Krokus To Release New Album, Video
Friday, March 26, 2010 at 12:01AM Krokus will release a new album on May 25th! The record is called Hoodoo - the band's first album in two decades. The guys in Krokus even made a spanking hot new video, too. The video is for the first single, called (what else?!) "Hoodoo Woman." Here's the official press release.
For 30 years now, Krokus has been Switzerland’s most successful rock export.
Now the original Krokus line-up is back to enjoy its second spring: Hoodoo is the title of the rock legends’ powerful comeback album - their first in 20 years.
From the small Swiss town of Solothurn, the band catapulted itself and its incomparable brand of straight hard rock right to the top of the music world.
1980 saw the band set out to conquer America, Canada, and England, quickly consolidating its reputation as a strong, no-nonsense live band. Soon they were part of unforgettable headline tours and on the same bill as incredible bands like AC/DC, Van Halen, Quiet Riot, Ted Nugent, Judas Priest, Motorhead and many, many more. These were wild times, full of big adventures, which saw the band not only going gold and platinum in the U.S. and Canada, but also being made honorary citizens of Memphis, Tennessee.
Following this triumphant tour of North America, Krokus became the first Swiss band ever to sell out the legendary Hallenstadion in Zurich.
In total, Krokus has notched up 10 top-selling albums worldwide and a Diamond Award for selling over 1 million records in Switzerland alone.
In 2008, the band celebrated an incredible comeback with a reunion concert in Berne’s Stade de Suisse. No less than 10,000 delighted fans came and witnessed the most astonishing comeback in the history of Swiss rock.
Encouraged by this sustained success and how much they love to play, the band made the most of the flames burning inside and went straight back to the studio to record. They spent two years creating a fiery new album that is sure to become a classic.
Reader Comments (13)
I just don't know if I have it in me to lay it all out for you all about these clowns after thrashin' Jackaxl so bad in the comments section of Al's now classic "How Long Would You Wait?" post just a couple back on here.
But I'll do a mini-kill, especially since theez foolz are such eazy prey... well, a "mini-kill", if that's possible comin' from me...
We'll see what happens...
First of all, honestly, I really do have a love/hate thing for theez Swiss Metal Freex (Guess there's a very good reason why I thought these guys were from Australia -- and we'll get into that momentito, tho I bet you could guess what it is)...
Well, I guess you could classify Krokus as Hard Rock with Heavy Metal tendencies.
But, alas, I'm afraid the "hate" has to win out on this one cuz it's just so much easier to be negative about this kinda stuff than vice versa.
Krokus are basically AC/DC knock-offs who admit themselves that they changed musical direction after seeing 'em, promptly hiring a Bon Scott clone, voice-wise (Mark Storace) to be their new singer, voice-wise and knicking every riff from Angus and Malcolm they possibly could.
Not that it's a bad thing to be AC/DC clones. I could think of worse things out there to be clones of -- like Survivor or some sh*t (and there are plenty of those, aren't there? -- you know who you are!). In fact some of my fave bands, old and new, are very AC/DC-ish.
And we know full well, it's nothing else besides the fact that they sound like AC/DC that has made them so successful.
That said, they did manage to mix it up a little. though for me it's their covers of the Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz" and Alice Cooper's "School's Out" that are my faves. And it was their killarious videos for thoze songs that used to air on MTV's "Headbanger's Ball" that made me notice 'em (of course, you can find 'em on YouTube and they do still show up on "Metalmania" from time to time).
The songs are killer renditions and who cares if they sound like vamped up Metalized versions. I like covers that are vamped up and Metalized. I'm still waiting for that treatment for Carole King's "It's Too Late Baby". Just make sure the singer sounds like Bon Scott.
And then there's their magnum opus, the very original "Screaming In The Night", what I believe to be the most monsterous Powerballad of all time. It's both hideous and awesome at the same time. Well, for me, anyway.
And the video! Whoa! Budgets ain't what they used to be. A cast of thousands and it's visually packed with more cheeze than exists in all the steak and cheese joints in South Philly (Geno's is the best, BTW).
I mean, if these guys can make such a huge (looking at any rate) video for "Screaming In The Night", that's proof enough that Hair Metal did indeed rule the world for a small window in the mid to late 80's. And for further proof that it's over (as if you needed it) take a look at this latest Krokus vid Al's got posted here. (Though, indeed, it is very low budget, at least it's got great lighting, I must say.)
"Screaming In The Night" on the other hand? -- Platinum Tasteless Overkill at it's finest, dragging Krokus' "Headhunter" album up to #25 on the U.S. charts in 1983!
Gee, I guess I kinda like 'em, after all. Well, let me clarify... I like maybe 5 of their songs. The rest (like 70) I threw in the trash of my iMac about 20 minutes after I bought 'em on iTunes. Just not catchy enuff for me, I'm afraid. I'll take Rose Tattoo way over theez jokers everytime (xcept for thoze great covers, natch).
Sons of vengeance,
can you rescue me?
They got me tied up
to a woe tree...
-- Screaming In The Night, 1983
p.s. The song and the vid for "Voodoo Woman" featured above are sufficient but someone tell me, is that supposed to be the blonde's stepmother or something? I see they haven't lost their knack for tasteless comic book goofiness either.
Do we really need the vivid bathroom humour?
Suprised you don't hear the similarity to Bon Scott era AC/DC. They totally cop to the inspiration (check Wikipedia)...
And I can't believe you don't like Rose Tattoo. They and Krokus are knock offs of AC/DC, it's just I happen to think RT is the better of the two.
Listen to Rose Tattoo's "Nice Boys Don't Like Rock And Roll". C'mon, man, tell me that duzn't flat out ROCK!!! And apparently it was good enuff for sheep herders, Guns'n'Roses to cover, too.
As for Helix, my friend, you and I agree with our "Heavy Metal Love" for them, for sure! Wish I had seen 'em and jealous you did. Where was that, BTW?... And thanx for the tips, bro...
What town is that, bro, if ya don't mind me askin'. I sometimes think about goin' on a road trip and have it time out where I would be hittin' all theez great clubz all over the country where people still know how to ROCK!
And where you live sounds like one of 'em...
Thanks, man.
P.S. Did Helix play their great cover of Crazy Elephant's "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'" or their very own, "Rock Me"? I gather they must have, and, of course, "Heavy Metal Love", which is one of my all-time faves by any band, for sure!
Wherever it was it was Rock Central for sure. Dang you saw some killer shows. I wish I had seen Harem Scarem. Never knew they existed until like a year ago. Same with Lee Aaron. Whoa! Thunder, Killer Dwarfs, Big House, Svengali, Cinderella.
Curious, when you saw Vince Neil did he have Steve Stevens with him? That "Exposed" album with him on it is so completely killer! Man, I missed all those bands, too! I did manage to catch Quiet Riot, Slaughter, Nazareth and Cheap Trick back then, though in D.C., Pasadena and Baltimore, Maryland (Kix territory, hahaha!!!) and NYC.
Hell, I saw Cheap Trick 4 times in 1979, alone. Plus I saw like a two hundred more bands, dude, all before '92, seriously, bro.
Probably the last real show I saw that wasn't a reunion thingy (not counting Velvet Revolver) was Life Sex and Death (LSD) in like '92 at CBGB's. Dude, did you ever see them? One of the most killarious shows I've ever seen in my life!
I saw AC/DC 8x, including 3x with Bon, beginning with catchin' 'em at Painters Mill Muxic Fair (since burned to the ground) in '78 opening for Savoy Brown, who they blew off the stage.
I also saw 3x in a row for the debut of Brian Johnson, when they opened their Back in Black Tour at Capital Centre (since detonated), Largo MD.
Also got to meet 'em at a rare signing event at Virgin Megastore in Times Square.
They told security to back off when my time limit was up (doncha wish ya had security on this site to be able to do that?, hahaha!!!), so I could tell 'em about all those times I saw 'em back in the day.
And I ran into Johnson on the street in NYC in front of his Hotel at 53rd and 7th Ave. in like '89, where we proceeded to shoot the breeze for a good 10 minutes until he had to go to rehearsal for that night's show at the Garden!
I saw Led Zeppelin the year before at Capital Centre (since detonated), Largo MD.
I saw Accept in '92 at Hammerjack's (since demolished to make room for Camden Yards where the Baltimore Orioles play). They were totally killer but wish I had seen 'em sooner. Wanna catch 'em this go 'round with the new line-up with that dude from TT Quick on vocals.
I saw White Lion at the Cat Club in NYC in '89 or whenever that was the first record hit.
Ozzy I didn't see until '93 at the Paramount Theater inside Madison Square Garden. Killer with Zakk Wilde on geetar!
I saw Ratt not long before Crosby quit at Hammerjack's in Baltimore.
Geez, I saw Nugent enuff -- 5x including twice with Derek St. Holmes on lead vocals and rhythm guitar.
I saw a ton of others but wanted to mention the ones you saw plus the biggie, Zeppelin!
Are you comin' to M3?
p.s. Just thinkin' of all of the killer bands I dig that came out of Canada, bro... Brighton Rock and Killer Dwarfs, especially. That place, the Blub sounds killer! Yeah, watch the vids of LSD on YouTube including the interviews. Killarious!