Second solo album from the legendary Marc Storace who not only remains active -at least only in the touring circuit- with Krokus but at the same time keeps the flame of composing new tracks alive. Not bad for a musician who is 73 years old, right? “Crossfire” follows up the very good debut “Live and let live” which was released in 2021 and right from the beginning the difference on all levels is obvious. First of all, the first thing that makes a positive impression is the crystal clear production of Tommy Henriksen (Alice Cooper Band) reminding of those big sounding albums of the 80s. Moreover, the compositions are clearly improved and with a very catchy style further raising the overall level of “Crossfire”.
I guess that no fan of Krokus and Storace’s voice expects or desires changes in the characteristic sound that made the Swiss band so popular. So get ready for a hefty dose of boogie rock n’ roll with the AC/DC influence being clear but at the same time the imprint of Krokus’ DNA is also distinct throughout the album. So, imagine a good mix of “Dirty Dynamite” with “One Vice At A Time” for a good idea of what you’ll hear on “Crossfire”. However, the closing track “Only Love Can Hurt Like This” will impress everyone since it also reveals a more “sensitive” side of Storace…personally it kinda reminded me of Elton John and Ian Hunter.
All in all we would say that “Crossfire” is an album from another era where rock n’ roll was by definition meant to make you forget about your daily problems and for 45 minutes you can enjoy songs that won’t change the world but will definitely make you happy listening to them. Isn’t that, after all, the magical quality of this music…?
Highlight: Despite the fact that everything indicates that Krokus will not release a final studio album, we won’t stop hoping…having said that, Storace is the next big thing!
