Emerging from Switzerland as its foremost hard rock ensemble, Krokus achieved global recognition beginning in the 1980s through an assertive and direct strain of European metal. Early in that decade the group scored breakthroughs both domestically and internationally via the platinum-certified Metal Rendez-Vous, Headhunter, and The Blitz, while establishing its reputation with anthemic originals such as “Screaming in the Night” and “Midnite Maniac” alongside notable covers of “American Woman” and “Ballroom Blitz.” Despite successive setbacks that included fatalities, health crises, personnel shifts, and the ascendancy of grunge, the band persisted into the following century, with Hoodoo (2010) and Big Rocks (2018) both reaching the top of the Swiss charts. Operations concluded officially in 2021 following a worldwide farewell tour.
The ensemble originated in Solothurn in 1974 when guitarist Tommy Kiefer and percussionist Chris Von Rohr came together. Their debut album appeared in 1976 after the addition of guitarist Hansi Droz and bassist Remo Spadino, still reflecting an eclectic, art-oriented prog-rock approach. To You All signaled a shift toward a tougher hard-rock stance after Von Rohr switched from drums to vocals, Fernando Von Arb joined as second guitarist, and a new rhythm section arrived in bassist Jurg Naegeli and drummer Freddy Steady, all three newcomers having previously played in Montezuma. Seeking an even harder, leaner style modeled on AC/DC, the band recruited former Eazy Money vocalist Marc Storace as lead singer, prompting Von Rohr to move to bass; Storace participated in the recording of 1980’s Metal Rendez-Vous.
By then Krokus had become a major concert attraction across Switzerland and Europe and was building audiences in England and the United States. One Vice at a Time, issued in 1982 after new management and Arista Records contracts, introduced guitarist Mark Kohler following Kiefer’s departure and yielded modest hits with “Long Stick Goes Boom” and the Guess Who cover “American Woman.” The decisive American breakthrough arrived with 1983’s Headhunter, which earned platinum status in the United States along with gold certifications in Canada and Switzerland while producing the hits “Screaming in the Night” and “Eat the Rich.” The Blitz (1984) also performed strongly commercially yet revealed a turn toward pop-metal and further lineup flux, as Steve Pace replaced Steady and was himself succeeded by Jeff Klaven. Change of Address (1986) met with limited success, after which the live set Alive and Screamin’ preceded the short-lived MCA release Heart Attack (1988) that featured drummer Dani Crivelli.
Following the Heart Attack tour, Krokus entered a hiatus; Fernando Von Arb assembled a new configuration without prior members to record Stampede (1991) and Round 13 (1999), while other veterans from the classic era circulated through the ranks until Von Arb withdrew temporarily after wrist surgery in 2005. A 2007 television reunion brought back Marc Storace, Fernando Von Arb, Mark Kohler, Chris Von Rohr, and Freddy Steady, who honored the late Tommy Kiefer (who died in 1986) and subsequently performed a large homecoming concert in Switzerland before entering the studio for Hoodoo (2010). Freddy Steady departed in May 2011, yet the band continued, issuing its seventeenth album, Dirty Dynamite, in 2013. The covers collection Big Rocks appeared on Century Media in 2017, presenting Krokus versions of tracks by Led Zeppelin, Queen, the Who, Steppenwolf, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and the Rolling Stones alongside a re-recorded “Backseat Rock N’ Roll.” The group declared its next tour would be final, and in 2021 released the concert album and film Adios Amigos: Live at Wacken to document the closing performances.
