CoreLeoni is a Swiss hard rock band from Lugano, led by guitarist Leo Leoni. Formed in 2017 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Gotthard's self-titled debut album, CoreLeoni aimed to revive classic songs like "Downtown," "Firedance," "Higher," "Here Comes the Heat," and "In the Name," which were rarely performed live. The band name is a wordplay on the Sicilian town Corleone and combines Core (Italian for heart) with Leoni's surname, featuring a lion head in its logo. Signed to Frontiers Music, their debut album The Greatest Hits Part 1 featured Ronnie Romero of Rainbow and reached number 3 on the Swiss charts. In 2018, CoreLeoni performed at festivals including Bang Your Head and Rock the Ring. Their second album, II, released in September 2019 via AFM Records, included new songs and a cover of John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom," with a music video for "Queen of Hearts." The band has toured extensively since 2018, with Eugent Bushpepa replacing Romero in 2020 and recording their third album III in 2022.
