‘Generection’ is already the fourth studio album by Coreleoni, the passion project founded by Gotthard guitarist Leo Leoni. In addition, there’s also the live album ‘Alive.’ Originally, this band was formed to breathe new life into the songs from Gotthard’s early albums, but it has since evolved into a full-fledged project by Leo and his bandmates.
‘Generection’ consists largely of original new Coreleoni songs, supplemented by the Gotthard cover “Visions,” which originally appeared on the album ‘Open.’ The band has also taken on “Lady Marmalade,” originally released by the all-female group Labella in 1974, though the 2001 version—featuring popdiva’s Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya, and P!nk—is likely better known to the general public.
explosive guitar riffs
Let’s start by taking a look at the new original songs. It’s immediately clear that, in terms of tone, these are a lot heavier than the average Gotthard release these days. “Last Goodbye,” “Generation Rock,” and “Howling At The Moon” show that the band certainly isn’t shy about delivering explosive guitar riffs. Singer Eugent Bushpepa has been belting it out for quite some time now, and he certainly does so with merit. This energy carries through all the way to “Believe,” which opens with piano and vocals before transitioning into a mid-tempo song.
After “Believe,” we find the first cover on the album: a reworking of “Vision.” The production of ‘Open’ back then was quite understated, with the guitars far in the background. But I’ve always heard that the guitars were definitely there—they just weren’t as prominent in the album’s mix. Whereas the song was one of the more rousing tracks on the album back then, this reworking is a bit slower and has truly become a mid-tempo, drawn-out track. Personally, I prefer the original, but perhaps the song will grow on me a little more.
parallels
“Rock ‘n’ Roll Rebel” really rocks again, just like “Don’t Tell Me,” which could easily have been on the ‘Lipservice’ album. The parallels in the songwriting are, of course, inevitable, with Leoni as the main songwriter and producer of this album. Guitarist Igor Gianola, bassist Mila Merker, and drummer Alex Motta, together with Eugent and Leo, deliver a thick, rich sound on the record.
The album closes with a cover of “Lady Marmalade.” The guitars are pushed a bit further to the forefront, but to say that the song has essentially taken on a new character—not really.
Coreleoni really shines on this album with their new original songs. Maybe it’ll sound amazing live, but for now, I think the covers are the weaker tracks on ‘Generection’.
That doesn’t take away from the fact that this is another decent album that’s sure to appeal to fans of Gotthard’s harder work. Coreleoni remains a fun project and a great complement to Gotthard. Rock On!
Report by Raymond Helebrand
