When singer Steve Lee was killed in a tragic traffic accident in October 2010, the days of his band
Gotthard seemed numbered. After an extended hiatus, however, the Swiss hard rock group announced the addition of new singer Nic Maeder to their lineup. In June 2012, the group released its tenth studio album,
Firebirth, with Swiss-Australian Maeder proving himself to be an excellent replacement for Lee on both the ballads ("Tell Me," "Remember It's Me") and the rockers ("Give Me Real," "Starlight," "Fight"). The album's final track, "Where Are You," is dedicated to Lee.
Firebirth continues the string of number one albums for the group in their home country (where each of their albums reached the top spot in the charts except for their 1992 debut album, which "only" made it to number five), while entering the German charts at number nine -- indicating that
Gotthard fans are willing to accept Maeder as the group's new frontman. ~ Christian Genzel