Hailing from Bern, Switzerland, Shakra a hard rock band that was formed in the late 1990s. The band dropped its eponymous debut album in 1998 before seeing a breakthrough with its third LP, The Live Side, in 2000. Though lead vocalist Pete Wiedmer was forced to leave the band the following year due to health issues, Mark Fox stepped in and helped the band find an international audience with its subsequent album Rising, in 2003. Shakra was soon sharing stages with hard rock and heavy metal legends like Iron Maiden and Guns N' Roses, but by the end of the 2000s, they acquired yet another lead singer in John Prakesh. With its new lineup, Shakra released its tenth studio album Everest, in 2011.
