If you wanna talk about hard rockin' music energy, you oughta refer to Swiss legends Krokus. The fine mix between AC/DC and Scorpions - often 'accused' as mere 'thieves' in terms of songwriting (not really, I can add...) - it is really hard to keep your head/feet from moving to the rhythm of each and every Krokus album. This goes on for 30(!) years now; Hellraiser carries the tradition proudly!
Switzerland has Krokus on top of its Rock music industry. Thirty years, fifteen - if I can recall well - studio albums, all-time classic cuts like Tokyo Nights, Headhunter, Screaming In The Night or Bedside Radio and a respected 'selling' status sum it up to nothing less than a brilliant Rock 'n' Roll line of business. Frontman Marc Storace may be the oldest member now, since he joined the band in 1980 for the recordings of the now legendary Metal Randez-vous album (note: no original member - referring to the band's Krokus (1976) debut - is still in the lineup). Storace is now surrounded by a set of fitting musicians in order to provide us - three years after the nice Rock The Block (2003) album - with...
...fourteen songs that can easily raise hell in your neighborhood! Full of electric energy, the Krokus 'circuit' is fuckin' functional. Form the opening chords of the same titled track 'till the ending frenzy of Rocks Off! it will be difficult enough to keep calm and silent. The distinctive 'motive' of Krokus' music is again present: plain grooves, brilliant rockin' guitar chords, great hooks, sharp solos, solid rhythm section support and if you think everyone can make such tunes just try for yourself and drown to your own limits!
So Long and Angel Of My Dreams (the first single) present the band's most 'mellow' moments, but do role as intermezzos between the everlasting voltage throughout the whole album. If you are familiar to the Krokus' style, you surely know what to expect. The album already entered the Swiss charts at position #2 and I hope there's more yet to come!
Hellraiser: I could not imagine the band delivering such a kick-ass album anno 2006. Storace's killer voice is again the frontline, while - in specific - Stefan Schwarzmann's (ex-Running Wild/U.D.O./Accept and countless other bands in Germany!) drumming 'upgrades' the sound to a more Accept-isque direction. For 80s Hard & Heavy lovers the album is essential. The younger, check your admiration for both AC/DC and 'classic' Scorpions at first.