Krokus

Krokus was a Swiss metal band that saw their biggest popularity during the initial years of MTV in the mid-1980s. Led by its Maltese-born vocalist Marc Storace and Swiss guitarist Fernando Von Arb, the band began as a progressive rock band inspired by the likes of Yes and ELP. When the group was not able to attain any immediate fame playing that style of music, they gradually moved into a metal format.

The band's fan-friendly hair-metal looks and the power of MTV definitely contributed to the platinum success they saw with Headhunter, their 1983 breakthrough album. Signed in America to Arista Records, Krokus had a powerful promotional team behind them. The band was usually reviewed poorly by rock critics, but their fans didn't care because in their minds these guys knew how to rock.

Krokus quickly faded after the success of Headhunter in 1984. The band's follow-up album, The Blitz, only went gold, and then Krokus began a series of personnel changes before splitting up.