Dial Hard

Dial Hard is the second album on which, around Steve Lee’s soaring singing and Leo Leoni’s straight, powerful guitar, Gotthard strongly inscribed its sure presence in the European hard-rock scene. Inheriting the debut’s success, it refines its musicality further. Keeping a bluesy feel, the riffs are thick and the choruses widely open, steadily increasing the band’s scale. From the powerful drive of the opening hit “Higher” to the drama of “Mountain Mama,” strongly driving rock songs and passages that let you savor melody carefully line up naturally, conveying the band’s depth, while cuts like “Here Comes the Heat,” “She Goes Down” and “Love for Money” convey the work’s fullness. Flamboyant hooks and grounded playing contend. Its great appeal is that a rawness that is not over-crafted remains, while holding an arena-scale lift. One wants to note not only Steve Lee’s powerful singing but the rich blues-derived nuances Leo Leoni’s guitar leaves at each turn of the songs. A fulfilling record that defined Gotthard’s direction as Swiss hard rock.