If you grew up in the 1980’s like I did then you definitely have heard Marc Storace’s trademark vocals with the band Krokus. Becoming Krokus’ lead singer in 1979, with the land mark selling album Metal Rendez-vous in 1980, Marc’s signature vocals rang through speakers at school dances and parties with memorable tracks like ‘Midnight Maniac’, ‘Screaming In The Night’ and ‘Tokyo Nights’ with many more throughout the decade.

Fast forward to 2021 and Marc released his first solo effort Live And Let Live which was critically acclaimed. He then spent 2023-2024 writing their brand new album, Crossfire. The album shows no sign of Marc slowing down and his voice sounds better than ever. The production of Crossfire was handled by Tommy Henriksen (Alice Cooper Band) and he definitely manages to capture the hard rock, anthemic sound that we are so missing these days.

The album begins with the track ‘Screaming Demon’ and this is an excellent title that best describes Marc’s killer vocals. The song has it all and is a great opening track giving you insight that you are in for a great time with this record. Track two ‘The New Unity’ is more of an intro into song three (‘Rock This City’) which is another heavy rock track that doesn’t disappoint. The song captures the anthemic classic rock sound that gets your foot tapping to the beat in no time. Song four ‘Adrenaline’ has more of a classic Def Leppard vibe and Marc’s vocals shine. The thumping chorus and heavy drums mimic a metal heartbeat that would sound cool as a live track.

This leads us into track five ‘Love Thing Stealer’ which is one of my personal favourites. It has a cool background of gang vocals which enhances the listening experience and creates an AC/DC vibe. The guitar solo on this track is amazing. The next two tracks ‘Let’s Get Nuts’ and ‘Thrill And A Kiss’ both create a southern rock sound that is cool. The latter has a heavy beat and is another favourite of mine as it’s more of a dramatic track. I love it how the bluesy groove on these two songs create a slight directional change from the beginning of the album.

‘We All Need The Money’ is something we can all agree on. This song has a wicked AC/DC rock groove with another awesome solo. The southern rock theme continues with ‘Hell Yeah’ and ‘Millionaire Blues’ promoting a party rock anthem that is fun, which is the overall theme of this album. Track eleven, ‘Sirens’, has a cool air raid siren that plays throughout the song creating a cool effect. It is a sludgy rocker that has a darker sound to it, and is a great example of how this album takes you on a musical journey by not repeating itself. The last track is the ballad ‘Only Love Can Hurt Like This’ which has a Beatles-esque piano groove. This song showcases Marc’s fantastic vocals and finishes the album off in style. After such a heavy rock infused album, ending with a ballad was a smart choice.

Bottom line, this album is a must have for any hard rock/metal enthusiast that is looking for an upbeat, fun album…but has to be played at eleven.