Gotthard
One Team One Spirit

THE REVIEW

SMALL INTRODUCTION
Have you ever played that game called "word association"? I have. You know how it works? For example, I say "rifle" and you say "weapon." At the same time, to the word "Switzerland," the swift reaction would be to say "chocolate," "mountains," "cows," "milk," "neutrality." Of course, these are the most common stereotypes about the beautiful country of cantons. But none of the words written above can represent Switzerland better than another term: Gotthard. Not meant as the horrendous homonymous tunnel, but as a great hard rock band, with long hair, platforms, and patched jeans. A band that, unfortunately, few know outside of Switzerland.

BAND HISTORY
The band started in 1990, in Lugano, thanks to a fortunate meeting between Leo Leoni, a guitarist, and Steve Lee, a voice endowed with a rare falsetto. The two want to play together and, after recruiting two other members (Marc Lynn on bass and Hena Habegger on drums), they start composing melodies and writing lyrics. Their self-titled debut album, dated 1992, finds great success in their home country, besides gaining acclaim in France and Germany: and with the subsequent tour, they even manage to become liked in Japan. Year after year, CD after CD, the Swiss grow in popularity and fans: the perfectly chosen mixture of combining hard rock-flavored, gutsy tracks with much calmer ones, true ballads, keeps winning over more and more followers. In two years, 1994 and 1995, Gotthard produces two works, "Dial Hard" and "G," both becoming platinum records after a very short time: in 1999, with the CD "Open," and in 2000, with the release of "Homerun," the group confirms itself as one of the greatest entities in the world rock scene.

ALBUM ANALYSIS
Years go by for everyone, years go by even for Gotthard: and soon 2002 arrives. To celebrate the decade of their career, Leo Leoni & Co. decide to release their first best of, reissued in 2004 with the addition of some tracks from "Human Zoo" of 2003: a monumental work, a double CD for a total of thirty-nine songs, collecting the sum of their brilliant career. The first CD gathers the best of the slow tracks in their repertoire: twenty songs under the heading "Ballads." All in all, this first part earns a well-deserved passing grade: some songs make the listener yawn if they're not accustomed to the group's discography, others are more rhythmic and involve our hypothetical subject's ear more, while still keeping limited paces. And if the greatest hits ended here, one couldn't go beyond a three. But what surely attracts attention is the second part of the best of, nineteen songs labeled as "Rock." And no one was ever so right. Already from the first track, "Sister Moon", it's clear that this is a band that rocks. And it rocks hard. If the beginning may vaguely echo country, the composition in its entirety is simply, wonderfully, sincerely rock. And that says it all. And when inspiration fails, and there's a need to cover, no problem: "Mighty Quinn", a Bob Dylan piece, played by the four becomes a sort of hippie anthem, beautiful and convincing; not to mention the exceptional competence demonstrated in "Hush", a not exactly easy song by Deep Purple, which our heroes manage to interpret genuinely thanks to the exceptional prowess demonstrated once again by Steve Lee's voice. The catchy rhythms never lack, not even in slightly harder instances, where the guitars become more prominent: "Mountain Mama" is a perfect example. The opening is ironclad, free of elaborations, rigid in its simplicity: in the chorus, the song manages to open up a bit, thanks to Lee's falsetto and the softening of the guitars. Phenomenal, simply phenomenal is the opening of "Top Of The World", a track that slightly reflects Bon Jovi's typical atmospheres: Leoni's creeping guitar creates a well-defined rhythm, which remains so even in the similar-pop chorus. Definitely worth mentioning is also "Eagle": an almost new-age style beginning which, needless to say, soon transforms into a great rock song, not as exuberant as the preceding ones, with less marked guitars, but unmistakably rock. One returns to liveliness with songs like "Movin' On" and "Human Zoo": in the first one almost "Sister Act" style atmospheres are felt, with guitars pulling off wild solos, while in the second sporadically emerge odd rhythms, along with vocal parts distorted by synthesizers alternating with the usual Lee, once again able to deliver three and a half minutes of skill. Initially, one wrinkles their nose at the beginning of track no.7, "What I Like": the initial guitar terribly resembles some pieces of Filippo Neviani aka Nek (get thee behind me Satan) and, although this feeling fades as the track progresses, the sense of facing an unfinished work remains permanent. Gotthard remains exceptional even in interludes: "Why Don't We Do It" represents exactly one minute of light guitar in the background leaving space for king Lee, completely free to perform fabulous vocalizations, often resulting in an impressive falsetto. But it's just a small ferry leading to one of the most beautiful pieces of the work: "Make My Day" is indeed a track soaked in hard rock to its very core, with the bass prominently featured and the usual falsetto of Lee marking the song's time. Epic is the opening: noise of tin cans clanged together. To conclude, among the remaining compositions, particularly recommended are "Fire&Ice", with an unsettling intro and gloomy vocals, with guitars often thickened in metal-like tones: "Cheat & Hide", with a whispered voice over a background that only opens in the chorus, characterized by fairly fast syncopated rhythms; and the concluding "Firedance", six minutes and two seconds of damn hard rock, with immediately combusting guitars, dynamite falsettos, and almost tribal drumming, obsessive in its monotony.

It's time to draw conclusions now. Admitting that I never particularly loved best ofs (often just a means to milk money from devoted fans), this time, however, I have to bow in front of this material, which demonstrates all the value of a band too mistreated, too confined, too unknown... too everything in the negative sense, unfortunately. Certainly, this double is an unmissable opportunity for those who wish to delve into the group's characteristics: great musical quality and a desire to rock distinguish this entire release. For those who already know the band (and appreciate them), the CD is essential. Well, this conclusion is a bit too enthusiastic, perhaps: but I love and will love this group forever. There's nothing to be done: love at first sight isn't easily erased. Believe me. Requiem.

P.S. For the first time in DeRecensore's career (and perhaps for the last) I dedicate this writing of mine to Ocram. The reason is simple: this review, which I wrote today, I promised him two and a half months ago. Ocram, sorry. I hope you all like it.