KROKUS' Official Song Of Ice Hockey World Championship Available For Streaming

Legendary Swiss hard rockers KROKUS recorded the official song of the Ice Hockey World Championship, which is being held between April 24 and May 10, 2009 in Zurich and Bern, Switzerland. Bassist (and producer) Chris Von Rohr and lead guitarist Fernando Von Arb wrote the track, entitled "Live For The Action", and performed it live — along with the rest of the band — in Bern at the opening game of the Ice Hockey World Championship between Switzerland and France. The event was held in a packed stadium and broadcasted via TV to 800 million viewers in over 100 countries.

"Live for the Action" was based on a Von Arb guitar lick, with Von Rohr providing the title and some early lyrics, and Storace finishing it off.

"We wrote 'Live for the Action' especially with ice hockey in mind, and also rock," Storace told IIHF.com. "When we go on stage and give a performance, we also warm up beforehand. When the lights hit us, we break into a sweat and the adrenalin is high. We have our 'passes' and our 'shots' in a different way. It's all metaphorical, but there is a similarity there. We score our 'goals' and get our cheers. That's why it wasn't so difficult to find the right lyrics to fit the music, which would be usable for both ice hockey and rock. And that's why this song will also go on our next album, which we're planning to release toward the end of 2009, if we're lucky, or the beginning of 2010.”

KROKUS also has a prior history of offering musical inspiration in the Swiss National League A.

"We wrote a song called 'Lion Heart' in 1995 that was released on the album 'To Rock or Not to Be'," said Storace. "And it was adopted as a fight song by Zurich's ZSC Lions. They asked me to come and sing in the playoffs: 'Lion Heart!' The whole stadium sang along. And then I stayed and watched the game, and met the players and got a signed jersey from the whole team. I've still got it at home."

The band was founded in 1974, and has often turned to hockey for a diversion, particularly during the epic tours it undertook in the 1980s.

"Over all the years that we spent together in tour buses and hotels and so on, if we ever had days off with time to kill, if there ever was a hockey game, we switched the TV on and watched the game and opened a few six-packs," Storace told IIHF.com. "Ate some pizza, and got into the spirit of things. But I'll be honest: none of us is a 'fanatic' ice hockey fan or anything like that. We enjoy a good game, and know a few names of people, especially on the Swiss team, like coach Ralph Krueger, who's been doing a really good job for so many years, and Mark Streit, obviously."

"Live For The Action" is available for streaming below.

KROKUS recently inked a deal with the Swiss branch of Sony Music. The group's reunited lineup of vocalist Marc Storace, bassist (and producer) Chris Von Rohr, lead guitarist Fernando Von Arb, rhythm guitarist Mark "Koki" Kohler and drummer Freddy Steady will release its new album before the end of this year.

Julie Born, general manager Sony Music Switzerland, said in a statement: "The signing [of KROKUS] represents a milestone for our label. We are totally excited that the most successful Swiss rock band of all time decided to sign with Sony Music."

KROKUS added: "We're back — the home of our greatest successes worldwide. For us it was important to find the combination of a relaxed and inspiring work environment. With Sony Music by our side, we have the strongest local partner on our side and at the same time a worldwide release guaranteed. Truly a 'win-win' situation."

With over a million units sold in its country of origin alone, KROKUS is the most successful rock band in Switzerland's history. Worldwide, the band has sold in excess of 30 million albums.

Partnered with Ariola and Arista, KROKUS became an international success and ran up the charts with their hit albums "Metal Rendez-Vous" (1980),"Hardware" (1981),"One Vice At A Time" (1982),"Headhunter" (1983),"The Blitz" (1984) and "Change Of Address" (1986).

KROKUS played its only concert of 2008 on August 2 at the Stade De Suisse stadium in Bern, Switzerland in front of 10,000 fans.

The classic KROKUS lineup reunited for an appearance on November 18, 2007 on a TV show honoring the greatest Swiss songs of all time. The "Die grössten Schweizer Hits" program featured KROKUS performing a medley of the tracks "Tokyo Nights", "Bedside Radio" and "Heatstrokes".