Swiss hard rock veterans KROKUS have set "Dirty Dynamite" as the title of their 17th studio album, tentatively due in early 2013. The band's bassist, Chris Von Rohr, who is producing the CD, explains, "The new songs sound like 'dirty dynamite': pure, dirty, in-your-face hard rock with a touch of blues."

Adds KROKUS vocalist Marc Storace, "We've been taking the time it needs writing for our next rock album and we guarantee that it definitely will contain no fillers."

For the next couple of weeks, Von Rohr and Storace are laying down bass and vocal tracks at London, England's legendary Abbey Road Studios. The sound engineer for the sessions is Dennis Ward, who recorded KROKUS's last album, "Hoodoo".

Drummer Freddy Steady left KROKUS in May 2011 because he "concluded that he really wanted to play music just for fun in small clubs rather than conquering the world, playing arenas on huge stages with pyro props, etc.," according to guitarist Fernando Von Arb. A replacement drummer has not yet been announced.

"Hoodoo" was certified platinum in the band's home country for sales in excess of 30,000 copies. Sony Music presented the bandmembers with their gold and platinum plaques prior to the first concert of the "Hoodoo Tour" on April 30, 2010 in Zuchwil.

"Hoodoo", which entered the Swiss chart at No. 1 in its first week of release, was made available in the U.S. on May 25, 2010 via SonyMusic Independent Network (SIN).

Partnered with Ariola and Arista, KROKUS became an international success and ran up the charts with their hit albums "Metal Rendez-Vous" (1980), "Hardware" (1981), "One Vice At A Time" (1982), "Headhunter" (1983), "The Blitz" (1984) and "Change Of Address" (1986).