Simon RushworthGotthard — Stereo Crush (Reigning Phoenix Music)
In the early 1990s Rushonrock caught a young Swiss band called Gotthard opening up for Magnum on the latter’s Sleepwalking tour.
The energetic support gave off vibes of 70-styled stadium rock with Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Bad Company very much at the heart of some seriously affecting heavy blues.
But there were elements of classy AOR, the fast-fading sound of the once commercially savvy hair metal scene and more. Put simply, Gotthard had it all.
Almost. What Gotthard didn’t have back then — and never really have had — was a committed UK fanbase. Those who knew the score wanted more… but there just weren’t enough of us.
Thirty years down the line and not much has changed.
Gotthard are still, at best, an underground noise fighting to be heard beyond mainland Europe.
They’re still purveyors of some of the finest hard rock this side of the Matterhorn.
And it’s still a mystery why that high profile trek with Bob Catley and co. wasn’t the springboard for sustained success worldwide.
Album number 14 — the stirring Stereo Crush — is a glorious amalgamation of Gotthard’s numerous strengths.
Rousing anthems, stripped down ballads, social commentary and stories of love and hope punctuate a genuine contender for our Melodic Rock Album of 2025 (you heard it here first!).
Frontman Nic Maeder — 15 years after predecessor Steve Lee’s tragic death — has made the Gotthard mic his own.
And co-founder Leo Leoni continues to roll out earworm riffs for fun as he proves there’s plenty of life left yet in this Swiss powerhouse.
Gotthard and heavy?
Kicking off with the punchy and thought-provoking AI & I, Gotthard don’t hang around on the long-awaited follow-up to 2020’s #13.
Fans have never had to wait so long for a new album from Leoni and co. and Stereo Crush is intent on making up for last time.
For those devotees who love the band’s trademark balladeering, there are maybe too few tunes in the mould of timeless compilations One Life One Soul and Heaven.
But the beautifully crafted Life — showcasing Maeder at his compelling past and subtle, game changing keys — is the place to go if heartfelt ballads are your bag.
Elsewhere Devil In The Moonlight could be latter-day Europe as the bluesy slow burner allows Gotthard’s do-it-all frontman another golden opportunity to lay his lungs on the line.
Thunder & Lightning kicks up a storm while Burning Bridges — not a cover of the Status Quo classic — transports fans back to those formative years following Tony Clarkin et al across the UK.
There is a cover… and it’s disappointingly dull.
Gotthard’s version of Drive My Car just doesn’t do it for us and its awkward position slap bang in the middle of an otherwise red hot record is bizarre.
Nevertheless, Maeder, Leoni and co. sign off with the dreamy, harmonica-lite These Are The Days.
And if you’re a Gotthard fan — new or old — they really are.
