When I first caught wind of Gotus, the new Frontiers supergroup led by veteran guitarist Mandy Meyer, I was immediately gung ho. I’ve always been a fan of Meyer’s musical output, from Cobra and Asia to Gotthard and Krokus, a fusion of the latter two bands monikers serving as the namesake of this latest endeavor (“Got”thard + Krok”us” = “Gotus”). Musically speaking though, Gotus takes much more from the Gotthard side of the spectrum than Krokus. In other words, think less AC/DC tinged pub metal and more Purple/Rainbow/Whitesnake-esque heavy rocking.
From this project’s very beginning, these Purple/Rainbow/Whitesnake comparisons were inevitable, if only for the initial enlistment of David Coverdale apprentice Dino Jelusick on vocals. When that didn’t pan out, he was replaced by, you guessed it, Ronnie Romero (Don’t lie; you read that last sentence in your best Norm MacDonald voice.) Having worked alongside the likes of Ritchie Blackmore, Michael Schenker, and Adrian Vandenberg, it only makes sense that in his never-ending quest to work with every classic metal guitarist on the planet, Romero would cross paths with Meyer.
On their self titled debut album, Gotus run the gamut of old school hard and heavy sounds, kicking listeners in the teeth with a blast of Purple tinted nostalgia in the opening “Take Me to the Mountain”. Packed with face melting guitar work, driving Hammond riffs (or at least the appearance of such), and powerhouse vocals, this ’70s metal barn burner sets the stage for an unabashedly retro affair. Cuts like the ’80s Rainbow-esque “Beware of the Fiare”, Whitesnake ’87 marinated “Undercover”, and ultra infectious “Weekend Warriors” keep the party going with swagger and style.
For the sake of variety, a handful of contractually obligated (just kidding…or am I?) AOR cuts are thrown into the mix and work rather well. My favorites of this bunch are the lush, nocturnal “Reason to Live” (I’m a sucker for this sound”) and the overtly poppy “Without Your Love”, the latter sounding straight out of the credits of an ’80s blockbuster. Part of me likes to believe Meyer switched into Ashton mode when writing these melodically inclined songs, and I’m sure the two other people reading this who also own Modern Pilgrims (1988) will appreciate this reference in all its late ’80s glory.
A double header of sweaty Coverdale/Page blues rock in “When the Rain Comes” and “What Comes Around Goes Around” adds further depth to this release, or at least as much as one could possibly add to a release of this nature. Let’s be honest with ourselves here folks. We’ve heard Gotus before, whether it be via Frontiers or some other past Romero fronted venture (the two usually coinciding with each other). That doesn’t make this album any less enjoyable. In fact, it’s a testament to the philosophy, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Considering its been 7 years since the last Krokus album and Unisonic are for all purposes history, I’ll gladly take new Mandy Meyer music in the form of Gotus than no music at all!
7 out of 10
Label: Frontiers Records
Genre: Hard Rock
For fans of: Whitesnake, Rainbow, Gotthard