Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Krokus Hoodoo Company: Sony Music Release: 2010 Genre: Hard rock Reviewer: Vinaya

It's a Krokus album, plain and simple.

If you've heard Krokus klassics like One Vice at a Time and Headhunter, then I'd say you've pretty much heard Hoodoo.

Surely a much-anticipated release among the band's fan base, Hoodoo features a full lineup of musicians- namely Marc Storace, Fernando Von Arb, Chris Von Rohr, Mark Kohler and Freddy Steady- who have, at various times, been involved in at least some of the band's classic work.

And for lovers of the band's no-frills, AC/DC-influenced hard rock, Hoodoo will indeed be a pleasant non-surprise. From the perky opening cut "Drive it In" to the unsurprisingly Krokus-ized cover of "Born to be Wild." to the tuneful, vintage crunch rawk of pretty much everything else on the album, it's clear that Krokus are (still) not intent on reinventing the wheel, preferring to stick to their tried and true sound and reap a warm, lucrative welcome back from their adoring public in much the same way that the Scorpions, Ratt and arguably even Metallica have done with their recent back-to-roots moves (or at least moves back towards the style of their commercial heyday).

For the most part, this calculated ploy works just fine. It is only when the band attempts to show "Screaming in the Night"-like hints of greater depth, as on "Ride into the Sun" and the somewhat evocative but lukewarm "Hoodoo Woman" that the band falters at all.

By now, you should know damn well whether or not whether Hoodoo will be working its mojo on your stereo (or mp3 player). It's a Krokus album, plain and simple. Does just what it says on the tin; nothing less, and certainly nothing more. Note: Consider this rating a 3.5 or higher if you consider Krokus the saviors of music.