MARC STORACE On Why KROKUS Abandoned Retirement: 'The Fans Won't Let Us Go'

By David E. Gehlke

Frontman Marc Storace of forerunning Swiss hard rock outfit KROKUS was essentially forced into a solo career. KROKUS announced its plans in 2018 for a "farewell tour," only for the pandemic and restlessness to get the better of them. As of this year, Storace considers KROKUS to be "reborn" after a handful of well-received live dates, which will likely then entail the usual run of lucrative festival appearances and sold-out shows in their home country. And while Storace appears to be eager to continue with KROKUS at home and abroad, he also has two solo albums under his belt, 2021's "Live And Let Live" and now "Crossfire".

Co-written by former KROKUS drummer Pat Aeby along with Alice Cooper guitarist Tommy Henriksen, who also receives producer's credit, "Crossfire" falls right into Storace's wheelhouse of hard, driving rock with a steady infusion of AC/DC and even DEF LEPPARD, of all bands, offering a little bit more than a traditional KROKUS offering. Storace just turned 73 and, like so many rockers in his age bracket, hasn't quite figured out what to do about retirement. However, in talking with BLABBERMOUTH.NET, the Maltese-born singer made it clear his only path forward is to stay busy.

Blabbermouth: We'll get to KROKUS reforming in a moment, but what's life been like as a solo artist? Are you enjoying it?

Marc: "I've been with KROKUS since 1979, which is a hell of a long time. Before that, I was with TEA, a progressive rock band, for seven years. I usually sit in and stay there with bands. [Laughs] It's been strange going solo. I had no choice because we were in lockdown with Covid. The band didn't exist anymore. We had done our last tour in 2019. We did loads of great festivals in Europe with KROKUS, and then that was it. We still had some dates to do in the USA and Canada and South America and a tour with SAXON in the U.K., which never took shape because of Covid. Then, the band decided to throw in the towel completely. Here I was, stuck in lockdown like the rest of the world. I started to think, 'Well, I've got all these ideas in the drawer. It's time to have a look at them and see what I can do.' I didn't have a record company and nobody was ready for it after I invested so much money and time. For my first record, I paid for the production; my manager paid for the label. We bought merchandising together and got the band on its feet. We did a streaming gig, which helped a lot. Eventually, Covid was over and we did more gigs, then more streaming. As soon as Covid was gone, we did this tour with two other Swiss rock bands. It felt good. It felt good to be out on my own doing something. It had a good vibe and the feedback was positive. I thought, 'Well, it wasn't in vain. I've got a new visiting card. Let's keep on going.' Then I formed the next band. The first guys were more like studio musicians because it was the easiest way to get things going. They were good guys. They were top players and really nice to hang around with. I did everything old-school with a Neve desk and Studer tape machine. It was heavy stuff, but that was something I had to do."

Blabbermouth: Turning to "Crossfire", where does the DEF LEPPARD influence come from? It adds a nice little touch to the songs.

Marc: "I always head in the direction of the music. Tommy was coming up with these ideas and suddenly, things sounded like DEF LEPPARD. One of my favorite albums is 'Pyromania'. We were out on the road with DEF LEPPARD on the biggest tour of our lives [in 1983]. When you count how many stadiums, arenas and all the big places we played with them, which were sold out. We had a great time. The fans loved us. It was the 'Headhunter' album. We were at 25 in the Billboard charts, so we were really happy about that and celebrating. The KROKUS influence came from Tommy because he's younger than me by about 15 years. He's a big KROKUS fan, so he figured he'd have some fun with the singer and I just went along with it, which I was glad to do so close to KROKUS shutting down. Then, I reached a point where I felt it didn't matter anymore and I wanted to give the fans what they expected from me."

Blabbermouth: That's an interesting thing to say. Do you think you've accomplished enough to where you no longer need to prove yourself?

Marc: "In this genre, what I'm doing is, I think, I've hit all the notes that I could hit. I'm not doing anything new. As far as it goes, it's the combination that changes. You're using the same bricks and building a different-looking house. [Laughs]"

Blabbermouth: "Love Thing Stealer" is a great song off the new album. Given your near-association, are you okay leaning more into the AC/DC side of things now?

Marc: "From the beginning, when I did my debut album with KROKUS, 'Metal Rendez-vous', which went like a rocket into the charts, at that stage, there was really no AC/DC influence inside me. I didn't listen to them much, to be honest. I was more interested in KROKUS. I was coming from seven years being the singer of this hard rock, progressive band, also a Swiss band. If you listen to some tracks on that, you already hear what people say, the 'Bon Scott' in me. I just carried on. What I do is not imitate anybody as much as I admire Bon Scott and Brian Johnson and whoever. There are loads of great singers out there. Some of them are no longer with us, unfortunately, like Dan McCafferty [NAZARETH]. He was a nice guy as well. He was one of the first rock singers I got close to in that sense. We'd empty a bottle of whiskey after a gig. [Laughs] What I do is what I've always done before AC/DC existed, as far as I know. What I carry on doing might sound like I'm trying to imitate or whatever, and when the guys say, 'Hey, it sounds like pretty much AC/DC.' I say, 'Yeah, okay, great. If it goes down well, who cares? Let's have fun.' It's a long explanation for something. This question comes up in nearly every interview. I go in-depth so much."

Blabbermouth: I know what you're getting at.

Marc: "It's like saying, 'Chuck Berry. Are you imitating Elvis Presley?' Or, 'What came first? The chicken or the egg?' In the end, it doesn't matter."

Blabbermouth: Do you want to talk about Tommy and his involvement in "Crossfire"?

Marc: "I think he's been the best guy so far in my long career to really work on using my tools to the best. He is a singer himself. I like the way he sings. I got to know him for about ten years. I did some backing vocals for these friends of mine in a band called CHINA. It's a hard rock Swiss band. He was producing them. From then on, it's kind of where we clicked. It was nice. Then, two years ago, we played at this festival called Rock The Ring near Zurich. My band was closing after the headliner. It's where the headliner stops playing around 11, then we were supposed to go on half an hour later, but everything got delayed. The tour manager had Covid and was in the hotel room with a high temperature and everything. They tried to dismantle Alice Cooper's production into these trucks as best as they could, but it took them longer. An hour later, we came on stage and started to kick butt. We even saw, for the first time, a mosh pit growing in front of us. [Laughs] It was the first time for the STORACE band. We have this song, 'No Place To Hide'. It's pretty aggressive, punchy and punky and very fast. It just got them going. So, anyway, after that, I went backstage and I had already seen Tommy anyway in the afternoon. He comes up to me; he'd seen the show. He said, 'Hey, Marc. I got to produce your next solo album.' I said, 'Hell yeah! Great!' I gave him a hug. 'Let's do it. Do you have the time?' He said, 'We'll make time!' That's how he is. Sparks started to fly. Later on, I visited him at his place, where he had a whole archive of ideas that he'd had over the years. Of course, he then refined and rearranged it to fit my liking. It went really well. Then, I did maybe only five sessions with him and it was done. But there were months in between because he was out on the road with Alice Cooper. Then, he was on the road with HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES, or he was staying in the States working on CROSSBONE SKULLY. He's got lots of work to do. I was really happy and honored that he made time for me."

Blabbermouth: KROKUS announced recently that its retirement was over and you'd return to doing shows. Will that be an issue with your solo career?

Marc: "Luckily, there's a lot of time in between. It's not like we're on the road as much as Alice Cooper. KROKUS got back together last year for one gig and decided, 'Hell, let's get back and continue.' More gigs came in and festivals. There are not too many festivals or KROKUS gigs each year, which leaves the rest of the time for STORACE. That's the way the situation is now. We worked long on the album, undisturbed. We even had gigs in between, like we play one and they play one. I'm feeling really happy with both bands because I'm working so hard. [Laughs] The increase in volume is a godsend because what I hate most is sitting around waiting for my voice to lose its power. I'm no spring chicken and give my best. I feel blessed that I can still do what I do."

Blabbermouth: Can you be asked the now typical retirement questions: Are they going to have to drag you off the stage? Do you want to die while onstage?

Marc: [Laughs] "I think I'm that kind of guy. My wife is slowly winding down. She retired from her business. She had this salon downstairs. She's kind of waiting for me so we can take longer holidays. Our cat died. We don't have that many houseplants. [Laughs] We have a gardener so that things will be taken care of. I'm not always too happy being on holiday. I like being at work because work is my hobby. It's been my hobby since I was in school. I started singing when I was 14. I was still studying and getting ready to do O-Levels. When school was out, I was ready to hit the road and look for a real band. I grew up in Malta, which is a little Mediterranean island. Luckily, I was in touch with the rest of the world because we had BBC Radio and TV and Italian TV. Later on, came the Maltese TV and so on. I could keep in touch. For me, it was always more attractive, musically, especially in the hard rock genre outside. In Malta, the last band I sang in was called CINNAMON HADES. [Laughs] It just didn't fit on a tourist's island. You want to say, 'CINNAMON PINA COLADA!' [Laughs] That wasn't me. I went to London. Not to see the Queen. From there I went to Switzerland and I stayed here. I loved Switzerland immediately. I kept on coming and going. Here I am still here."

Blabbermouth: Is pride a reason why you keep going? Is it because KROKUS was also the first successful hard rock band to emerge from Switzerland?

Marc: "Well, not just for pride. KROKUS was the first-ever Swiss music act in general to sell out the Hallenstadion, which is like the temple of music in the Swiss-German part where we live. There's the French part, the Italian part and the Romany part. It's like the fans won't let us go, either. We're still selling out the Hallenstadion. When it comes to that, you say, 'Why throw it away?' [Laughs] It's still happening. It's part of the culture now here in Switzerland. I wish the band would want to venture outside of the border again. You do so many gigs in Switzerland and that's it. You've covered the whole place."