Rock does not always need to be reinvented. Sometimes it just needs to be plugged in, cranked up and played with enough conviction to remind people why they fell in love with it in the first place.
That spirit drives Generection, the forthcoming fourth studio album from CoreLeoni, led by Gotthard founding guitarist Leo Leoni. Arriving on September 11 through Reigning Phoenix Music, the album finds the band embracing a heavier and harder hitting direction while retaining the melodies, warmth and classic rock atmosphere at the heart of Leo’s music.
For this Crannk interview, Brett “Parmetal” Parmenter sat down with Leo to discuss the beginnings of CoreLeoni, the remarkable history behind “Howling At The Moon,” the meaning of Generection, discovering vocalist Gent Bushpepa, the chemistry holding the current lineup together and the possibility of finally bringing the band to Australia.
Rocking the Bones Out of It
CoreLeoni began in 2017 as an outlet for Leo to reconnect with a harder and more direct side of his songwriting.
After forming Gotthard with the late Steve Lee in the late ’80s, Leo watched the band gradually move towards a more mainstream sound. CoreLeoni gave him the freedom to revisit songs from that earlier period that were no longer being performed and return to the raw energy that first drove him.
“I just wanted to go and rock the bones out of it,” Leo told Crannk.
What began as a tribute to those earlier songs soon developed into something with its own identity. CoreLeoni began releasing original material built around the same philosophy: plug in the guitars, turn everything up and let classic rock and roll do what it does best.
Several albums later, that original spark remains central to CoreLeoni, but Generection shows that the band is no longer simply looking backwards.
A Song More Than 30 Years in the Making
The connection between CoreLeoni’s past and present is especially powerful on the new single “Howling At The Moon.”
The song began with an idea created by guitarist Jgor Gianola and Steve Lee during Gotthard writing sessions in the 1990s. It remained unfinished for decades before Jgor rediscovered the old demo while CoreLeoni were assembling material for Generection.
The surviving music and early lyrical ideas became the foundation for a new version. Rather than treating the demo as a museum piece, the band used it as inspiration and considered where Steve might have taken the song had it been completed at the time.
CoreLeoni then finished that musical journey more than three decades after it began.
The result is more than another heavy rock single. “Howling At The Moon” brings together different periods of Leo and Jgor’s lives, honours Steve’s creative presence and allows a once abandoned idea to finally find its way into the world.
Driven by thick riffs and a commanding performance from Gent Bushpepa, the song carries its history without becoming trapped by it.
Standing Tall as a Rock Generation
The album’s other early single, “Generation Rock,” approaches the generational theme from another direction.
Its accompanying video follows a young person discovering an instrument, dreaming of starting a band and navigating the familiar conflict between music, school and parental expectations. For Leo, the story is also about supporting the next generation when they begin pursuing something that gives their lives purpose.
That idea feeds directly into the title Generection, which combines generation, action and reaction into a declaration of pride in the musical culture that shaped the band.
CoreLeoni come from what Leo describes as the school of rock music, with Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, The Rolling Stones and the other giants of the era providing both an education and the energy to keep moving forward.
Generection does not pretend those roots are new. Instead, it celebrates their durability.
Leo compared that feeling to the return of spring or pulling on a familiar pair of blue jeans. The fundamentals may be well established, but their return can still make you feel alive.
For younger listeners, the album may open a door into the sounds that shaped previous generations. For longtime rock fans, it offers a reconnection with the riffs, melodies and energy that first pulled them into this world.
Finding the Light Within the Darkness
Although Generection is being presented as CoreLeoni’s heaviest and hardest hitting album so far, its strength does not come from aggression alone.
Leo repeatedly returned to the importance of energy during his conversation with Crannk. Music can carry darkness, intensity and weight, but CoreLeoni want their songs to leave listeners with something positive as well.
“The light side is important to life,” Leo said. “You can’t always be dark.”
That balance runs through Generection. Razor sharp riffs and driving rhythms give the album its muscle, while melody, warmth and atmosphere stop it from becoming cold or one dimensional.
The analogue mix reinforces that character, drawing upon the feel of classic ’70s and ’80s recordings without turning the album into a period imitation. CoreLeoni are celebrating the foundations of hard rock while giving those foundations enough modern force to stand firmly in 2026.
Gent Bushpepa and the CoreLeoni Chemistry
Generection is CoreLeoni’s second album with Albanian vocalist Gent Bushpepa, whose range and power have become defining elements of the band’s current identity.
Leo first discovered Gent through his appearance at the Eurovision Song Contest. He could not understand the Albanian lyrics, but the language barrier did nothing to hide the quality of the voice behind them.
“I don’t understand what he’s saying, but the guy knows how to sing,” Leo recalled thinking.
When CoreLeoni needed a new vocalist, Gent was immediately on Leo’s mind. His vocal ability made him an obvious candidate, but his work ethic, personality and commitment to the band have proven equally important.
Leo describes him not only as a great performer but also as a team player who fits the mentality of CoreLeoni.
That same sense of natural chemistry extends across the lineup.
Leo and Jgor grew up around the Lugano area, exchanging guitar chords, riffs and ideas as teenagers before their paths separated and eventually came together again through CoreLeoni.
When Leo and Jgor searched for a bassist, Leo asked for someone who could fall somewhere between Lemmy and Nikki Sixx, bringing the rumble and attitude the music demanded. Mila Merker needed only a couple of audition songs to prove he was the right person.
Drummer Alex Motta also arrived through an existing musical connection. After working with Jgor and serving as drum technician for former CoreLeoni and Gotthard drummer Hena Habegger, Alex already understood the music and the role before stepping behind the kit permanently.
For Leo, those decisions come down to instinct. Sometimes musicians enter a rehearsal room together and the chemistry is immediately obvious. It does not require endless discussion or hours of auditioning. The music simply works.
From “Lady Marmalade” to Judas Priest
Among the album’s surprises is CoreLeoni’s version of “Lady Marmalade,” included only with the digital edition.
Leo wanted the band to tackle something rhythmic and restore the song’s sense of movement and dance. CoreLeoni’s treatment brings that rhythmic foundation into their own heavier world without losing the energy that made the original endure.
The broader album reaches back towards the sounds of Black Sabbath, Ronnie James Dio and Judas Priest while remaining recognisably CoreLeoni.
That connection became especially memorable when the band recorded a show in Zurich while performing before Judas Priest. Leo recalled members of the metal legends watching CoreLeoni from the side of the stage and reacting with surprise at what they heard.
That Zurich performance is also connected to bonus live material accompanying the new record, capturing the band in the environment where this music is meant to breathe: loud, immediate and in front of an audience.
Could CoreLeoni Finally Reach Australia?
The possibility of an Australian CoreLeoni tour produced one of the warmest moments in the Crannk interview.
Leo described Australia as a land of rock and roll, recognising the influence its bands have had on generations of musicians across the world. CoreLeoni would be honoured to perform here, but making it happen will require the right people to bring the band across and guide them through the country.
For now, the first performances surrounding Generection will begin much closer to home. Leo spoke about an extremely intimate opening show in a small bar or restaurant where the room will be loud, hot and sweaty, followed by further performances in Switzerland, Germany and Central Europe.
With CoreLeoni approaching their tenth anniversary in 2027, Brett raised the possibility of an Australian visit as a fitting way to celebrate. No plans are confirmed, but Leo certainly did not close the door.
Australia’s promoters now know that the invitation is there.
Keeping Rock and Roll Moving Forward
Generection is not an attempt to recreate a vanished golden age. It is CoreLeoni’s argument that the heart of classic rock remains alive when musicians perform it with honesty, energy and purpose.
The album carries fragments of Leo’s history with Gotthard, an unfinished idea connected to Steve Lee, the chemistry of CoreLeoni’s current lineup and a desire to pass rock’s creative fire to younger listeners.
It looks backwards without living entirely in the past and moves forward without abandoning the foundations beneath it.
CoreLeoni are standing proudly as part of the rock generation that shaped them, but Generection is also an invitation for the next generation to pick up an instrument, turn up the amplifier and discover that energy for themselves.
GENERECTION
Artist: CoreLeoni
Release date: September 11, 2026
Label: Reigning Phoenix Music
Tracklist
- Last Goodbye
- Generation Rock
- Howling At The Moon
- Sex On The Beach
- Believe
- Vision
- Rock’n’Roll Rebel
- Don’t Tell Me
- I’m Afraid I’m In Love
- Yearning
- Lady Marmalade (digital album only)
CoreLeoni
Leo Leoni – Guitars
Gent Bushpepa – Vocals
Jgor Gianola – Guitars
Mila Merker – Bass
Alex Motta – Drums
Preorder Generection:
https://coreleoni.rpm.link/generectionPR
Official website:
https://www.coreleoni.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/coreleoni
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/coreleoni
Interview conducted for Crannk by Brett “Parmetal” Parmenter & Feature Written By That Aussie Metal Guy
