---

It's probably the toughest and the most emotional album these Swiss Hard Rock giants have ever released. The loss of so tragically traffic killed singer and big front man Steve Lee was a big shock to the entire rock world and disastrous for Gotthard as a band. The group has risen from the ashes and has created a new album with the singer Nic Maeder, who really shows what great replacement he is. The vocals are a very significant part on the personality in a melodic rock band like Gotthard and their spirit was Steve Lee, and I hope that all old fans like me accepts this wonderful vocalist.

Nic sounds like he's natural for the mission even though he has a different and more of raspy voice than Steve. After the 3 great albums "Lipservice", "Domino Effect" and "Need To Believe", this disc does not hold the same high class. The sound is little rougher and heavier than before. I really do believe that they have a solid vocalist and a future front man in Nic.

"Firebirth" begins with a cheeky song that immediately shows which direction they intend to proceed as a music export from the Swiss soil. 'Starlight' is an uncompromising start with brilliant guitars and extraordinarily swing, which creates a superb base to listen further. Energetic 'Give Me Real "is a delicious treat with charming melodies and which I think is one of the finest pearls in the box. Gotthard's specialty is the languorous ballads and there's not much to be desired for in 'Remember It's me'. Just perfect. The delicious, feel-good song 'Yippie Aye Yay' is a perfect live song for the masses to sing along in the choruses on... I will do that in June , that's a promise! It's a rebirth and in the calm, neat and beautiful 'Tell Me' is a tribute to Steve and the band tries to go back to the roots with 'The Story's over', which is a mid-tempo song. Classic melodies, strong singing with guitar solos and heavy drumming. The raw and dirty tune 'Right On' is also one of the better tracks on "Firebirth" with cool and fuzzy guitars in Bon Jovi style.

Summary of Gotthard's work is higher than average in the genre and my total impression is that there are 8 tracks, which are strong as hell, but there are several fillers on "Firebirth", which pulls my score down a bit. The lousy production is also a big minus in the score.

The true Gottard fans will not be disappointed with this piece and I'm just glad that they continued to record great hard rock songs!

---