Rock ain’t dead in Switzerland, with several of its homeland fraternity hitting the nation’s official album charts with a bullet in recent years, the latest being hard rock veterans Shakra, who debuted at #1 with their new studio album, Just Live Loud!
It’s the band’s first album on Frontiers Music Srl, and the label’s president and CEO, Serafino Perugino, commented:
“Seeing Shakra reach #1 in Switzerland with their very first album for Frontiers is an incredibly proud moment for all of us. We believed strongly in this album and in the band, so to see Just Live Loud! receive this kind of response in their home country is extremely rewarding. Coming after the incredible worldwide chart success of Megadeth earlier this year, this is another very special achievement for our company, in the year in which Frontiers celebrates its 30th anniversary.
“For three decades, our goal has always been to work with great artists, believe in their music and give them the strongest possible platform to succeed. Whether we are working with one of the most influential bands in the history of metal or with an outstanding European hard rock band like Shakra, that commitment remains the same. I am extremely grateful to the artists who put their trust in us, to our team and partners around the world, and, most importantly, to the fans who continue to support this music,” he added.
Combining the spirit of classic European hard rock with a heavier and more modern edge, Shakra have also released a number of singles from the hit album. The latest among them is the album’s opening number, ‘Let The Show Begin’.
“‘Let The Show Begin’ captures exactly how I felt at my first concerts: that electricity in the air just before it starts, like the tension before a thunderstorm,” said vocalist Mark Fox. “The lights go down, the crowd gets louder, and then suddenly it is there: loud, powerful and overwhelming. Today I am on stage myself, but that feeling is still every bit as intense.”
Discussing the album itself, Fox continued: “Becoming a father has changed the way I look at many things. When I watch my daughter grow, discover the world and face every day with this incredible curiosity, I find myself asking even more consciously what life is really about. For me, the answer can now be summed up in three words: Just Live Loud! Don’t live halfway, don’t wait forever, don’t hide. I recorded the vocals for this album on my own in my basement. It was a very intense process that strongly confronted me with myself, my self-criticism and my responsibility. At the same time, it showed me that true freedom always comes with responsibility. For me, this tension is exactly what lies at the heart of this album.”
Guitarist Thomas Muster added: “Over the last 30 years, I’ve written many songs for Shakra. Heavier stuff, sometimes even poppier songs, and some really soft tracks. And even though I was ultimately always happy with the albums, I still always had this feeling inside me that musically, there simply had to be a little more. An even better riff, an even better hookline, simply even better songs. With ‘Something You Don’t Understand’ from the Snakes & Ladders album, I had that feeling of the perfect song for the first time.
“And now comes Just Live Loud!, the Shakra album I always wanted to write, but somehow never quite managed to until now. And it comes with 12 great songs! If I could take only one Shakra album to the famous desert island, it would definitely be this one,” he continued.
Also featuring Thom Blunier (lead guitars), Cyril Montavon (bass) and Roger Tanner (drums), Shakra’s new album celebrates resilience, freedom, brotherhood, and the determination to live life at full volume.
“For over 30 years, we have been walking this path with Shakra. We have always worked on ourselves, put many things aside and given everything to push this band forward, without compromise, without a safety net. We have dared, we have taken risks, and we still do. But this very path has also given us our freedom: to find our purpose away from the ordinary, to lose ourselves in it, and to do what we burn for,” the band stated.
“Just Live Loud! brings all of that together in one album: origin, attitude, energy and the view ahead. As long as this fire is still burning, we will keep moving, keep daring and keep giving everything. Living louder is hardly possible. Just Live Loud!”
Among those previous singles mentioned is ‘Wasteland Warriors’, which tells a story of resilience, unity and the will to keep moving forward, even when everything around you lies in ruins. The song is also viewed as a metaphor for Shakra as a band who have never taken the easy road over the past three decades and have stood their ground against resistance, trends and setbacks.
The official lyric video takes the viewer through a post-apocalyptic landscape of dust, ruins and gigantic threats. Six warriors fight their way through a wasteland where hope becomes the last source of strength, and at the end, an unexpected plot twist awaits.
“I wrote these lyrics because I am always amazed by how resilient and determined a human being can be. Even when you have just fallen into the deepest abyss of your life, you somehow find that tiny spark of hope that gives you the strength to rise again. I have experienced that myself. I have gone through several life crises, but I always got back on my feet, and in the end, I didn’t just overcome myself, I triumphed over all those obstacles,” said Fox.
“It was definitely time to write another riff in the spirit of ‘Rising High’. And yet ‘Wasteland Warriors’ has a character completely of its own. The razor-sharp riff, together with a subtle Hammond organ and other bluesy elements, turns the song into a modern Shakra classic that will surely find its way into the live set!” added Muster.
Tracks featured on Just Live Loud! are ‘Let The Show Begin’, ‘Wasteland Warriors’, ‘Just Live Loud!’, ‘Left Outside Alone (feat. Seraina Telli)’, ‘Demon Of The Night’, ‘Legends Never Die’, ‘Lost Generation’, ‘When We Were Young’, ‘Another Day In The Universe’, ‘New Tattoo’, ‘High Above The Storm’, ‘Screaming Silence’ and ‘Left Outside Alone (Solo Version)’.
