Back in 1997, Lugano-based rock band Gotthard released their fourth album, ‘D Frosted’, which not only was their first live album but was also acoustic. Within three months it had reached double-platinum status in Switzerland and helped establish their reputation as one of the most successful bands to come from that country. Since then they have continued touring, recording, and have had 16 No.1-albums, over 3 million records sold, multiple awards with more than 2,000 shows all over the planet. In 2018 they undertook the ‘Defrosted’ tour and have followed up now with a recording of the set which contains 22 of their most well-known songs.
Original singer Steve Lee may have passed away in a motorbike accident in 2011, but the band have released three more studio albums since then with singer Nic Maeder and he is certainly at home in front of a crowd who obviously love the band. He has just the right amount of gravel in his voice to give it presence, without moving into Dan McCafferty area. It isn’t quite smooth, and that definitely helps with the material. There are some cover songs in the set, most notably “Hush” (which works incredibly well in this setting) and “Smoke On The Water” (they are Swiss after all, but although interesting this really does need the presence of an electric guitar). The use of strong backing singers, who can also take the lead when required, definitely adds to the overall sound. Quo fans will probably be intrigued to know that after the live set there are a couple of bonus songs, including “Bye Bye Caroline” which was co-written with Francis Rossi, who also performs on it. It is a nice album, and possibly if I knew all the material I would be more invested in it, but the first time I heard ‘Five Man Acoustical Jam’ I was blown away by what I heard and only discovered the electric Tesla after that, and I certainly don’t get that feeling from this. I am sure fans will love it, but next time they need to plug in and let rip.
Rating: 6/10
Links:
https://www.gotthard.com/
https://www.nuclearblast.de/en/
