Gotthard

Australian legends AC/DC are easily one of the most influential bands of all time, but Swiss hard rock heroes Krokus owe a bigger debt to them than most since until the band saw them live around 1977, they were a prog band through and through. One who came together in 1975 and released their self-titled debut album the following year in a limited release of 560 copies. By the release of their second album “To You All”, the band had taken in a concert from the Aussie titans and radically changed their sound to a more straightforward, heavy riffing hard rock style. They began building up a cult following in their home country, but didn’t see any mainstream success until the 1980 release of their fourth album “Metal Rendez-vous”. The record was a huge hit in their home country and Europe as a whole, and was eventually certified triple-platinum in their native Switzerland.

“Metal Rendez-vous”, was also the album that brought them over to the U.S.A on a wave of hype about their live shows and their records. Setting their sights on success in America, the band hired new management and released 1982’s “One Vice At A Time”, followed by their breakthrough hit in the states, 1983’s “Headhunter”. This signalled the beginning of a commercial purple patch for the band, which saw “Headhunter” certified Platinum in the States, and with their 1984 single “Midnite Maniac” they became the very first Swiss act to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. While they might not have been able to keep up their commercial dominance once the 1990’s came along, they remain active to this day playing some of the best live shows of their entire career and releasing the most acclaimed albums of their four decades as a band. For possessing the kind of longevity that most bands would kill to have, Krokus come highly recommended.