Krokus was formed in 1974 as a primarily prog rock act. Chris von Rohr, originally the bassist, 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 the 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. With the new lineup in place, the band recorded and released a new album entitled Metal Rendez-vous in 1980, bringing much wider international recognition.
The 1981 follow-up album, Hardware, was recorded at the Hammersmith 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.
In 1982, with new American management, Krokus recorded One Vice at a Time, which featured the hits, "Long Stick Goes Boom," and the Guess Who cover, "American Woman". Chris von Rohr described the album at the time as "the album AC/DC never made", as the influence of the Australian band is difficult to ignore. The comparisons actually cast doubt on the creativity of the band, as many listeners now began to regard Krokus merely as AC/DC imitators.
Nevertheless, Krokus became increasingly popular in Europe and began to receive attention in the United States.
1983's Headhunter was awarded platinum album status in the United States and hit number 25 in the 1983 album charts. The album was Krokus' most successful album to date, both commercially and critically. It boasted the hit power ballad "Screaming in the Night", which saw heavy rotation on MTV and would become one of the band's most recognizable songs.
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Hair Nation A-Z is an easy series of caches along KY 3 between Prestonsburg and Inez honoring those unforgettable(?) 80's heavy metal bands with even more unforgettable hair.
The highway is generally not heavily traveled, but can be very busy at times. There is plenty of parking room near each cache so be sure to get your vehicle completely off the road and use extreme caution when exiting and entering the highway.
If you have children with you, make sure you keep an extra eye on them.
Have fun and Rock on.
FTF - Ratliff_Family and dewayneandcarla !!!
