Metal Shock Finland (World Assault )

Review by Rich Davenport

Artist: KROKUS
Album: “Long Stick Goes Boom: Live from da House of Rust”
Release date: March 21, 2014
Label: Sony Music Entertainment

Tracklist:
01. Long Stick
02. Hallelujah Rock ‘n Roll
03. Go Baby Go
04. American Woman
05. Tokyo Nights
06. Fire
07. Rock City/Better Than Sex/Dog Song
08. Screaming in the Night
09. Hellraiser
10. Bedside Radio
11. Easy Rocker
12. Heatstrokes
13. Live for the Action
14. Hoodoo Woman

Well, this album certainly lives up to its title, as the band goes “BOOM!” right from the start, with the title track kicking things off in explosive style. This is the sound of six guys having a whale of a time in their natural environment, the live stage, ripping through a selection of classic tracks and more recent songs, all of which blend together to form a set-list that has no weak points!

In recent years, KROKUS have expanded their guitar armada with the addition of former guitarist Mandy Meyer (also with Unisonic), alongside the classic tag team of Fernando Von Arb and Marc Kohler, and the result is a HUGE wall of guitars that drives the riffs home with relentless energy.

Marc Storace is still a vocalist to be reckoned with, having lost none of his range or passionate delivery, and sounds as powerful as ever as he belts out the songs, still hitting the high notes on tracks that were originally recorded back in the early 80s, and as a frontman, you can hear him spurring on the audience, which adds greatly to the atmosphere on this album, recorded in the band’s hometown of Solothurn last year.

Mention must also be made of the rock-solid rhythm section which forms the band’s engine room, drummer Flavio Mezzodi and founder member / bassist Chris Von Rohr, who nail the low end to the floor throughout this 14 track set.

The likes of  “Heatstrokes”, “Bedside Radio”, “Screaming In The Night” and “Easy Rocker” sit very well alongside newer fare like “Hallelujah Rock N Roll” and “Go Baby Go”, and there’s a smattering of deeper cuts for the die-hards, the reggae-infused “Tokyo Nights” being a particular highlight.

This album should hit the spot whether you’re a fan of the band’s classic early-to-mid 80s period and would like to catch up with them as they are today (brace yourself, they’re as potent as ever!), or a longtime Krokus konvert. And if you’re unfamiliar with the band and curious about checking the band out, this is a fine place to get a krash kourse in Krokus!

Rating – 9/10

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