Album review: KROKUS – Long Stick Goes Boom (Live from Da House of Rust)

Sony [Release date 26.05.14]

Krokus are a Swiss rock band that I never paid any attention to back in the day and didn’t even realise they were still going. Naming your band after a flower, albeit with the German spelling of crocus (and with the word “rok” in the middle), was a risky move…but it has worked for Krokus as they are still going strong after almost 40 years in the business.

“Long Stick Goes Boom” documents the band’s return to where it all started, namely their hometown of Solothurn, Switzerland and features a wide selection of the early classics (1980 – 1983) plus a sprinkle of recent numbers (2006 – 2013) but nothing from in between…

Krokus has never been too stable over the years with no band member actually having played in every line-up but what we have here is as close to classic as we could expect – founder Chris von Rohr on bass, Fernando von Arb, Mark Kohler and Mandy Meyer on guitars, Flavio Mezzodi on drums and Marc Storace on vocals.

We kick off with Krokus’s most famous number…Long Stick Goes Boom with its distinctly AC/DC groove and then continue in the AC/DC vein with Hallelujah Rock’n’Roll and Go Baby Go…you can almost believe these are taken from Angus and company’s secret vault.

American Woman needs no introduction with it being Krokus’s 1982 cover of The Guess Who’s classic number. Tokyo Nights and Screaming in the Night both bring classic Scorpions to mind. The rest…well…the riffing, the rhythm and Marc Storace’s vocals lead us back to AC/DC.

Krokus may never be able to move away from that classic AC/DC sound mixed with a little Euro metal a la Scorpions…but then who cares if it is this enjoyable! Time to check out some of their studio albums methinks.

Old fashioned good time rock and roll…and a lot better than I expected! The band definitely enjoyed this homecoming – a top-notch performance throughout.  ***½

Review by Phil Berisford


Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.

In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Next session: Sunday 1 December

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio


David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 3 November 2024.


UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 29 October 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com


Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024

ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)

Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)



Popular (last 10 days)


Please log in/register