A new Gotthard album is always welcome, and ‘#13’ the band’s 13th studio record and fourth with Nic Maeder on vocals comes just three years after the wonderful ‘Free’ (2017). On the first album of the decade we find the band in great form, retaining that traditional sound and dabbling a little too.
Opening with the solid rock of ‘Bad News’ though is a case of making maximum impact as soon as possible. It’s a killer tune made to be cranked up loud, and it certainty gets the blood pumping. It’s crying out to be the next single! It’s the same with ‘Every Time I Die’ one of my favorites here, it’s a song shot through with those fiery guitars and is driven along by Maeder’s thrusting verses all the way to the cool refrain. It’s a great one-two to open.
First single ‘Missteria’ is up next – you should have heard this by now – it’s a song that comes across like a mash of Thunder and Def Leppard and though it’s a little different it actually soars after a few listens! ‘10.000 Faces’ that follows it is a lush mid-tempo rocker that does nothing but convince you Gotthard are on a hot streak.
ABBA’s ‘S.O.S.’ – a cover version born from Nic Maeder’s invite to play on a Swiss Christmas special is reinvented here and suitably grand, slowing the song down and accenting with some wonderfully heavy guitars whilst keeping the song recognisable. Covers are a tradition Gotthard always used to excel at with their first albums sporting some great ones like ‘Hush’; ‘Come Together’, ‘The Mighty Quinn’ and ‘Blackberry Way’ – this is the first cover they’ve done with Maeder at the helm and let’s hope they keep it going.
‘Another Last Time’ one of my top picks here has a nice swagger and bluesy wail to the intro and just smoulders before it hits the wonderful chorus and one of the best solos here. We hit the half-way mark with ‘Better Than Love’ another stunning mid-tempo rocker that bursts with the sort of energy a band of half their age would do well to capture.This album is seriously threatening to dominate a few ‘Best of’ charts this year.
The straight to the point ‘Save The Date’ has a feel of Tony Clarkin’s Magnum about it, a band that Gotthard will be hitting the road with soon. It’s another winner, before the acoustic ‘Marry You’ a ballad that’s a bit of a grower.
There’s more bluesy notes to open ‘Man On A Mission’ a song that seems to sit nicely alongside tracks like ‘Another Last Time’ – and its these cuts that really pique my interest on this release. The album too closes out incredibly strongly with the the heavy perfection of the epic ‘No Time To Cry’ the first song to break the five minute mark along with the wonderful acoustic-fueled extravaganza that is the epic closer ‘Rescue Me’. That pair are split by the lilting ballad ‘I Can Say I’m Sorry’ which has a wonderful touch of Queen about it. Man this is a good album.
Gotthard kick off the 20’s with a great album that threatens to tear the roof off but leave the occupants unharmed but suitably rocked.
4/5
Tracklist: 01. Bad News 3:25 | 02. Every Time I Die 4:07 | 03. Missteria 3:16 | 04. 10.000 Faces 3:04 | 05. S.O.S. | 3:48 |06. Another Last Time 4:00 | 07. Better Than Love 3:26 | 08. Save The Date 3:23 | 09. Marry You 4:21 | 10. Man On A Mission 3:45 |11. No Time To Cry 5:15 | 12. I Can Say I’m Sorry 3:43 | 13. Rescue Me 5:46
