Band : Shakra
Album title : Back On Track
Label : AFM Records
Distributor : Rock Inc. - Bertus
Release Date : 25/02/2011
Release : CD

I’ve got no idea why Switzerland, being a small country, produced that many talented rock bands, like Krokus, Gotthard, or if you go back into the past bands like Zero.  And just like the aforementioned bands, Shakra also hails from Switzerland. 

Thus far these guys have released seven studio albums, one live album, and a DVD, so this makes ‘Back On Track’ their tenth release in twelve years.  I was wondering how the band would sound, since after their previous album ‘Everest’ their singer Mark Fox left the band.  He was replaced by John Prakesh.  I’d never before heard of this guy, the biography learned me that he used to be the frontman of hard rock band Prakesh, and that he’s Swiss but of Indian origins.  (Indian as someone who comes from India, so not a native American).
And I must say I was pleasantly surprised;  He sounds different from Mark Fox, not as raw and with a higher voice, but he does the job quite well.  Just listen to a song like ‘When I See You’ and you’ll know what I mean.

Shakra has sure as hell not re-invented the genre, but what they do is on a constant high level.  It’s a shame really they don’t get the praise they  deserve, except in their home country and in Germany, because with what these guys have released so far, they should have been better known worldwide, just like their fellow countrymen from Krokus or Gotthard.

87/100

Erik Morren.