Krokus are a Swiss hard rock band from Solothurn. Formed in 1975, the group originally consisted of lead vocalist Peter Richard, guitarist Tommy Kiefer, bassist Remo Spadino and drummer Chris von Rohr. By the time of the release of their self-titled debut album, Kiefer had taken over lead vocal duties, and Hansi Droz was the rhythm guitarist. The band's current lineup features von Rohr on bass guitar/keyboards/backing vocals (1975–1983, 1987–1989, and since 2008), lead vocalist Marc Storace (1979–1988, 1994–1999, and since 2002), lead guitarists Fernando von Arb (1976–1989, 1994–1995, since 2008) and Mandy Meyer (1981, 2004–2008, 2012—2014, and since 2015), rhythm guitarist Mark "Koki" Kohler (1982–1989, 1994–1995, 2008–2014, and since 2015) and drummer Flavio Mezzodi (since 2013).
Krokus were formed in 1975, by guitarist Tommy Kiefer and drummer Chris von Rohr. [1] The original lineup also included vocalist Peter Richard and bassist Remo Spadino. [2]
Richard left shortly after the band's first live show in September 1975, at which point Kiefer took over primary lead vocal duties and Hansi Droz was brought in as a second guitarist. [2] After the release of the group's self-titled debut album, Daniel DeBritt briefly took over on lead vocals, but had left before the end of the year. [3]
Kiefer and von Rohr subsequently dismissed Droz and Spadino, and rebuilt the band by adding all three members of local trio Montezuma – Fernando von Arb on guitar, Jürg Naegeli on bass guitar and Freddy "Steady" Frutig on drums, with von Rohr taking over lead vocals and percussion. [4] To You All and Pain Killer followed in 1977 and 1978. [1]
For the tour in promotion of Pain Killer on December, Paul Bierk was brought in to take over on lead vocals, von Rohr switching to bass guitar. Two months later Bierk was replaced by Heiner "Henry" Freis. Freis, it’s turn, was replaced by Marc Storace. Naegeli also returned, but already on live mixing. [5] This group includes debuted on the 1980 release Metal Rendez-vous . [6] During the album's promotional tour, Kiefer was temporarily replaced by Mandy Meyer in April 1981. [7] Shortly after the release of Hardware early the next year, the guitarist left permanently due to an ongoing heroin addiction, and Meyer remained as his replacement. [8] By the beginning of 1982, however, Meyer had been left Switzerland to relocate to the United States and form Cobra, and was replaced in Krokus by Mark "Koki" Kohler. [9] On 24 December 1986, Kiefer committed suicide by hanging after contracting AIDS around a year earlier. [10]
After the release and promotion of 1982's One Vice at a Time , Freddy Steady left Krokus and was replaced by American drummer Steve Pace, the first non-European member of the group; when asked the following year about the lineup change, Storace claimed that it was made due to "musical direction and technical ability". [11] Headhunter was released in 1983, and during the subsequent tour von Rohr became the last founding member to leave the band, when he was dismissed after giving "a tell-tale interview" to a Swiss newspaper regarding the band's drug-heavy touring lifestyle. [12] With scheduled shows remaining on the tour, Kohler switched to bass and Patrick Mahassen briefly joined on rhythm guitar. [13] At the end of the year, following the conclusion of the touring cycle, Mahassen was fired and Pace also left. [13]
In preparation for the recording of The Blitz in 1984, Steve Pace was replaced by former Cobra drummer Jeff Klaven. Patrick Mahassen briefly returned during early sessions, but was fired again shortly thereafter and did not feature on the record. Upon the album's release, Andy Tanas took over on bass, allowing Mark Kohler to return to his original role of rhythm guitarist. [14] Towards the end of The Blitz touring cycle, Tanas left due to "direction differences". [15] Tommy Keiser, another former member of Cobra, took his place. [16] The new lineup issued Change of Address in 1986, the tour for which spawned a live album, Alive and Screamin' . [1]
In early 1987, Krokus parted ways with Keiser and Klaven, with frontman Mark Storace claiming that the former "just wouldn't work hard enough and lacked the musical depth we were looking for", and that the latter had become "fed up with touring". They were replaced by the returning Chris von Rohr and former Killer drummer Dani Crivelli, respectively. [17] Heart Attack was released the next year, however after the subsequent promotional tour it was announced in August 1988 that Storace had been dismissed from the group. [18] Lead guitarist Fernando von Arb departed around the same time. [19] Storace and von Arb were replaced by Björn Lodin of Baltimoore and Crivelli's former Killer bandmate Many Maurer, respectively, although by early the next year the group had disbanded entirely. [19]
In early 1990, Fernando von Arb (on bass) formed a new lineup of Krokus with Maurer, lead vocalist Peter Tanner, rhythm guitarist Tony Castell and drummer Peter "Rabbit" Haas. The band issued Stampede and toured until 1991, before going on hiatus again when von Arb was diagnosed with lymphoma. [20] In early 1994, von Arb (back on guitar) reformed Krokus yet again, retaining Maurer on bass and reuniting with vocalist Marc Storace, rhythm guitarist Mark Kohler and drummer Freddy Steady. [21] The new lineup released To Rock or Not to Be and toured during 1995, before disbanding again due to various members' family commitments making it difficult to commit full-time. [22]
In spring 1999, Fernando von Arb reformed Krokus for a third time, retaining Many Maurer on bass and adding lead vocalist Carl Sentance, rhythm guitarist Chris Lauper and former drummer Peter Haas. [23] After the release of Round 13 , Haas was replaced by Cliff Rodgers. [24] After the first leg of the tour, Lauper, Maurer and Rodgers were replaced by Dave Stettler, Tony Castell and Marcel Kopp, respectively. [23] The group continued touring until it was announced in April 2002 that former vocalist Marc Storace would be returning to the lineup. [25] With his return, the frontman brought solo band members Dominique Favez on rhythm guitar and Patrick Aeby on drums to Krokus. [26]
Following the release of Rock the Block and Fire and Gasoline Live, von Arb left Krokus in February 2005 for the first time since joining in 1976. [27] The departure occurred after the guitarist developed tendonitis in his wrist, [28] although Storace claimed at the time that he "basically did not want to tour". [26] von Arb was replaced by former guitarist Mandy Meyer. [28] In November, Aeby also left the band. [29] He was replaced in January 2006 by Stefan Schwarzmann, formerly of U.D.O., Accept and Helloween. [30] The new lineup released Hellraiser in 2006 and toured until February 2008, when it was announced that the band would be taking "an artistic break". [31]
In April 2008, it was announced that guitarist Fernando von Arb, bassist Chris von Rohr and drummer Freddy Steady had all returned to Krokus. [32] Rhythm guitarist Mark Kohler followed in May, marking a reunion of the One Vice at a Time (1982) lineup. [33] The band released Hoodoo in 2010, before Steady left in May 2011. [34] He was replaced by Unisonic and Pink Cream 69 drummer Kosta Zafiriou, who was credited as a backup musician rather than an official member. [35] In December 2012, the group expanded to a three-guitarist lineup for the first time when Mandy Meyer returned again. [36] Dirty Dynamite was released in March 2013. [37] Helloween drummer Dani Löble took over for a few shows in May 2013, [38] before Flavio Mezzodi joined as a full-time member the same month. [39]
During 2014 and 2015, Dominique Favez toured with Krokus in place of von Arb and Kohler, who were unable to tour. [40] The band issued Big Rocks, a collection of cover versions, in January 2017. [41]
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Chris von Rohr |
|
|
| |
Fernando von Arb |
|
| all Krokus releases from To You All (1977) onwards, except Hellraiser (2006) | |
Marc "The Voice" Storace |
| lead vocals |
| |
Armand "Mandy" Meyer |
| lead and rhythm guitar |
| |
Mark "Koki" Kohler |
|
|
| |
Flavio Mezzodi | 2013–present |
|
|
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tommy Kiefer | 1975–1981 (died 1986) |
| all Krokus releases from Krokus (1976) to Hardware (1981) | |
Remo Spadino | 1975–1976 (died 2010) | bass guitar |
| |
Peter Richard | 1975 | lead vocals |
| |
Hansi Droz | 1975–1976 (died 1999) | rhythm guitar | Krokus (1976) | |
Daniel DeBritt | 1976 | lead vocals | none | |
Freddy "Steady" Frutig |
|
|
| |
Jürg Naegeli |
|
|
| |
Paul Bierk | 1978–1979 | lead vocals | none | |
Heiner "Henry" Freis | 1979 | |||
Steve Pace | 1982–1984 |
| Headhunter (1983) | |
Jeff Klaven | 1984–1987 |
| ||
Patrick Mahassen |
| rhythm guitar | none | |
Doug Johnson | keyboards | The Blitz (1984) | ||
Andy Tanas | 1984–1985 | bass guitar | none | |
Tommy Keiser | 1985–1987 |
| ||
Jai Winding | keyboards | |||
Dani Crivelli | 1987–1989 (died 2013) |
| Heart Attack (1988) | |
Many Maurer |
|
|
| |
Björn Lodin | 1988–1989 | lead vocals | none | |
Peter "Rabbit" Haas |
|
|
| |
Tony "T.C." Castell |
|
|
| |
Peter Tanner | 1990–1991 | lead vocals | Stampede (1990) | |
Carl Sentance | 1999–2002 | Round 13 (1999) | ||
Chris Lauper | 1999–2000 | rhythm guitar | ||
Cliff Rodgers | drums | none | ||
Marcel Kopp | 2000–2002 | |||
Dave Stettler | rhythm guitar | |||
Dominique Favez |
|
| ||
Patrick Aeby | 2002–2005 |
|
| |
Dennis Ward | 2006–2008 (backup member) | keyboards | Hellraiser (2006) | |
Stefan Schwarzmann | 2006–2008 |
| ||
Kosta Zafiriou | 2011–2013 (initially touring) | Dirty Dynamite (2013) | ||
Daniel "Dani" Löble | 2013 (backup member) | none |
Period | Members | Releases |
---|---|---|
1975 |
| none |
September 1975 – March 1976 |
|
|
April–October 1976 |
| none |
November 1976 – November 1978 |
|
|
December 1978 – January 1979 |
| none |
February–October 1979 |
| |
October 1979 – April 1981 |
|
|
April–October 1981 |
| none |
October 1981–August 1982 |
|
|
August 1982 – December 1983 |
|
|
Early 1984 |
| none |
1984 |
|
|
1984 – April 1985 |
| none |
April 1985 – February 1987 |
|
|
February 1987 – September 1988 |
|
|
September 1988 – January 1989 |
| none |
Band inactive January 1989 – January 1990 | ||
January 1990 – June 1991 |
|
|
Band inactive June 1991 – January 1994 | ||
January 1994 – October 1995 |
|
|
Band inactive October 1995 – March 1999 | ||
March–October 1999 |
|
|
October 1999 – September 2000 |
| none |
September 2000 – April 2002 |
| |
April 2002 – February 2005 |
|
|
February–November 2005 |
| none |
January 2006 – February 2008 |
|
|
Band inactive February–April 2008 | ||
April–May 2008 |
| none |
May 2008 – May 2011 |
|
|
May 2011 – December 2012 |
| none |
December 2012 – January 2013 |
|
|
January–May 2013 |
| none |
May 2013 – March 2014 |
| |
April 2014 – July 2015 |
| none |
August 2015 – present |
|
|
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.
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.
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.
Fernando von Arb or simply FVA is a Swiss guitarist, songwriter and producer. He is best known for being a guitarist of the Swiss hard rock band Krokus.
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!".
Killer is a Swiss heavy metal group founded in 1979 by guitarist Edgar "Crown" Kocher after a 3-year stint with the band Kaktus. Kocher's trademark is wearing striped prison garb on stage.
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.
Cobra was a Swiss-American hard rock band from Memphis, Tennessee, active in the early 1980s. Having formed in 1982, the band released an album the following year that led to tours supporting acts like Quiet Riot and Nazareth. They are perhaps best known for several musicians who later joined more prominent bands, including future Survivor singer Jimi Jamison and Krokus guitarist Mandy Meyer. Cobra went their separate ways in 1984.