Clockwork - Clockwork
If you're a guitar player and a metal fan who really knows their stuff, then the name Tommy Vetterli will make you really, really excited. Perhaps best known for his career with Coroner and a brief stint with german thrashers Kreator (playing on the "Outcast" and "Endorama" records), Tommy is without question one of the greatest and most underrated players around with an extremely precise and massively technical style - however, few people are aware of the Clockwork project. Founded in 1994 during Coroner's darkest hour, the band only managed to release this one EP before they broke up. Such a shame, since what's on show here is very promising.
Fans of the new material on Coroner's final release - the self-titled compilation - will absolutely love what Clockwork have to offer, but it may also take some time to really appreciate as few of the songs on show here contain Vetterli's magnificent leadwork. Don't let it put you off though, what we have here is a continuation of the Coroner sound ith a bit more of a modern edge (or modern for 1995 at least) that invokes thought, emotion and good old fashioned enjoyment - Opener 'Push' sounds very reminiscent of 'The Favourite Game' from the final Coroner release in terms of arrangement and riffing, with 'Perfect Victim' being a bit more of an up-and-down, frenzied-yet-slow number. There're still some mind bending time signatures to be heard on this EP so despite being extremely close to groove metal, this record still has some of that flair that Coroner were so reknowned for.
The second half of the EP is probably the best - 'Many Faced' and 'Killing Time' are very catchy numbers, the former having an exceptional intro riff that really gets stuck in your head. The band's singer Lui Cubello - who was once a roadie for Coroner - fits the music like a glove and though he may not be the most remarkable singer in terms of range and vocal patterns, he gets the job done perfectly and sounds absolutely vicious on 'Killing Time'. Drummer Peter Haas, who played drums on some of the new songs from theprevious Coroner release, is much in the same vein as Lui - he does nothing overly remarkable or technical but he gets the job done to a more than satisfactory level. Some of his kick drumming on 'Many Faced' is beastly! And finally, the band's bass player Peter Waelty is in the same boat as the other three... I think it's safe to say that the band's shining gem here is Tommy, with no disrespect to the other members, as he seems to be the most versatile musician in the group.
Production wise the EP is pretty much a solid affair, with audible drums, bass and vocals with a nice crunchy guitar sound. Not bad for an independant release in 1995 if you ask me, though I don't know who actually produced the album - it could've been Tommy himself, I'm unsure. Not much more to say here I suppose haha...
It's quite a shame that Clockwork didn't manage to do more after this. There's a hell of a lot of promise here - great songwriting, brilliant musicians, genuine musical talent - and it just didn't manage to take them anywhere for one reason or another. A crying shame. Fans of Vetterli's work ith Coroner will find it difficult to listen to this without comparing the two bands, and I suppose that this isn't quite as good as say, "Grin" was. But Clockwork isn't Coroner, it's fucking Clockwork. Any comparisons, no matter how inevitable, are almost meaningless and unfair - when it comes down to it, this EP stands by itself as the sole release by a band that deserved more than the cards they were dealt. Track "Clockwork" down, it's well worth the 23 minutes of music that awaits you - and with the announcement of Coroner's return for Hellfest 2011, now is a better time than ever.
Fans of the new material on Coroner's final release - the self-titled compilation - will absolutely love what Clockwork have to offer, but it may also take some time to really appreciate as few of the songs on show here contain Vetterli's magnificent leadwork. Don't let it put you off though, what we have here is a continuation of the Coroner sound ith a bit more of a modern edge (or modern for 1995 at least) that invokes thought, emotion and good old fashioned enjoyment - Opener 'Push' sounds very reminiscent of 'The Favourite Game' from the final Coroner release in terms of arrangement and riffing, with 'Perfect Victim' being a bit more of an up-and-down, frenzied-yet-slow number. There're still some mind bending time signatures to be heard on this EP so despite being extremely close to groove metal, this record still has some of that flair that Coroner were so reknowned for.
The second half of the EP is probably the best - 'Many Faced' and 'Killing Time' are very catchy numbers, the former having an exceptional intro riff that really gets stuck in your head. The band's singer Lui Cubello - who was once a roadie for Coroner - fits the music like a glove and though he may not be the most remarkable singer in terms of range and vocal patterns, he gets the job done perfectly and sounds absolutely vicious on 'Killing Time'. Drummer Peter Haas, who played drums on some of the new songs from theprevious Coroner release, is much in the same vein as Lui - he does nothing overly remarkable or technical but he gets the job done to a more than satisfactory level. Some of his kick drumming on 'Many Faced' is beastly! And finally, the band's bass player Peter Waelty is in the same boat as the other three... I think it's safe to say that the band's shining gem here is Tommy, with no disrespect to the other members, as he seems to be the most versatile musician in the group.
Production wise the EP is pretty much a solid affair, with audible drums, bass and vocals with a nice crunchy guitar sound. Not bad for an independant release in 1995 if you ask me, though I don't know who actually produced the album - it could've been Tommy himself, I'm unsure. Not much more to say here I suppose haha...
It's quite a shame that Clockwork didn't manage to do more after this. There's a hell of a lot of promise here - great songwriting, brilliant musicians, genuine musical talent - and it just didn't manage to take them anywhere for one reason or another. A crying shame. Fans of Vetterli's work ith Coroner will find it difficult to listen to this without comparing the two bands, and I suppose that this isn't quite as good as say, "Grin" was. But Clockwork isn't Coroner, it's fucking Clockwork. Any comparisons, no matter how inevitable, are almost meaningless and unfair - when it comes down to it, this EP stands by itself as the sole release by a band that deserved more than the cards they were dealt. Track "Clockwork" down, it's well worth the 23 minutes of music that awaits you - and with the announcement of Coroner's return for Hellfest 2011, now is a better time than ever.
1. Push
2. Perfect Victim
3. Many Faced
4. Killing Time
Self released
Reviewer: Dave Ingram Jr.
Jul 2, 2010
Jul 2, 2010
Next review:
Kaoscentrica - South Hordes Arise
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