Krokus is a Swiss hard rock and heavy metal band formed in 1975. They were popular in North America during the 1980s. The band was founded in Solothurn in 1975 by Chris von Rohr and Tommy Kiefer (guitar), both former members of Kaktus. Former TEA vocalist Marc Storace joined the band as frontman in time for their Metal Rendez-vous album in 1980.
Marc Storace is a Maltese-born Swiss musician. His career in music started in the 1960s. He is most noted for his position as the lead singer and songwriter of the Swiss hard rock band Krokus from 1980. Before joining Krokus, he sang with the Swiss progressive rock band TEA. He has also since undertaken a solo project, duets, an acoustical project, and many guest slots. He also had some close encounters with the classical meets rock world and has worked with a few other rock acts as writer and a singer.
Headhunter is the seventh studio album by the Swiss hard rock band Krokus, released in 1983. It achieved Gold status in the United States. The track "Screaming in the Night" was the band's biggest hit to date, and is still played on classic rock radio stations. Headhunter is the only Krokus album to feature Steve Pace on drums, and includes the Bachman–Turner Overdrive cover "Stayed Awake All Night".
One Vice at a Time is the sixth studio album by the Swiss hard rock band Krokus, released in 1982 by Arista Records. It is notable for the strong influence of Australian hard rock band AC/DC on the songs and production, and was the first album to feature Mark Kohler on rhythm guitar. It includes a cover of the Guess Who's song "American Woman". The song "Long Stick Goes Boom" is used in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories on the fictional in-game radio station "V-Rock".
Hardware is the fifth studio album by the Swiss hard rock band Krokus. It did not match the success of their previous album, Metal Rendez-vous, going only Gold in Switzerland. However, the album entered the charts in the US, UK and other European countries.
Metal Rendez-vous is the fourth studio album by the Swiss hard rock band Krokus, released in June 1980. It is the first Krokus release to feature vocalist Marc Storace; Chris von Rohr had formerly served as the band's lead vocalist but appears on Metal Rendez-vous as the band's bassist. The track "Heatstrokes" charted number one in the British Heavy Metal Charts, and arguably opened up markets for Krokus in Britain and the United States, along with "Bedside Radio" and "Tokyo Nights". Strangely, the song "Tokyo Nights" features a reggae beat halfway through. The album sold more than 150,000 copies in Switzerland and was certified Triple Platinum.
Hellraiser is the fifteenth studio album by the Swiss hard rock band Krokus. It marks 30 years since the release of their first album, Krokus of 1976. It is also their first album on the German record label AFM Records. Armand "Mandy" Meyer featured as lead guitarist, replacing Fernando von Arb. The album was also released in a DigiPack format with a bonus track, "Walking in the Spirit".
The Blitz is the eighth studio album by the Swiss hard rock band Krokus, released in August 1984. It became a gold album in the US. The band hit the Billboard Hot 100 with "Midnite Maniac" from that album and became the first Swiss act to do so. While preparing to record it, the group had tapped Patrick Mahassen to join the band on guitar, with Mark Kohler switching to bass. However, Mahassen would end up leaving the band before recording commenced, and the album was ultimately recorded as a quartet; Andy Tanas played bass on the subsequent tour. The song "Boys Nite Out", written by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, was originally recorded by Adams for his hit 1984 album Reckless but was left off the final track list. Adams' version eventually saw a release on the 30th anniversary reissue of Reckless.
Change of Address is the ninth studio album by the Swiss hard rock band Krokus, and is largely seen to be their least successful. It has been described as "plainly one of the worst efforts" from Krokus, and the band's website claims that they and their musical style were put under too much pressure from their record company. Unsurprisingly, Krokus changed their record label for their next studio album, Heart Attack.
Heart Attack is the tenth studio album by the Swiss hard rock band Krokus, and is described by the band as "the last attempt to keep the band together in a deep crisis". As well as being the band's first album on MCA Records, it saw the return of original Krokus founding member Chris von Rohr.
Stampede is the eleventh studio album by Swiss hard rock band Krokus. It features an almost completely different line-up to that of their last album, and was recorded near the band's home town of Solothurn by Jürg Naegeli, a former member of the band.
To Rock or Not to Be is the twelfth studio album by the Swiss hard rock band Krokus, released in 1995. The album stayed seven weeks in the top ten of the Swiss charts, peaking at number 5.
Rock the Block is the fourteenth studio album by the Swiss hard rock band Krokus, released in 2003. The album peaked at No. 1 in the Swiss Album Chart and was certified Gold in Switzerland.
Armand "Mandy" Meyer is a Swiss guitarist best known for being a member of the hard rock band Gotthard, the progressive rock band Asia, and the heavy metal band Krokus. Meyer has also worked with Cobra, Stealin' Horses, Katmandu and Unisonic.
"Screaming in the Night" is a power ballad by Swiss hard rock band Krokus. The song was released as the second single from the band's seventh studio album Headhunter. The single was originally released in 1983 in 7" and 12" formats with a special edition 12" single being released in 1986 to promote the live album Alive and Screamin'. The song peaked at #21 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart in July 1983 and remained on the chart for 12 weeks. At the time of its release, "Screaming in the Night" was the band's biggest hit to date. The song remains one of the band's most popular and still receives airplay on American classic rock radio stations.
Hoodoo is the sixteenth studio album by the Swiss hard rock/heavy metal band Krokus. It includes a cover of the Steppenwolf song "Born to be Wild". The album failed to reach the Billboard Top 200 in the U.S., unlike their last album (Hellraiser), but the release was successful overseas. The song "Hoodoo Woman" is featured on the soundtrack of the movie Saw 3D.
Dirty Dynamite is the seventeenth studio album from Swiss melodic hard rock band Krokus, released through The End Records in North America. It includes a cover of the Beatles song "Help!".
Christoph "Chris" von Rohr is a Swiss rock musician, record producer, author, columnist, radio and television presenter. He is best known for being a member and founder of the hard rock band, Krokus.
Long Stick Goes Boom: Live From Da House of Rust is a live album by melodic hard rock band Krokus. Released on 24 March 2014 in Europe and 22 April 2014 in North America by the label Columbia, it was recorded on August 30, 2013 at the "House of Rust" venue in Solothurn, Switzerland. The album has received praise from publications such as Allmusic and Blabbermouth.net, and it peaked at the #3 position on the official Swiss album chart.
