Incredibly 'Rock the Block' is the fifteen studio release for Swiss rockers 'Krokus' and is most notable for the return of former longstanding lead vocalist 'Marc Storace'. Musically this continues in the same 'AC / DC' style you would expect, and with 'Storace' as the helm this is further emphasised with his 'Brian Johnson' / 'Bon Scott' like vocals. 'Storace' is also joined by the new pairing of guitarist 'Dominique Favez' and drummer 'Patrick Aeby', while bassist 'Tony Castell' returns to the fold. Sadly though this is not the great comeback it might have been, 14 tracks is too adventurous and exhibits an abundance of mediocrity, unimaginative and recycled material.

'Rock the Block' opens with the short punchy rocker 'Mad World' a pretty catchy affair, which is fuelled by a solid riff and nice fret work, all very 'AC / DC' in approach and despite the trite lyrics is overall quite enjoyable. Ensuing in similar fashion is the lively plodder 'Leading the Pack', 'Marc Storace's' gritty vocals are all over this track and the 'Brian Johnson' similarities are undeniable. The tempo falls for the more laid back 'I Want It All', a slightly bluesy affair with an American AOR undercurrent, not really to my liking, far too lightweight and the only highlight is a solid guitar solo. Also falling short of the mark is the listless 'Open Fire' a dull, sluggish effort which features a dreary chorus, while 'One for All' is a slight improvement with it's 'AC / DC' style riffs, but lyrically soon becomes far too repetitive. Things start to deteriorate further with the Pop Metal of 'Looking to America', musically it's one of the strongest cuts present but the light-weight chorus is just dire. More AOR is brought about by 'Go My Way' a decent enough cut, nice solo, strong vocals, semi catchy chorus, while 'Hot Shot', ebbs and flows to a solid grooving rhythm and choice fret work. The album starts to peak around this point, 'Raise Your Hands' is driven by 'Young' style chords and further braced by sharp 'Storace' vocals- if I hadn't of known this was 'Krokus' I would have sworn blind it was 'AC / DC'! Ensuing strongly is the driving plodder 'Night of the snakes' which in my opinion is one if the finest tracks present, the grooving chorus although simplistic, hits the spot, while the fret work is stringent and engaging throughout. In true 'Krokus' tradition no album is complete without the raunchy tongue-in-check track, this time around it's 'Throwing Her China', regrettably though this is a fairly ghastly affair of trite lyrics, sluggish melody and shockingly bad chorus. On a more serious note is the ballad come rocker 'We'll Rise' a powerfully executed number and although decently penned is all too predictable, while 'Freedom' is a solid, chorus driven stable well within the 'AC / DC' school of Hard Rock. The album bows out with title track 'Rock the Block', a short two and a half minute rocker, brisk, energetic and straight to the point, a shame more of the songs couldn't have followed this formula.

There's some decent catchy Hard Rock tucked away here, admittedly most borders on 'AC / DC' rip-off territory, but all told this is a very patchy album that's doesn't have great replay value!