Friday, August 22, 2014

Krokus - The Blitz

Today (August 22nd) marks the thirtieth anniversary of The Blitz, the eighth studio album by the Swiss rock band Krokus. The album spent twenty-seven weeks on the US Billboard Album chart, peaking at number 31. It also went to number 83 in Canada, number 55 in Germany, number 27 in Sweden and number 6 in Switzerland.


The band featured Marc Storace on vocals, Fernando von Arb on guitar, Mark Kohler on bass and Jeff Klaven on drums. Doug Johnson contributed with keyboards and Jimi Jamison did some of the backing vocals as well.

Side one opens with the melodic “Midnite Maniac”, a song about a scorned woman on the prowl. As a single, this one stalled at number 71 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 10 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.

“Out of Control” keeps things hopping with its high-speed rhythm.

It‘s time for the guys to have their turn with the party anthem “Boys Nite Out”.

“Our Love” takes a look at a troubled relationship that needs to put the past aside in order to move forward.

“Out to Lunch” closes out the first side.

Side two begins with a cover of Sweet’s 1973 hit “Ballroom Blitz”. While it is good, the original is really hard to top in energy and insanity.

“Rock the Nation” is another call-to-arms to the rocking youth of the world.

“Hot Stuff” is next. For me, it is the weakest track of the side if not the album.

“Ready to Rock”, the closing track, was also the B-side to the single. It sounds like a live track when it starts, thanks to added crowd noises, but it is very much a studio recording. The lyrics tell of a girl who is ready, willing and able.

I do not currently have any Krokus music in my digital library, but after listening to The Blitz on Spotify that just might change. Overall, I liked this record. The songs have a mainstream appeal, and a clean and concise rock sound. Krokus reminds me a bit of bands like AC/DC and Sweet.

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