KROKUS Marc Storace Recalls Reconciliation w/ Def Leppard After Not Being on Speaking Terms For Years

The Metal Voice recently interviews Krokus singer Marc Storace who will be releasing his second solo album CROSSFIRE under the banner STORACE Nov 22, 2024

When asked about the musical direction of his new album
‘Well God sent me Tommy Henriksen from the Alice Cooper Band and he’s a neighbor well lives in Zurich with his wife and kid. It was so fun writing with him and singing at his place and just it was so inspiring we were kind of on this same level. This album is definitely harder and it rocks a little bit more and there’s a lot of pumping good old rock and roll in there. It starts with really bombastic with a song called Screaming Demon and from there on you know where it’s going to go, until the end when the surprise ballad comes out of nowhere and you think wow okay. It’s like the epilogue and everybody’s pulling out their Kleenex and slowly picking up their coats and walking, driving home with a nice ballad in their heads.”

When asked about the future of Krokus
“Krokus is reborn. We all feel fresh again. We’ve had a really nice run and the feeling in the band is really harmonious. And I don’t sense any bad vibes for doing my solo stuff, because they know I did it because I was in a lockdown situation and that’s how it started and the ball kept on rolling. So it’s something I’m doing not because I wanna leave Krokus. There’s a nice team. The crew is fixed, and it’s great.

When asked if Krokus will release new music
“Good question. That’s what I ask myself. It would be nice, and I know there would be a lot of fans who would be thankful for that, but I don’t see any sign of life in the creative way, except for the live stuff that we do. And the band has never been so good playing live, and it’s really fun. And everything comes automatically nowadays. I mean, it would be nice, but who am I to talk, if everyone else is not.”

When asked about the infamous Tour w/ Krokus as Special guests to Def Leppard in 1983 supporting Pyromania
” For me those were the two highlights albums from both bands (Krokus Headhunter, Def Leppard Pyromania). I’m not going to say Headhunter is our best album but I think we were at the peak of our performing abilities for me anyway as a singer. Those days it was like I was hitting high notes with such agility. Then looking back and thinking how did I do that? And it was all adrenaline, coffee, good vibes and passion. Pyromania for me was and still is my favorite Def Leppard album. I love it.. During that time we had become like Road Warriors. We toured and toured from opening for this act to opening to the next, jumping from one tour to the next and climbing up to being special guests and then we went on tour with Def Leppard (1983 Pyromania). It was so amazing the size of the Arenas and stadiums and stuff like that. It was way beyond anything we’ve done before and obviously this gives you that more of a rush. You’re backstage preparing for the show and you go on stage and bang and the reaction is so great.

It’s kind of like riding a bucking bronco, you have to control that energy, the adrenaline rush that that hits you and we gave our all. We never went off stage without giving one or two encores and we could have even given more but you you have to watch watch the time and not piss off the the headliner. So this was the time when Michael Jackson was number one with Thriller and the whole atmosphere in all the parking lots at the burger joints and everything when you drive up to the venue early afternoon the kids are hanging out and partying and there’s loud music everywhere. So this atmosphere I don’t think I’ve ever relieved it to that extent as I did then it was like magic. We knew we were going to have a great night every night you so and that’s something which is uh Priceless you know Priceless yeah maybe we’ll never come back you know those days.”

When asked if Krokus surpassed being a special guests for Def Leppard t the time
“Yeah probably. It could have been something like that but there was something negative in the air anyway and uh it didn’t end up well and uh we were we were not on speaking terms after that for so long until I think 2015. We we played together again at Sweden rock festival and I insisted to this guy who was Insider with the band. I wanted to meet Joe Elliot and apologize for the Shit that went on. Even if it wasn’t us who started it but our manager then took it to a new height, an unmentionable thing happened. Joe (Elliot) was like hey come on Marc there’s so much water under the bridge, I forgot about it. I said but I didn’t and I want to get it off my chest and since then it’s it’s been it’s amazing a great feeling and this this happened like in the background in our private time. I met the guys again last year and went backstage and it was nice.”

TRACKLIST:

Screaming Demon
The New Unity
Rock This City
Adrenaline
Love Thing Stealer
Let’s Get Nuts
Thrill And A Kiss
We All Need The Money
Hell Yeah
Millionaire Blues
Sirens
Only Love Can Hurt Like This

TEA released 5 LP’s, becoming a very successful band and Marc gained attention for his abilities and his high-pitched raunchy vocal tone.

In 1979 Marc became the voice KROKUS, the most successful Hard Rock Band from Switzerland, selling over 15 million copies, touring the world collecting over 2000 shows, winning several Gold and Platinum awards!

At the beginning of 2021 Marc started working on his solo career as STORACE, releasing the first solo CD “Live and Let Live” at the end of 2021, in the middle of the very difficult pandemic situation, but due unfortunately were not possible to properly promote the music live and the album didn’t have the chance to be properly supported.

Marc spent 2023 and 2024 to write and produce the new album “Crossfire” that is finally ready.

With the songwriting shared between Marc Storace, guitar player Tommy Henriksen (Alice Cooper band) and drummer Pat Aeby (Krokus, Gotus), Storace managed to deliver a monster piece of Hard Rock.

“Crossfire”, produced by Tommy Henriksen and mixed by the award-winning engineer Olle Romo, features a collection of Hard Rock anthemic songs, with big choruses, great guitars and an awesome rhythm section!

Currently the band is planning an extended tour in support of the new album, following the release of the new album.