Ah Switzerland... the land of knives, chocolate, cuckoo clocks and, um, Gotthard. Not to take anything away from the band's achievements – they are one of Switzerland's (all 15,940 square miles of it) top selling musical acts with 11 number one albums. Not to mention they have multi-platinum albums in a number of other countries. However they aren't exactly the most original of bands.
Lets face it, Gotthard are like a cross between Whitesnake and Bon Jovi with Toblerone stains on its T-Shirt. Vocalist Stevie Lee sounding at the best of times like a David Coverdale tribute (who in turn was little more than a Robert Plant tribute). But nevertheless, in the world of European Hard Rock, they are somewhat of a force in their own right, and with a new album (and 80's style hard rock being back in vogue again) they will no doubt be aiming to convert a host of new followers.
The album opens with a slice of Robert Plant meets Van Halen in the form of 'Shangri-la' – as far as Gotthard go this has to be one of their better songs and a pretty good way to kick off the album. 'Unspoken' however is pretty standard driving rock that could be found on any of those Father's Day rock compilation CDs. The title track 'Need to Believe' is so Bon Jovi it hurts – it comes off a little A-Z of 80's Stadium Rock, but I'm sure it will have long-time fans of the band reaching for their lighters when the band break it out on tour. 'Unconditional Faith' is an upbeat Robert Plant style chart tickler from yesteryear – it's one that deserves a music video that tells a vague story with lots of driving in the desert in a Cadillac and standing on a cliff looking deep. 'I Don't Mind' has a great Motley Crue riff and a fairly original vocal performance and it's shockingly catchy for it. 'Break Away' veers dangerously into Whitesnake territory in a mid-tempo bouncy, arms in the air, sing-a-long anthem. 'Don't Let Me Down' is a typical power ballad straight from the same 'how to' book as 'Every Rose Has it's Thorn'. 'Right From Wrong' is an unexpected foray into modern radio friendly hard rock – it's no more original than any other track here, but it's a nice change of pace that keeps proceedings fairly interesting. 'I Know, You Know' is the second obligatory power ballad on the album, though a little harder this time – big intro, chugging riff, big chorus, big solo – you get the picture. 'Rebel Soul' is back into Motley Crue territory in an off the peg ode to all rebels without a cause. 'Tears to Cry' closes the album in proper pseudo-symphonic, lighter waiving, hair swinging fashion.
If you are a devotee of leopard print, denim, big hair, and union jack t-shirts and like your rock emotional and full of pop harmonies you'd do well to pick this up as it touches pretty much every point needed for a classic rock album as listed by wikipedia. If on the other hand you like something with a little more substance and originality this one probably isn't for you. By all means, the songs are well written, passionately performed, and are technically adept – but it still sounds like a David Coverdale tribute band.
http://www.myspace.com/gotthard
http://www.gotthard.com
