In 1986, bassist Ron Royce (Ron Broder), guitarist Tommy T. Baron (Tommy Vetterli) and drummer Marquis Marky (Markus Edelmann) issued their first demo tape, Death Cult, with the help of Celtic Frost's Tom Gabriel Fischer on vocals (Fischer also contributed the lyrics). A short while later, in early 1987, Zürich's avant-garde metal pioneers inked a deal with Berlin-based Noise Records. By that time, Ron Royce had decided to take on the role of Coroner's lead singer himself. His move to the microphone changed the band's songwriting approach, steering it away from traditional dark metal and towards a more progressive form of thrash metal, thereby creating a niche all their own. Coroner recorded their debut album under the watchful eye of producer Harris Johns. Released in June 1987, R.I.P. received highly positive reviews from the music press.