Gotthard's going to release a tribute album: “Heaven – Best Of Ballads Part II”

"Let me find my piece of heaven, let me find my way back home.“

This is the first line of the most successful GOTTHARD song ever. The ballad went gold and led the Swiss single charts in its year of release, 2001. Today, this song stands for so much more: since the news broke about Steve Lee’s tragic death on October 5, 2010 while on a motorcycle trip near Las Vegas, it’s “Heaven” that rock fans all over the world are listening to while mourning.

The best of ballads compilation “Heaven”, due in November, will pay tribute to Steve Lee’s unique voice and personality. From the start of the band’s history, the ballads were the songs which had that exceptional magic and they represent what makes GOTTHARD stand out in this market.

With the first ballad compilation “One Life One Soul” from 2002, the Ticino based rockers were successful in extending their audience. “Heaven – Best Of Ballads Part II” picks up where its predecessor left off and mainly includes ballads that were released after the year of 2002. “Have A Little Faith” and “Falling” can be found in their previously unreleased acoustic piano versions, whereas “What Am I” is a completely unreleased track.


“We had that track finished for our last album “Need To Believe””, remembers guitarist Leo Leoni. “But it did not fit in with the rest of the album so we decided to keep it for the time being.”

The very intimate piano version of “Have A Little Faith” was recorded by Steve Lee in 2009 with the purpose of releasing it on a possible second “D-frosted” acoustic album.

But this is not the only reason the band chose to release a ballad album. “Nobody’s really in the mood for a driving rock song at the moment.” states bass player Marc Lynn. “This ballad compilation might also help our fans to cope with their sadness and grief.”

„Heaven – Best Of Ballads Part II“ represents the most successful era of a band that has been together in the same line-up since the late 80s and which would only be split by death. It stands for eight years of band history in which GOTTHARD had their big international break-through and were awarded diamond status for more than one million copies sold in their home country. No other band is such a symbol for Swiss music history as GOTTHARD.

“Heaven” also represents a memorial for one of the greatest and also most human personalities of the rock business. “We lost not only one of the best rock voices of the world, we also lost a really exceptional person, friend, brother and musician.” states drummer Hena Habegger. “Despite his tremendous success, Steve Lee always had his feet on the ground and never lost his sensitivity for the environment.” “Heaven” conveys that deep respect which Steve Lee had towards anyone, any time. The compilation will only be issued as a simple but very elegant all black digibook version.