Good old Krokus....man back in the early 80's, their albums were soundtracks to many a good time! Although a Swiss band, they rode the NWOBHM wave back in the late 70's and early 80's with albums like Metal Rendezvous and Hardware initially being very expensive imports yet underground classics here in North America. Sure their music was superficial and simple, often ripping off AC/DC for the riffs to their songs but it had great energy and one of the more powerful vocalists in heavy metal at the time with Marc Storace. Krokus hit it big on the North American market with their subsequent One Vice At A Time, Headhunter and The Blitz albums but they became more known for their cover tunes. Covers of The Guess Who's American Woman, Bachman Turner Overdrive's Stayed Awake All Night, Alice Cooper's School's Out and Sweet's Ballroom Blitz were huge radio hits. Things peaked for the hard rocking Krokus with the million selling Headhunter album before straying into a more pop metal sound for The Blitz and subsequent albums, leading to the departure of one of the founding members, bassist Chris von Rohr. They continued releasing albums (albeit not very good ones) with Marc Storace eventually walking away. The band continued with a new vocalist but it just didn't work. Marc Storace is the voice of Krokus. With Storace being coaxed back into the band a few years back, the result was a solid album with Rock The Block. With this new album Hellraiser, we see a further rejuvenated Krokus with one-time guitarist Mandy Meyer returning to the line-up after the amicable split with founding guitarist Fernando von Arb due to ongoing wrist problems and the arrival of drummer Stefan Schwarzmann (Accept, U.D.O., Helloween). The simple three chord AC/DC like riffs are gone in favor of a more richer and melodic yet heavy hard rocking sound that still has some elements of classic Krokus from the 80's and results in one of their strongest albums since 1983's Headhunter and one that long time fans of the band will certainly enjoy.

This album sure was a pleasant surprise for me. Although I don't consider them to be one of my all-time favorites, I still do enjoy some of their albums. What they lacked in originality was more than made up for with a great catchiness to their songs and the great voice of Marc Storace. That catchiness and quality songs that were found on some of their better efforts has returned for Hellraiser. No two songs sound alike and there's lots of variety to be found with the album's 14 tracks (+ 1 bonus track). The album opener, the title track gets back into the classic Krokus party rock 'n roll instantly. Solid riffs and a great chorus signal the return to form of this classic 80's band. Other energetic rockers include Too Wired To Sleep, No Risk No Gain and Spirit Of The Night which might very well be one of the best and heaviest tracks that this band has ever done. With charging double bass drumming and an Accept/Saxon style riff, this track smokes! Things take a more serious tone with Hangman. Tackling the very sensitive subject of assisted suicide, the soaring melodic sense is somewhat paradoxical to the subject matter of the song. For a track that is so dark lyrically, the melodies and passion in Marc's vocals are amazing. Angel of My Dreams was chosen to be the first single from the album and is a solid melodic yet heavy hard rock track but one that has a very "familiar" sound to it. So Long is a really solid power ballad and the rest of the album falls more into the mid tempo hard rock vein. Most are very catchy songs but the album is marred by a couple of throw away tracks towards the end. Also included with some versions of this album is a bonus track entitled Walking In The Spirit as well as some wallpapers and a multimedia section containing live videos for Hellraiser and Rock City (a Hardware track) recorded in 2005.

Guitarists Mandy Meyer and Dominique Favez do a fantastic job of bringing a more layered yet still heavy sound to the "new" Krokus. The riffs are beefier and the dual lead guitar approach results in great melodic lead breaks and even some nice harmonies for a change. The riffs still have a very 80's sound to them but are not as simple and are atypical of what Krokus would've done in the past. Add in the much improved tightness to the band's sound by the addition of drummer Stefan Schwartzmann and you get the best sounding Krokus album ever made as far as I'm concerned.

I've had this in my car for a couple of weeks now and it's been a long time since I've heard a solid, totally 80's flavored melodic heavy metal album like this. The fact that it comes from Krokus is an unexpected surprise. Some tracks are instantly likeable, but Hellraiser takes a few listens to really appreciate. Eventually it takes shape as an album that sees your favorite track changing almost on a daily basis with many of the choruses getting stuck in your head for quite a while. That my friends, is the mark of a great CD! Surprise of the Month is usually reserved for new bands that get a score of 75 or better but in this case, I have to make an exception....this is likely going to be my Surprise of the Year!