KROKUS: 'Hoodoo' Artwork Revealed

Swiss hard rock veterans KROKUS will release their new album, "Hoodoo", on February 26, 2010 via the band's new deal with the Swiss branch of Sony Music.

Check out the CD artwork below.

According to the group's official newsletter, Swiss newspaper Blick asked producer and founding KROKUS member Chris Von Rohr the question that was on most people's minds: why did the fans had to wait so long for this new release? "We have only been back together for about two years with the original lineup and a killer song — much less an entire album — cannot be written, recorded and produced overnight," he replied. "The material needs to evolve, mature like a fine wine and one needs to be critical with oneself, set the standards high and allow only the best material to make it on the album. No fillers — no compromises."

When it's all said and done, KROKUS' new album will sound like a mixture of yesterday and tomorrow. Chris added, "It was my responsibility as producer to bring out of each musician their individual strength and to continue, sound-wise, where we left off with 'Metal-Rendez-Vous' and 'Headhunter'. Back to the roots — but with today's power, unstoppable like a steamroller!"

Guitarist Fernando Von Arb: "It's gonna be an avalanche like, uncompromising, straight-forward rock. Fasten your seatbelts, enjoy the ride and rock on!

Vocalist Marc Storace: "Definitely a one-of-a-kind original KROKUS album that will please fans."

Von Rohr summed it all up: "To keep the end result top quality, it was OK that during the process of writing songs and recording them occasionally tempers flared within the band. We are no lame pussycat rockers; instead we stay true to ourselves. All the blood, sweat and painstaking effort during this two-year journey was worthwhile!"

KROKUS performed live on August 1, 2009 as part of the Swiss Independence Day celebration, which was broadcast live on Swiss TV from the "Tell Open-Air Stage" in Interlaken. Entitled "Tell And Other Heroes", the program was televised all over Switzerland with simulcast translations in French and Italian.

The group earlier in the year recorded the official song of the Ice Hockey World Championship, which was held between April 24 and May 10, 2009 in Zurich and Bern, Switzerland. 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.

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).

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".