STORACE

"Crossfire" (Frontiers Records; s.r.l.; 2024)

Reviewed by Snidermann

Something happened to rock'n'roll music in the 1960s. Folk music became rock. And, in the 70s, rock became bands like The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac (both versions) and Steely Dan. Then bands like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Pink Floyd took a harder, edgier version and then the music morphed into Judas Priest, The Scorpions, Styx, Journey and other bands that just progressed from there. That is a simple (?) way to say music in the 70s was guitar-driven, simple and fun. Damn, maybe that was not the easy way but, fuck it, you get the point.

After all that, my current project, Storace, and their "Crossfire" album reminds me of early Judas Priest and early Scorpions. "Crossfire" is guitar-driven music with plenty of great vocals with the accompanying bass and drums in the background to stabilize the entire project. The band was conceived by a dude by the name of Marc Storace, a Swiss born singer who started in a band called Tea and Easy Money. In 1980, he became the voice of Krokus whose album, "Metal Rendez-Vous, was a focal point of the band and gained them international success.

"Crossfire" was produced by Tommy Henriksen (Hollywood Vampires, Alice Cooper, Warlock among others), who also produced another album I reviewed recently, Crossbone Skully (talk about six degrees of separation). Storace is a high quality band and their album, "Crossfire," well worth the time.

For more information, check out https://en.storace.ch/.

"Live and Let Live" (Frontiers New Recordings; 2021)

Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton

I always like Marc Storace's voice. It's got a gritty, bluesy, hard-rocking sound that many times saved a Krokus song. So I was thrilled when it was announced that Storace was releasing a new album (see Snidermann's "Crossfire" review, above) and re-releasing their 2021 album, "Live and Let Live," with an additional bonus disc of live performances.

First, the studio disc: "Live and Let Live" is ten tracks of hard rocking tunes with solid guitars, driving rhythms and strong songwriting. The exception is "Don't Wanna Go," the album's token ballad, but you know what? Storace sings those type of songs with that bluesy tone of his and gives the typical ballad a little more emotion than you've heard from others, those who just want to try for a radio hit. This is even more true on the simmering "Time Waits for No One."

This is the part in my reviews where I list a few of my favorite tracks but, in the case of "Live and Let Live," I'm going to abstain. There isn't a bad track to be found  here and, honestly, I like them all.

Now, for the bonus live disc: Obviously recorded sometime during the era of "Live and Let Live," (considering that several of the live tracks here are from that album), the twelve tracks here are performed with high energy and sound really great live. For those of you who are Krokus fans, there are a few Krokus tracks sprinkled throughout the playlist, and they sound great, too, especially the burning version of "Hellraiser," which Storace dedicates to the late Tina Turner. Getting this disc basically for free is a true bonus, indeed.

Bottom line: If you're a fan of Krokus' sound and style—a lot of which comes from the vocals of Marc Storace—then you'll like every track on "Live and Let Live."

For more information, check out https://en.storace.ch/.

Rating Guide:

A classic. This record will kick your ass.

Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.

So-so. You've heard better.

Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.

Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.

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