Krokus (band)
| Krokus | |
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Krokus in 2008
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Solothurn, Switzerland |
| Genres | Hard rock, heavy metal |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Labels | AFM, Arista, MCA |
| Website | krokusonline |
| Members |
Chris von Rohr Fernando Von Arb Marc Storace Dominique Favez Mandy Meyer Flavio Mezzodi |
| Past members | See Member history section |
Krokus is a hard rock and heavy metal band from Switzerland. They enjoyed great success in North America during the 1980s.
Krokus was founded in Solothurn in 1975 by bassist (and original lead vocalist) Chris von Rohr and guitarist Tommy Kiefer. Former TEA vocalist Marc Storace joined the band as frontman in time for their Metal Rendez-vous album in 1979.
Krokus was formed in 1975 as a primarily progressive rock act. Chris von Rohr, originally the drummer, switched to lead vocals in the late 1970s and with that formation Krokus was successful in Switzerland, touring throughout the country. After seeing AC/DC in concert in the late 70s, they decided to change their musical direction and adopted a new sound which was heavily influenced by that band. Since von Rohr possessed limited vocal abilities and was not capable of hitting the third octave, the band decided to hire a new lead vocalist. Eventually, Marc Storace, formerly of TEA and Eazy Money, was hired in 1979. With the new line-up in place, the band recorded and released the album Metal Rendez-vous in 1980, which was Krokus' first hit and brought the band international recognition.
The 1981 follow-up album, Hardware, was recorded at the Roundhouse Studios in London and featured such songs as "Easy Rocker" and "Rock City", which are still a part of the band's live repertoire today. Lead guitarist Tommy Kiefer was forced to leave the band due to a heroin addiction early into the tour supporting Hardware and was replaced by newcomer Mandy Meyer (ex-BM Smith). Kiefer died on December 24, 1986. Meyer soon left, replaced by Mark Kohler, and teamed up with bassist Tommy Keiser (not to be confused with Tommy Kiefer) of fellow Swiss rockers Roxane to start his own band. Setting up headquarters in Memphis, TN under the guidance of Krokus manager Butch Stone, the duo would recruit former Target vocalist Jimi Jamison, guitarist/keyboardist Jack Holder, and drummer Jeff Klaven and issued their sole album, First Strike, under the name Cobra in 1983. Keiser and Klaven would subsequently both join Krokus.
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