THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: krokus

KROKUS – Change Of Address

July 12, 2024 /

Labels put all sorts of pressures on bands in the mid eighties to add keys to their sound, to make them more radio friendly. I think that’s called the Def Leppard effect. Krokus had great success in cranking out the tunes with guitars a blazing (which they were great at), so why try and change them? The sales were not as good for this album and their subsequent releases, so I guess it was an experiment that failed.

It’s an okay album, it just doesn’t sound like Krokus. Take the final track Long Way From Home, and you’d swear that you were listening to Foreigner. The only song that really shakes my tree is Hot Shot City, as at least the guitars are loud.

Sometimes labels should leave bands alone.

6.5/10 from The Grooveman.

KROKUS – Headhunter

May 13, 2024 /

After Metal Rendezvous, this is my next favourite Krokus album. Originally released back in ’83, it was the band’s seventh release, this is the 40th anniversary reissue on MOV.

This was the album that broke them in the US. It contains classics like Screaming In The Night, Eat The Rich, and Stayed Awake All Night. Screaming is a great tune and worthy of all the praise that comes its way, although I do love the opening double kick blast of the title track Headhunter. I have seen some reviews calling them AC/DC lite, which does not do the band justice. Sure, Eat The Rich has that DC groove but it’s a killer tune that gets the foot a stomping and there are way more frills and subtleties to Krokus’ music.

I have mentioned before how record companies load up the first side with killer tunes and this one is a prime example where everyone is a banger, with Ready To Burn and the ripping Night Wolf making up the side. After EVH’s Eruption appeared in ’78 it became fashionable for all bands to let their lead guitarists a have a little spot of their own on records, and Fernando Von Arb had his piece White Din on this one.

Krokus released some good music and you can’t go wrong with Headhunter.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

KROKUS – The Blitz

June 28, 2022 /

Whereas AC/ DC were your meat and potatoes hard rockers, Krokus were often referred to as AC/ DC with sprinkles. The band had hit on a formula that America really loved, and they stuck to it like glue.

There were two big singles from the album, namely opening track Midnite Maniac, which charted in the US, and a cover of Ballroom Blitz which charted in the UK. There is also a great cover of Brian Adams’ Boys Night Out which was left off of the original version of Reckless.

It’s the non-singles that get my attention the most. Out Of Control is a heads-down-no-nonsense-rock-n-roll-monster of a tune. Out To Lunch has a very Powerage era DC riff and hook. Rock The Nation has a very NWOBHM riff that you will have heard before I’m sure. Boys Night Out is the highlight for me, and it’s way better than Adam’s version – a great fun track.

Krokus were always a fun band live, and I think they are still going.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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