Gotthard
Domino Effect

It is paradoxical, but for several people, the name Gotthard is intrinsically tied to 'Lipservice' as if it were their debut. That work, released under Nuclear Blast in 2005, is often defined as a magnificent classic hard rock album.

Hard rock??? Perhaps for some reviewers, an album released by a label called "nuclear explosion" must by default be at least "hard." Too bad that 'Lipservice' is, objectively speaking, an example of AOR/melodic rock à la Bon Jovi, played, sung, and produced masterfully by professionals on their seventh release in 15 years of activity. The flaw of 'Lipservice', in my opinion, does not lie in its substance since the songs, linear in structure and melodic lines, have the great and uncommon merit of sticking in the mind after a few listens. What bothers me is that it partially erases the truly hard rock soul of the early Gotthard, present in albums like their self-titled debut, G. Point, Dial Hard, etc...

The process of changing the sound began with 'Homerum', continued with 'Human Zoo', and moved forward with the global success of 'Lipservice', helped by the wide distribution of Nuclear Blast. Now that Gotthard has become a known name even beyond Switzerland, they are ready to release 'Domino Effect'. I didn't have high expectations for this work as I feared an even more polished, lighter album with a production ready to emphasize the melodies rather than the guitar and riffs of Leoni and Scherer. To my surprise, Gotthard returns to making hard rock, and I am pleased.

Compared to its predecessor, the album isn't as easy, enticing, and lascivious but must be listened to more than once before being fully appreciated. The beginning is entrusted to the mid-tempo "Master Of Illusion" which is based on a heavy, measured, and simple riff. The keyboards are almost swallowed up by the metallic sound of Leoni's six-string and Lee's rough vocals. It continues along the same hard line with the dark atmospheres of "Gone Too Far" featuring a complex, hypnotic chorus that will become addictive over time, and with a title track that confirms the album's propensity towards genuine, raw, minimal rock, with subtle melodies. A violin first, then the piano, both instruments (plus the guitar) together in the continuation accompany Lee in an excellent tear-jerking and sad slow song ("Falling") for its text where regret reigns supreme in verses like "Searching for someone / when the one was mine... while searching for someone like you / while knowing there's no one like you". With the single "The Call", Gotthard opts not to give us a more sunny, cheerful, fast-paced track but instead go for a very catchy and easy gray ballad with a predictable crescendo enriched by Lee's performance behind the microphone.

The central part of the album shows a decline, although the tracks are still more than listenable. "The Oscar Goes To..." is, in my opinion, too predictable and risks becoming boring over time, "The Crusaider" after the initial appreciation determined by the nice guitar work, loses itself in sprawling verses, a decidedly too long chorus, and a sound too AC/DC oriented. "Come Alive" is a ballad between Brian Adams and Bon Jovi: frankly, I liked the first two much more, so I move on. "Heal Me" instead enters the mind arrogantly without asking permission, taking space in our minds with a successful riff supported by the rhythm section: an engaging hard rock made for live performance. "Letter To A Friend" seems like a slow track but actually turns into a nice cadenced mid-tempo with a successful solo launching the pompous finale determined by the sampled sound of orchestrations before closing the perfect circle by returning to the initial verse.

Bass lines, distorted voices, and electronics for "Come Alive" which, being so different and distant from the rest of the product, can only attract the listener's attention. If we add to this a good solo, the excellent insertion of backing vocals in the refrain, and a limited duration, the mark is hit. The finale needs an explosive piece, and thus comes "Now"; a sort of catchy anthem with a bridge that launches the chorus masterfully: I can already see Steve Lee on stage urging the audience to move and sing. The closure is entrusted to the enjoyable and light ballad "Where Is Love It's Gone".

'Domino Effect' is a valuable and daring CD. After the sensational success of 'Lipservice' (raise your hand if you only discovered this band, born in 1990, after the release of the latest work) they could have easily released a more or less successful copy of that album. Lee and Leoni instead decided to steer towards their origins with a product of healthy melodic hard rock packaged in an absolutely professional way which, despite some inevitable filler, is extremely enjoyable in the total of 14 tracks. Great band: recommended purchase without hesitation.