With:	Marc Storace [Vocals]
Conducted by:	(in person)
Published:	09.02.2007
Band profile:	Krokus

SWISS ODYSSEY

It's the same with all the epic journeys. Take the one narrated by Homer Odysseus found his true self only when he finally returned to his homeland in spite of having journeyed to the four corners of the Earth.

One could hardly describe the story of Marc Storace, Krokus vox, as a myth, but notwithstanding there might still be some parallels between him and Odysseus. This is the impression I got on reading the answers Marc e-mailed back to me when he confessed his feelings on having performed in his country of birth, Malta, after a life-altering experience with legendary Swiss rockers Krokus. In this interview Marc also speaks on his acting experiences, on his relationship with other Metal personalities and of course on the latest opus crafted by Krokus - an album appropriately entitled: "Hellraiser".

So fasten your seatbelts?..and have a great read!





BACK TO THE ROOTS


CG: Could you give me your personal evaluation of the Krokus gig in Malta? What did this concert mean for you?

MS: My 1st. Krokus gig ever, in Malta, had been too long overdue. I was very thrilled to see it all coming into being. In my opinion, a great start of a new era !

It was the perfect way for me to say "Thank You" to all my fans for showing me their undying loyalty since my teenage days when I was singer of the Maltese bands: Stonehenge Union and The Boys or Cinnamon Hades, or for their hearty participation during the 5 concerts I gave together with the Swiss rock band TEA in the mid '70's, when they proved that Maltese audiences are up there with the best in the world !

On looking back, we started the big night in real rock'n'roll style ! A cool looking bunch of male and female rockers on 25 Harley Davidsons escorted us from the hotel to the venue. To add to the excitement, we were told the gig was sold-out and the opening act Fire was already putting on the heat when we stepped into the backstage area !

The Boys Next Door performed a beautiful and dynamic progressive-rock set and then, ex-TEA manager Peter Waelti, who not only runs our Fan-Club today but recently also took over our US Management, announced that I would perform a TEA song with this band (we had performed a couple of short gigs for charity on the island in '04 and '05, and so did not need to rehearse) as a special bonus encore, simply for old time's sake !!!

The reaction was great and I wondered if the audience quite knew what to expect but as I walked towards centre stage proudly wearing the Maltese cross on my chest and singing the opening notes to the ever popular TEA classic, 'Alexandra', there was no turning back - it was so fantastic, such a rich emotional eruption !

Noticing that so many singing fans in the front rows had tears running down their cheeks made it hard for me to concentrate on the song itself, and to make it worse, when I looked stage left to signal to the band for another round of the chorus which the audience was so heartily singing, I saw that Peter's eyes were watering too !!! Man, those were magical moving moments - what a priceless memory !!!

So I don't need to describe any further how the night was now, more than well primed for a fantastic Krokus concert, and that is exactly what followed !

Malta was another date on a long list of concerts that formed the Hellraiser-Tour. We started the tour up in Scandinavia last September, in aid of promoting our new studio-album "Hellraiser". The band was by now very well routined and this alone guaranteed an ultimate performance, except that on the night of the 25th November, 2006, all hell was breaking loose in that Old Power Station ! The band was literally inundated by a sweating hot emotional deluge of screaming rock fans and we were influenced us to excel to wilder heights, both musically and physically ! When I finally spoke in Maltese to our audience?..WOW !!!!!.....from then on it was pure ecstatic bliss and every single one of us wished it would never stop !

However, as we know, all good things must pass, but please God, it won't take another 25 years until the next Maltese concert !!!


CG: Seeing Krokus perform, I got the impression that the rest of the band was positively surprised at the warm reception they got by the Maltese. What were feelings right after the gig?

MS: You're positively right ! As I mentioned before, every single band member came off the stage saying "WOW, what a great audience, what a great experience, a pity it's over" and adding "We'll be back !" They all really enjoyed their very short stay on the island of Malta and each one said they would return soon privately, to discover more and visit Gozo and Comino too, and they made many new and valuable friendships, loved the culture and also the local food and wines ! For me personally, this was a multi-dimensional success, and last but not least for my band comrades to know what Malta and the Maltese are all about: - you make me proud !


CG: Are there any plans to release the Malta gig as an official DVD release?

MS: With a little help from the organisers, Colin, Stefan and Michael, and an ever-ready Jean-Pierre and his dynamic camera-crew, Peter managed to capture loads of footage of the concert itself and did interviews with the individual band members using local picturesque backgrounds to enhance the scenes. Whether this material is to be officially released to commemorate our 'Malta Experience' or not depends on the quality of the audio & visual footage itself. We shall eventually receive an edited version for viewing before we can give our final approval - I can 't wait, fingers crossed !


CG: You also sang the song 'Alexandra' with local band Boys Next Door. Do you think Krokus fans are aware of the early part of your career? Shall the Tea albums be given a re-release any time soon?

MS: Many Krokus fans are aware of my pre-Krokus years and Tea, especially the ones that were Tea fans before I joined Krokus. There are many Krokus fans who discovered Tea just because they wanted to know more about my past and where I am musically coming from.

The Tea albums were recently released on CD. One can find copies through my website www.storace.ch . Go to CD-Shops and scroll down to GEMM. Another good source is E-Bay.





HELLRAISER


CG: "Hellraiser" has probably some of the heaviest songs Krokus have ever written - quite a departure from albums like "Pay It In Metal". Was this a conscious effort, and will there be other songs along this 'heavy' vein in the future?

MS: In life, very slight change effect another. With Krokus, take one quick listen through the band's discography and you will soon discover the various changes in sound lyrics and musical styles which effected the band through it's history of ever-changing musicians, producers and engineers.

There was no real conscious effort to be heavier for "Hellraiser", only to produce an album in good Krokus tradition with additional modern stuff. The rest of our touring year will eventually inspire us with new ideas but it's far too early to know how light or heavy the next one will be.


CG: Stephan Schwarzmann played with (in my opinion) some of the best 1980s Heavy Metal bands such as Running Wild, Helloween, Accept, Udo Dirkschneider's solo band. So I certainly think he brought along some valuable experiences and points-of-view into Krokus.
How would you describe his contributions specifically to "Hellraiser"?

MS: As a matter of fact, when Stefan joined the band, we were already preparing to go into the studio ! The songs were all written before his arrival and he obviously did a great job in picking up our vibe and adding his own to the whole album.


CG: How did Dennis Ward differ from other producers you've worked with?

MS: Dennis did not try to play a star-producer role. He was only forceful when really necessary, and then he was always right. He was initially very positively impressed by the quality of our new songs and impressed how many of them had been prepared to a very high standard at demo stage. He practically let things take their own path and was always standing by to coach with a great vibe whenever needed.


CG: Besides having a first-class reputation as producer, Dennis Ward is also a very talented musician and songwriter. Are there any songs in "Hellraiser" that underwent a drastic change due to Denis' input?

MS: The fact that we first got to know Dennis from his live-musician side and then as songwriter and producer from the CD's he'd worked on, instilled a mutual respect, openness and trust towards his praise and criticism. He encouraged our song writing and then let us go for it on our own until a song was finished and then he would sit in for the final-arrangement sessions, where he then pushed his know-how into full revs ! His objective criticism was always accompanied by a creative suggestion. In this way, a couple of songs got short repetitive parts chopped off, or some chords were changed on a couple of bridges, or an intro was lengthened whilst some ending was rebuilt to sound more defined, and so on and so forth. His most drastic contribution, if my memory serves me well, was to the last song that was finished just before entering the studio. Dennis showed up one morning with an additional chorus part on the end of 'Love Will Survive' - it added incredible drive and gave a more dynamic finale and additional freshness to the ending of that heavy funky rock song - just perfect!





MOVING PICTURES


CG: This week I was surfing the internet and I came across a really fantastic video called 'Warrior Soul' by Doro Pesch. My curiosity being aroused, I decided to do a bit of research and was totally surprised when I discovered that you acted alongside her in a feature-film. How did your involvement in "Anuk" (the film's name) materialize? Could you give me a brief synopsis of this film?

MS: It all started when I was asked to sing, with a bunch of other local Swiss singers, on this song called 'Friends'. It was in aid of Swiss farmers in distress. In the studio I personally got to know singer and film director / actor, Luke Gasser, who had also been a dedicated Krokus fan for years. After inviting me to his next movie premiere in Solothurn he told me that he did have a part for me on his next one, and it was going to be all about primitive mountain tribes in the Swiss alps. This sounded cool to me!

So to cut a long story short he eventually said that Doro would also be playing a major role in the film together with a couple of other known celebrities.

I would play the part of the good 'witch-doctor' or 'medicine-man' in Anuk's tribe.

"ANUK" is basically a story about survival, in the face of a warring mountain tribe during the bronze age. Anuk sets out to rescue a handful of his tribe's last remaining females, who have been dragged away by these very aggressive masked marauders on horseback! Later on he meets Doro, who plays the daughter of the chief of a friendly tribe, etc.


CG: Several Rock musicians have ventured into acting. Gene Simmons, Ozzy, Roger Daltry (The Who vox), etc?.. Do you see yourself as being more active as an actor in the future, should the opportunities present themselves?

MS: Well, 2006 saw two releases of films in which I played a role.

The comedy film "Handyman", released last February, starred the whole band Krokus :

*The band almost sets fire to a hotel room!

*In the hotel lobby I shove this 'pain in the neck' paparazzi-photographer flying across the floor and he knocks over this very expensive Ming vase!

*On the way to the Stadium in this stretch-limousine, which is driven by our record company rep., (international comedy star Marco Rima) he is distracted by a nagging girlfriend on his mobile phone and my loud Swiss German singing of the Swiss national hit 'Alpenrose' added to the chaos, we have a wreck, concert cancelled !!!

So far, both my roles were connected with my singing.

*In Anuk I am the singing witch doctor who leads the warriors into battle.

*One can hear my chanting throughout the film.

*I also wrote the song 'On My Own' for the Soundtrack together with Luke. Doro contributed her nice vocals to our song in the studio.

Should another good opportunity arise, I might take it.





TOUR WITH HAMMERFALL


CG: Next January [2007] Krokus should be touring with Hammerfall?..I think the two bands would complement each other perfectly. Have you met the members of Hammerfall? How would you describe their music?

MS: Yes, you are perfectly right. This will be an amazing bargain for all Krokus and Hammerfall fans - to be able to experience both bands on the same wild night !

Although we were told that they briefly attended our last concert in Gothenburg, Sweden, I have not yet met the band, but I'm sure we will have enough time to meet on this coming tour.

I think Hammerfall are very melodic, anthemic and metal. I am very much looking forward to enjoy some of their concerts!

For more specific details, such as Tour Dates, refer to: www.krokusonline.com


CG: Hammerfall gigs are well known for the use of pyrotechnics and massive stage-props. Is Krokus planning anything along those lines?

MS: Our shows are mainly based on the strong performance of our handpicked classic Krokus songs. We have an endless source to choose from dating as far back as 1980.


CG: What do you hope to achieve with "Hellraiser" that you might not have done with "Rock The Block"?

MS: We shall rock the world!!!

Chris Galea - luciferlament[at]yahoo[dot]com