Search - Gotthard :: Lipservice

Flawless (and FUN) melodic rock album

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 08/30/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"2005's Lipservice is the seventh studio album from Swiss melodic rockers Gotthard, one of my absolute favorite bands. It's also the first Gotthard album I had ever heard. I had heard the band's name mentioned enough times that when I ran across Lipservice I decided that it was worth a gamble. I popped it in the computer and before the music started playing the Lift U Up video launched. I watched the video, amazed, thinking "is a modern band really playing this kind of music?" and secondly "how did they afford such an amazing video?" Then the album started playing and I was totally lost to the music.



I still struggle to describe Gotthard's music. Sure, they're a melodic rock band, but what does that really tell you? It's like they're a band dedicated to making rock & roll music that makes people feel good. This isn't a throwback to 80's AOR or hair metal, though fans of both genres will find a lot to enjoy in Lipservice. They're more like the Swiss equivalent of Bon Jovi in that they've managed to maturely avoid the pitfalls of the scenes they emerged from, concentrating instead on delivering crowd-pleasing melodic rock & roll. They've also garnered similar success, at least in their home country, where they're a multi-platinum act.



Lipservice is probably Gotthard's finest hour. It reminds me of Def Leppard's monster hit Hysteria album which spawned seven hit singles. Just about every track on Lipservice sounds like a potential chart-topper (anywhere but in the US, of course). Anytime, Anywhere is a great example, as is the insanely catchy Lift U Up, but you could literally start from the top (with the upbeat opener All We Are) and find great single after great single.



Lipservice is a remarkable melodic rock album, and remains my favorite Gotthard release (though to be fair the band has never released anything that I'd consider less than impressive). I'd absolutely recommend it to anyone who enjoys melodic rock music, whether that means famous bands like Bon Jovi, Journey and Aerosmith or less famous acts like Fair Warning and Harem Scarem. If you like rock music that puts a smile on your face, you've just found your new favorite band.



NOTE: There are a couple of versions of Lipservice available. The one I found comes in a neat digipack and features 15 tracks plus the aforementioned Lift U Up video. This is the version I'd recommend the most, simply because that video is so impressive (and fun).

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