Gotthard

The self-titled Gotthard is a vivid debut sounding bluesy hard rock, around Steve Lee’s soaring, powerful vocals and the thick guitar of the band’s founder Leo Leoni. Emerging from Switzerland, the sure strength of its riffs and the accessibility of its vocal melody bind extremely naturally, and the band’s musical core is established very clearly from the start. While faithfully inheriting the style of melodic hard rock from the 1980s into the early 1990s, Steve Lee’s outstanding, soulful voice gives the songs a warmth and conviction not found in other bands. Its high polish lies in winning on the force of the singing itself and sure songwriting, rather than relying on flashy technique. A record that became the origin of the brilliant career of a band that would later grow into one of Europe’s leading hard-rock bands. The talent of the rare duo of Steve Lee and Leo Leoni already clearly shows its budding. Fresh and full of promise, it is a powerful debut that became Gotthard’s memorable starting point — a record well worth hearing for fans.