History & Biography The band was formed as a cover band in 1995 and was called Cherry Pie. After a single called Eye To Eye in 1997, the band released an independent album recorded in Germany by Tommy Newton who had previously worked with the likes of Scorpions, Victory and Helloween. Queen Of The Nile from the second album is a band video clip. The band was popular in Japan. Graber left the fold in 2004 due to health reasons. Some versions of Time Walker featured a Britney Spears cover version. Dany Schällibaum followed in late 2005. The group signed with MTM in 2006. Crystal Ball would release its sixth album, Secrets, on November 16th, 2007 through AFM Records. Michael Bormann produced the album. Secrets was licensed to Locomotive Records for the USA. Metal Mind Productions re-released Virtual Empire on the 21st of September of 2009. The digipak edition was limited to 2,000 copies and digitally remastered using 24-Bit process on a golden disc. The original 2002 release was issued through Nuclear Blast Records.
Wolfpakk was a new melodic metal project in 2011 by former Crystal Ball singer Mark Sweeney and Michael Voss of Mad Max and Casanova. The duo had organized guest appearances by Paul Di’Anno, Ripper Owens, Paul Shortino and others. Steven Mageney joined in 2012. Like every other band Crystal Ball re-recorded its own songs and called it 2020. 2020 was issued in 2019. Castell left in 2020. Peter Berger replaced him. Crysteria was issued to start 2022.
Reviews CRYSTAL BALL - SECRETS - AFM/LOCOMOTIVE 
As much as long metal manes are attractive to me and usually a sign that the band is paying full attention to its music and looks the girl depicted on the cover artwork looks suspect. With the body, breasts and hair of a female, things should be all right except the face belongs to that of a boy. Somehow, the illustrator managed to put a boyish face to the body of a woman.
Unfortunately, the music of Crystal Ball seems similarly incomplete. At least, there is something not right. The Swiss quartet is technically a hard rock band, but there is little that rocks or is hard here. The songs go through the motions and the raspy vocals should have yielded better results, but no power comes through the speakers. The band just does not rock out and the issue is not confined to the ballads either. Most songs plod along at a mid pace without an attractive scream, a drum roll or a rousing guitar solo. The better tracks are number five Time Has Come and the bonus song that is added to the end of the CD, Pretend You’re laughing. The only other noteworthy track is I’ll Be Waiting and that is because its chorus is reminiscent of Halford’s Made in Hell, albeit without the power. Crystal ball has the sound to fall somewhere between Dokken and Whitesnake, but the tame music does not suit the title of a hard rock group. - Sheila Wes Det
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