Customer Reviews

Open

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Gotthard is truely one of the world's best kept secrets. Their brand of 'late 70's era' rock contains superb songwriting that is played to perfection by these five guys from Switzerland. Frequently augmented by smartly textured keyboards and ultra-catchy singalong choruses,their songs harken back to early Foreigner/Journey(w/Perry)and other huge popular rock acts of the late 70's/early 80's-long before the biz got waaaay too commercial (e.g.:Hair Band era).Starting off with a couple rather 'heavy rock' releases, the band switched gears for their 3rd album ( titled simply 'G') and has since releasesd 3 more superb discs,of which 'Open' is the 4th.These guys put the word 'INFECTIOUS' back into rock & roll! After one listen to this disc,you won't be able to keep it from your player! Get this NOW-and while you're at it,check out their other great albums: 'G','Homerun',& 2003's 'Human Zoo'.

Once again Gotthard releases another quality product for the rocker in all of us.It's a shame that no one outside of Europe hears about these guys,but maybe that will change,if only people will give it a chance.Next to Lipservice,this may be their finest hour.Buy it already.

Wow...I heard so many talks that they are great because I live in Japan where they're very popular. Gotthard is a veteran melodic hard rock band from Switzerland.

My first impression is their sound is like Bon Jovi with Firehouse vocal. So if you like the titles I have reviewed so far you will definitely love this. Their excellent songwriting which can appeal to large publlic is part of their appeal rivaling Jim Peterik(ex Survivor),Jack Blades(Night Ranger),Neal Schon(Journey),Richie Sambora(Bon Jovi) and Ule W.Ritgen(Fair Warning).

Recommended tracks are so many but particularly I like Want You In and Blackberry Ways.

Recommended for wide variety of 80's rock fans and melodic hard rock fans.

1998's Open was the fifth album from Gotthard, one of the greatest and most popular bands you've never heard of. They're basically the Swiss Bon Jovi, making amazing melodic rock albums that consistently sell platinum quantities throughout Europe and Japan.

Picking a best or even a favorite Gotthard album is all but impossible considering how amazing nearly all of their albums are. Still, they did hit a sweet spot at the turn of the century with 2001's Homerun and this album - 1998's Open. These are probably the band's most accessible albums overall. It's still a solid rock n' roll album, but there's more of a melodic, poppy aspect to these songs. I hesitate to call it soft rock or AOR. It's more of a sense of mood and energy that's more laid back than some of Gotthard's previous albums, which had more of a party rocking feel.

You listen to an album like Open and think that if they had any kind of exposure here in the US they'd be putting up huge numbers with the people who buy Bon Jovi and Matchbox Twenty albums. Songs like "Got To Be Love," "Want You In" and "Best Time" would have made terrific radio singles, though the whole album is "a-side" quality. In keeping with tradition, there is a cover song on Open; this time it's the Move's "Blackberry Way."

Open is rock n' roll that's so sweet you can practically taste it. If you enjoy laid-back, pop-oriented rock with zero pretensions, you really have to hear Gotthard, and Open may be the ideal starting point. If you're more familiar with the band's more rocking albums like Lipservice or Domino Effect, you'll still want to check this one out. I mean, come on, there's no such thing as a bad Gotthard album!

Perfect music for all ocasions