if you are familiar with one label or subgenre known as post metal. I wasn't, but a few years ago I went to a concert by a Spanish band that came to Mallorca and I liked it, even though it was just instrumental music, and shortly after I found out that something like that is known as post-metal. There are things I hear in “The Law” and in the next song that remind me of that band. Is this something conscious, did you know about this genre?

I had never seen it that way. I think this song is different because it has a lot of effects and atmospheric sounds, but we have always sought to create a certain atmosphere.

 

Yes, especially in the intro and the main riff, which are amazing. I never thought I'd say something like that, since I consider myself pretty old school when it comes to listening to heavy metal, or thrash in particular, which is what I like the most. In the next song, “Transparent Eye”, I listen to certain things that again remind me of what I mentioned about “The Law”. That first line... I don't know how to explain it, since I'm not a guitarist, but it sounds incredible. I remember struggling to play some of the easiest Black Sabbath or Judas Priest songs, so I can't imagine how you come up with something like that, let alone playing it. Different, but incredible.

Thank you. I guess it's my crazy brain when it comes to writing songs. I think music is in the air, everywhere, and you just have to be in the mood to catch it. That's why silence and inner peace are important. I can't write in my studio, because all I see is work everywhere I look, and that distracts me from getting that connection I mentioned before. It's a bit esoteric.

You have to be alone, in the woods as you said at the beginning, and forget about everything else, right?

Most of the time, the process started like that, and then Diego joined and we worked a little more on the details of the drums, and in some other sessions the three of us were there and there was a lot of creativity when we all worked together. The challenge was finding time to work on the album.

I wanted to ask you about Diego and his drumming, since you can't really say he's still the new member of the band, because he's been with you for a long time and it seems like everything has gone well and he's a great replacement for Marquis.

Yes, I've known him for a long time and he's worked for me as a session musician many times. He can play any style, pop, reggae, you name it. He's a great drummer, and for me it was logical to ask him if he wanted to join us when Marquis left, because when we play our first song together it all sounded as if we had been playing together for 20 years. There was a special connection.

I guess it was the easiest choice...

Yes, the easiest choice and the best one. He gave me technical and musical advice and much more freedom, for he can play everything. Amazing.

 

I'd also like to highlight Ron's bass playing, but not just his playing. I remember listening to Punishment For Decadence and No More Color and noticing how he sometimes matched your riffing, which I found unusual and quite amazing. But not only that... what about his voice? I'm not into anything related to the studio and I don't understand the process of recording an album in the slightest, or all those little things which come with it, but, as far as I'm concerned, his voice hasn't aged a day since the early nineties. It's pretty amazing. And I'll tell you more... when I listened to “Renewal”, the first single, for the first time, I thought... laugh at me if you want, but I thought it was Mille Petrozza from Kreator singing during the second verse.

Really?

Yes, and this is a compliment of course, but I promise you I had to go online to find out if there was a special appearance by Mille as a guest on the album, and I didn't see anything. As I said, this is a compliment. It's incredible. Also, the nuances with the bass and that aggression. You have to send my regards to him.

Thank you, I will. It was very important to me that, when recording, he really felt every line he was going to sing, that he really wanted to sing it. Only if you feel what you're doing you can be real, sound real. It's very important.

And again with this new album... what about the choice of this song as a single? I don't think this is the most accurate word, but don't you think it might be a little deceiving for thrash metal fans? I mean, you are listening to thrash metal, to Coroner blasting their instruments, but the album is much more than that. What do you think? Was it a natural choice or did you have something else in mind?

Sure. When the company asked us to choose songs for future singles, I thought that wasn't right, because for me the album is a whole, and if you take something out of that whole, people are going to think that's what the album is, when each song has its own identity. But I thought that maybe “Renewal” would be a good idea, being faster and more brutal... yes, better than starting with the ballads (he laughs).

It's very good, and so is the whole album. Well, we're coming to the end and I don't want to bother you any longer. As you can imagine, I could talk to you for hours on end, but there are still a couple more things I'd like to ask you about, and they have to do with the past. Yours as a guitarist and Coroner's in general. The first one... I guess that you're aware that a book has come out about Scott Burns, the famous American extreme metal producer, who helped you with No More Color back in the day...

I know, did you read it?

 

I'm reaching the end, but I’m long past that part about you and that album. I guess you already know what I'm about to say, but I wanted to remind you... he didn't produce the album, right? He was the engineer, and he spent the chapter singing your praises and saying you were an incredible guitarist, to the point of saying, literally, that you could run circles around most guitar players. I completely agree. During the second half of the eighties, there were incredible musicians, amazing albums, and great musicianship, but one day I read a review of No More Color by a guy who has written a lot and does it very well, and he said that no one, no band, apart from Coroner, had a Tommy Vetterli. It's a huge compliment and that's pretty much what Scott Burns said.

Wow! I have to buy that book (laughs).

There's also a part where you talk...

I remember it... it took us a long time. The thing was that this guy named Dan Johnson, who was supposed to mix the album, didn't seem interested in this kind of thing anymore, because I think he had a “normal” day job. So, he showed up, and after an hour of work, he fell asleep on the couch...

That's not very professional... and you had to fly to Florida, right?

No, of course it was not professional, and yes, I did fly to Florida. So, Scott Burns, who was the studio assistant and did everything, even coffee, was there, and I asked him what was going on with that guy, if he was going to start mixing or what, and he started doing it with me while the other guy slept, and it turned out great.

He also highlighted “Die By My Hand” as a glorious song to start an album with. Another thing I agree with.

Cool, thanks.

Finally, I wanted to tell you that I'm a big fan of the old Noise International roster, you know, Helloween, Running Wild, Sabbat, Kreator, Voivod, Tankard... I like them all and I was wondering if you still have any kind of relationship with your old label mates, and if there's anything you'd like to say about that concert in Berlin, after the Wall came down, in March 1990 with Sabbat, Tankard, and Kreator... The Wall falling down was like a turning point for society in Europe, and also for music.

Yes, it was a special feeling, of course, but at the time we didn't want that VHS of the concert to be released. The record label said it had to be done, because they had spent a lot of money on that show. Otherwise, they would cancel our funding to tour America.

 

I didn't know that!

So it came out and we didn't like it, because it was a very big stage and we thought a live video would have worked better if filmed in a small club. But it is what it is, and people liked it.

Yes. I'm not going to say since back in the day, because again, I was very young, but it's something I've been enjoying for a few years now. I think it's a highlight for the metal scene in Europe.

Cool!

And that's it! I won't bother you any longer (he says no way, very kindly). It's been a pleasure and an honour. The folks at Metal Hammer told me to ask you if it was possible for you to send a greeting to Metal Hammer Spain, and we hope to see you here in Spain very soon.

Sure! Greetings, and I hope so too. Thanks for the interview, and I hope to see you somewhere on tour.

Great, likewise. It’s all mutual. Say hi to the other two guys and all the best!

I will, thanks!

Good luck, bye.

Bye!

Thanks for reading!