review: Coronary (Finland) -- 1980s-style heavy metal

Coronary

Sinbad

Cruz Del Sur Music

19 February 2021

After forming in 2017, the band began with a three-song demo of 14 minutes. Then Gates of Hell Records, a subsidiary of Cruz Del Sur Music (Italy), used those songs for a split with fellow traditional heavy metallers Traveler from Canada. Those three songs, in addition to a 2020 single, appear on this 2021 debut full-length album of ten songs. Fans of metal from Finland might like to know that folkers Korpiklaani’s bassist Jarkko and thrashers Prestige’s guitarist Aku are part of Coronary, who call proudly call themselves a 1980s heavy metal band. Not happy power metal, not a speed metal, they are hard-rock-based heavy metal. Sometimes they sound like blues-based metal, sometimes like full-on headbanging metal, with lyrics about traffic jams, relations going bad, losing your marbles, getting lost in the shuffle, and finding your way back.

They say they love the 1970s and 1980s, and that’s their goal. For instance, fans will notice that the band has tried to have a better drum sound than the flaccid, plastic toy-like sound of contemporary sampled drums. One gets the feeling that they would like a modern version of the drum sound on a song like Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll” (perfection?!!) or Motorhead’s “Stay Clean.” (Our local heroes Metal Church’s debut album has a rather cool drum sound, too.) Only the band knows how much this drumming is their drummer’s real work, but it’s better than the obvious sampled/programmed stuff. Maybe the band is tired of contemporary metal “drumming” and this is their statement? Hopefully, they continue on this road. These are cymbals not as lively, loud, audible and active as their idols, but maybe they can find the right person to record their music as genuine as they are seeking to do. Anyway, fans of 1980s heavy metal, with a classic/hard rock feel, take a listen and see if you like this direction.

Sinbad by Coronary