Krokus Short Biography

Formed in Soluthurn, Switzerland, Krokus appeared in 1974 playing symphonic rock similar to Yes, Genesis and Emerson, Lake And Palmer. After four years and two rather lacklustre albums, they switched to a hard rock style and dropped the frills in favour of a back-to-basics approach in the mode of AC/DC. The group originally comprised Chris Von Rohr (vocals), Fernando Von Arb (guitar), Jurg Naegeli (bass), Tommy Kiefer (guitar) and Freddy Steady (drums). The songs were formulaic numbers based on simple riffs and predictable choruses that were chanted repeatedly. With Von Rohr's voice lacking the necessary vocal range, he stepped down to became the bass player in favour of new arrival 'Maltezer' Marc (b. Marc Storace, Malta; ex-Tea). Naegeli occasionally played keyboards and subsequently took over the technical side of the band. Metal Rendez-vous was the turning point in the band's career; released in 1980, it was heavier than anything they had done before and coincided with the resurgence of heavy metal in Britain. They played the Reading Festival in 1980 and were well-received, and their next two albums continued with an aggressive approach, though they streamlined their sound to make it more radio-friendly. Hardware and One Vice At A Time both made the UK album charts, at numbers 44 and 28 respectively. Before Headhunter materialized a series of personnel changes took place. The most important of these was the replacement of Kiefer with ex-roadie Mark Kohler (guitar), while Steve Pace stepped in on drums. Kiefer subsequently returned to replace Rohr. Produced by Tom Allom, Headhunter 's high-speed, heavy-duty approach propelled it to number 25 in the Billboard album charts. Further line-up changes (the temporary addition of ex-Crown guitarist Patrick Mason and the exit then return of Pace) delayed the release of The Blitz, an erratic album, which reached number 31 on the US chart mainly on the strength of its predecessor. Since 1985 there has been a continuing downward trend in the band's fortunes, with their personnel in a constant state of flux (Kiefer committing suicide in 1986 and the introduction of guitarist Manny Maurer). Their music has progressed little during the last decade and relies heavily, even today, on the legacy of AC/DC and the Scorpions. In 1995 the band were touring with a line-up of Storace (vocals), Fernando Von Arb (bass), Maurer (guitar), Kohler (guitar) and Steady (drums), and recording sessions followed.
--Encyclopedia of Popular Music Copyright Muze UK Ltd. 1989 - 1998