Gott - To Hell to Zion

There are releases that make you realise after just a few seconds that you've found a new companion for life. I had that feeling in spring 2022 when I heard the first notes of Gott's debut EP To Hell to Zion. I had tears of joy in my eyes.

Anyone who knows me might guess that I will write about The Devil's Blood a few times in this special. However, it would be completely wrong to reduce Gott to Farida Lemouchi's vocals. The three self-written compositions “The Colour Empty“, “Venus in Mirage“ and “Peyote's Dance“ are, in terms of songwriting, among the best tracks I've come across in the current decade. Whether you label them as heavy rock, hard rock or dark rock is irrelevant. Every tune radiates a magic that hardly any listener can escape, especially since all the musicians do a superb job and the EP simply sounds excellent.

The closing cover of a Fleetwood Mac classic is, in a way, an extremely tasty dessert: the fact that Pelle and Gottfrid Åhmån of In Solitude could be won over to record “The Chain“ can be described as a stroke of luck. After all, I now appreciate the Gott/Åhmån version even more than the awesome original.

Despite my words above, I would like to dedicate the last lines to Farida. There is no other female vocalist in the world who moves me so much with her singing. Every line she delivers gives me goosebumps – with The Devil's Blood, Molassess and Gott alike. Farida has the rare talent of turning a magnificent song into an immortal one with her performance. Fortunately, she has succeeded in doing this several times on To Hell to Zion.

I'm thrilled that this fantastic band has already announced live performances and new material in 2025. More than ever, our world needs this Gott.

Note: As part of this special, I am posting my 100 favorite records. Full-length albums, compilations and EPs are all included. Live albums will be considered in another special. The first 75 records will be posted in no particular order. The top 25 will be ranked.