Krokus: Marc Storace (vocals); Fernando Von Arb (guitar); Mark Kohler (bass); Jeff Klaven (drums). Recorded at Little Mountain Sound Studios, Vancouver, Canada. Stylistically, The Blitz pretty much picked up where Krokus' breakthrough, Headhunter, left off. But ultimately, it failed to equal its predecessor's platinum sales, grinding to a halt just past gold status. A shambolic cover of the Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz" (which didn't sound all that great in its original version) is especially painful, and tepid rockers like "Out to Lunch" and "Hot Stuff" simply fail to excite. Still, "Midnite Maniac" was arguably the band's best single ever, and "Our Love" their most accomplished power ballad so far. Other cuts like "Rock the Nation" and "Out of Control" actually show some promise, but with clich?d titles like these, how could they ever expect to stand out? Overall, The Blitz must still be considered a highlight of Krokus' career, but that ain't saying much. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia

• Genre: Pop
• Format: Vinyl
• Released: 02/05/2013