Krokus Hoodoo

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by Derric Miller
Staff Writer

The headhunters known as Krokus are back, and even after over 30 years of churning out powerful, anthemic Hard Rock masterpieces, with their new release Hoodoo, the band has proven that when you are this good … there’s no reason to stop.

The band’s first single, “Hoodoo Woman,” is a blues-tinged rocker highlighting everything that makes Krokus timeless: dirty, sleazy and superior vocals from singer Marc Storace along with guitarist Fernando von Arb’s signature riffing and effortless style. Talent alone won’t get you by, though–you have to write songs people actually want to hear. And that’s why they picked “Hoodoo Woman” as the first single, because it’s got “hit” written all over it.

Krokus isn’t allergic to covering classic songs. In fact, their cover of Sweet’s “Ballroom Blitz” certainly put them all over the map, at least in the States. It’s still a tad strange for Krokus to go the uber-covered route of “Born to Be Wild.” It’s one of the kind of songs you will want to hear once, and probably pass it over for the new content on Hoodoo. (That being said, they have made every biker in world thrilled by bringing this Steppenwolf classic to the forefront again.)

“Ride Into the Sun” is one of those songs that you will keep coming back to, time and time again. It’s not a ballad, like “Screaming in the Night,” but it certainly haunts in the same vein. It’s darker, an ominous composition atypical for Krokus. You are going to hear a real Led Zeppelin vibe to it at times. When you read the lyrics, violent yet poetic, you will understand Krokus found a dark well of inspiration to pen this tune.

The next single and video is “Too Hot,” and this is exactly the kind of song you want from Krokus. They’ve been compared to AC/DC a few times, and it’s a fair comparison, although Krokus writes with a far greater sense of melody than AC/DC. But still, the simplistic yet hooky as hell song should have you guzzling whiskey and tearing your clothes off and dancing like a fool, in whatever order suits you at the time.

If you REALLY want to know why AC/DC and Krokus have a lot in common, just listen to the opening bars and vocals on “Dirty Street.”

One somewhat bereft aspect to Hoodoo is that they didn’t bother going the ballad route. Songs like “Keep Me Rolling” and the closer “Firestar” are all uptempo rockers, sort of the signature bluesy style Krokus originated in the ’70s, evolved in the ’80s and perfected ever since. Still, perhaps something along the lines of the aforementioned “Screaming in the Night” instead of the cover would have made Hoodoo that much better.

With mixing efforts by Dennis Ward and production from founder/bassist Chris Von Rohr,  and some of the best songwriting Krokus has accomplished in years, Hoodoo is more than just a wake up call of “hey, we are back!.” Hoodoo is proof that Krokus is simply one of the best Hard Rock bands ever, and, that they aren’t stopping any time soon …

Genre: Hard Rock

Lineup :
Marc Storace (vocals)
Fernando von Arb (guitar)
Chris von Rohr (bass)
Mark Kohler (guitar)
Freddy steady (drums)

Track listing:
1. Drive It In
2. Hoodoo Woman
3. Born To Be Wild
4. Rock N Roll Handshake
5. Ride Into The Sun
6. Too Hot
7. In My Blood
8. Dirty Street
9. Keep Me Rolling
10. Shot Of Love
11. Firestar

Online: www.krokusonline.com

Hardrock Haven rating: 7.9/10