Before writing
this review I swore to myself not to mention that Australian band whose name has
something to do with electric current – probably both I and Marc Storace (Krokus
vox) are tired of those never-ending comparisons.
Onto
“Hoodoo”…..like its predecessor, the album seems to fit comfortably alongside
the band’s early 1980s “Hardware” sound. Of course very little has changed
musically throughout Krokus’ history. This album, in fact, offers another
collective of abundant hooks and cathartic solos backed by a compact rhythm
section. Vocals tend to be particularly susceptible to the passing of time –
this doesn’t seem to be the case of Marc, who sounds as strong and passionate as
ever. In short, “Hoodoo” kicks ass big time!
The anthemic
‘Drive It In’ seems designed to shake arenas, ‘Rock n’ Roll Handshake’ evokes
visions of heads in their multitudes banging in unison….all tracks are worth
listening to. Despite me being well familiar with Mr. Storace’s singing, in
‘Dirty Street’ I was amazed at how much he sounds like Bon Scott, the late A….ooops
I nearly mentioned them!!
In ‘Born To be
Wild’ Krokus have recorded an inexpensive cover (copyright has probably expired
meaning the band could do without requesting Steppenwolf permission to record
it) but it’s much more convincing than ‘School’s Out’, the Alice Cooper cover
Krokus had recorded for their “Change Of Address” album. ‘Ride Into The Sun’,
the album’s only mellow song is reminiscent of ‘Winning Man’ and yearns for a
blistering climax that, somehow, never arrives.
But that’s only a
minor gripe in what is a thoroughly enjoyable release. Every effort seems to
have been made to make “Hoodoo” the quintessential Krokus album. Indeed the
line-up is the same as their “One Vice At A Time” album of 1982 and is widely
regarded as the band’s ‘classic’ line-up. Not only that but the band’s bassist,
Chris von Rohr, produced “Hoodoo” and Jürg Naegeli - who had played bass and,
occasionally, keyboards with Krokus - engineered the album. Sound-wise, in fact,
it’s pretty much flawless.
So what on earth
is the title “Hoodoo” supposed to mean? After having spent the last few days
unable to listen to anything else, I still don’t give a damn.
