I spent a lot of time listening to all things metal in the ’80s, but never did buy any Krokus records. It wasn’t from a lack of trying, I just could never find the Swiss metal giant’s work in stores. I knew they were great—all my favorite bands would talk about them in magazines—but the closest I ever got was an Accept tune on a compilation cassette.

This appropriately titled 13th album originally came out in 1999, and now it’s available for the first time on vinyl. The Welsh vocalist Carl Sentance (ex-Persian Risk, Geezer Butler Band) makes quite an impression on his only album with Krokus, where all the members took some time off from dad life to flesh out these 10 hard hitters.

“Heya” begins with plenty of rawness, where Fernando von Arb’s dense guitar and Peter Haas’ thumping drums align with Sentence’s strong range, and the group vocals of the gritty “Money Back” follows with both hard hitting and melodic song craft.

The rest of the first side is equally well done, where the rhythmic “Break Free” benefits from Many Maurer’s playful bass, while “Guitar Rules” allows for Sentence’s powerful voice to soar amid Chris Lauper’s animated guitar licks.

The back half leads with the chugging guitar of the driving “Suck My Guitar,” as well as the bluesy flavor of “Gypsy Love.” “Witchhunt” then uses rich textures and meticulous songwriting for the best selection off side B, and “Wild Times” exits with the lively rhythm section and Sentence’s colorful voice making for an anthemic closer.

Krokus has seem many line up changes since their inception in 1975. They’re still around today, and their varied metal ideas that embrace glam and prog-rock moments probably wouldn’t have been appreciated by a pre-teen me in the ’80s, but now is makes sense why so many artists have cited them as inspiration.

Rating: B+

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