Like many hell-for-leather heavy metal bands who found fame in the early 1980s, Krokus were one of several European acts coerced into commercialising their sound for the global market. It rarely worked out well (think Saxon, Grave Digger, Judas Priest) and Swiss rockers Krokus were no exception, releasing a series of insipid glam-inspired albums that alienated their core fanbase. After some line-up changes, the band reconfigured with Welsh vocalist Carl Sentance (ex-Persian Risk, Geezer Butler Band) at the helm and revisited their hard rock roots on their thirteenth studio album Round 13. Full of pounding drums, soaring vocals and raucous riffs (in short, everything that makes music great), Round 13 was a stunning return to form and now gets its very first issue on vinyl.

Krokus are no strangers to cover versions (beginning with The Guess Who’s ‘American Woman’ on 1982’s One Vice At A Time and culminating in 2017’s covers album Big Rocks) and Round 13 kicks of with a thunderous version of J.J. Light’s ‘Heya’. It’s a good choice and allows Peter Haas to set the scene with some hypnotic tribal drumming. While I’m certainly no vinyl snob (CD’s do sound good), there’s nothing quite like the earthshaking rumble caused by vinyl played at ear-splitting volume, and that’s precisely where this reissue steps in. The vinyl has been cut very well and gives the production (courtesy of Tom Redecker, especially for this reissue) gives plenty of depth and creates a huge cavernous feel and finds the band imparting their own personality on ‘Heya’ (which is how covers should be handled). It’s a slow builder that generates plenty of tension and in that respect it makes the perfect introduction to Round 13, and I’m surprised this wasn’t a big radio hit for the band; it’s commercial, but not in a contrived way (as, say, 1986’s Change Of Address was) and really should have seen some chart action.

Like a ball rolling down hill, Round 13 is an album that picks up momentum as it progresses and by the time we reach Side B the band are in full-on hard rock mode. Carl Sentance has definitely stamped his own mark on this album and it’s a shame he never made more records with Krokus because his vocal gymnastics are often showstopping. Take ‘Gipsy Love, for example; imagine Kingdom Come’s Lenny Wolf in his best Led Zeppelin style and you’d have something approaching the performance he turns in here. It’s no secret AC/DC had a big influence on Krokus which helped them toughen up their sound on the muscular One Vice At A Time record (and it’s no surprise that then-Krokus singer Marc Storace was a contender to replace Bon Scott in 1980) and the band revisit some roots on ‘Witchhunt’ with a riff that sounds suspiciously like ‘It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)’ and the following ‘Backstabber’ which nods to ‘Go Down’. Yet it’s all in the right spirit and is more homage than nefarious copycatting and is used as a springboard towards something new.

Continuing the album’s trajectory, ‘Wild Times’ is a strong closer and one that brings the curtain down on this era of the band in some style. As typical of the constant flux in the Krokus line-up, the band would reconnect with long time vocalist Marc Storace on their next long player, but as a snapshot in time Round 13 is rather revealing. Who knows what heady heights the band would have hit had this album been released a decade earlier? The answer is provided by this reissue which offers a tantalising glimpse of what could have been and, on lovely vinyl, the future has never sounded so good.

• Round 13 is released via Sireena Records on 11th April 2025 (available here).
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Track List:

Side A:

1. Heya
2. Money Back
3. Break Free
4. Guitar Rules
5. Blood Comes Easy

Side B:

1. Suck My Guitar
2. Gipsy Love
3. Witchhunt
4. Backstabber
5. Wild Times