Godsmack
Godsmack, a name lifted from an Alice In Chains’ song, released “Faceless” (’03), “IV,” (’06) and “The Oracle” (’10) – three consecutive #1 albums on the Billboard 200. The band has had over a dozen songs top the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.
As Strip Mind and Lillian Axe bit the dust in ’95 vocalist Sully Erna and drummer Tommy Stewart launched Godsmack. Bassist Robbie Merrill, a covers band veteran, joined shortly thereafter. Also signing on was guitarist Tony Rambola.
The Boston natives recorded “All Wound Up” and released it locally.
But the Alt/Metal band seemed stuck playing hometown biker bars. Things were moving slowly. So slowly that Stewart left.
Godsmack
Thanks to local radio play (finally kicking in), Universal Records signed Godsmack. That bit of activity induced Stewart to return. Out was replacement drummer Joe D’Arco.
Universal took “All Wound Up” added new tracks and released it as “Godsmack.” Propelled by the singles “Whatever” “Voodoo” and “Keep Away” “Godsmack” sold three million copies and won the group a place on the ’99 Ozzfest Tour. They also landed on the ’00 version.
A second album, “Awake” hit in December ’00, with the title track delivering the first and most lasting blow.
With new drummer Shannon Larkin, third album “Faceless” released in ’03, continued the band’s upward trajectory.
To demonstrate there was valid music at the root of their sound, Godsmack totally changed direction with ’04 release, “The Other Side,” which contained acoustic versions of their songs.
Plugging in once again, they released “IV” two years later. “It’s a more bluesy record, for sure,” said Larkin. “But I think it’s got the toughness of Godsmack.”
After the release of a greatest hits collection, “Good Times, Bad Times… Ten Years of Godsmack. Godsmack went on hiatus.”
IV
“We’re not going away, we are just gonna take a break and . . . recharge our batteries,” said Erna. “We will come back bigger and badder than ever.”
True to Erna’s word, Godsmack returned. “The Oracle,” a Dave Frontman produced album, dropped in ’10. The lead single, “Cryin’ Like A Bitch!,” was inspired by some unpleasantness experienced on the ’08 Crue Fest Tour.
“It was more about just being fed up with prima donnas and certain Rock stars in this industry that still feel they can push people around and are still relevant even though it’s been about 20 years since they’ve had their big moment,” Erna told Rockpit.com.
“The Oracle” moved 117,000 copies in its first week of release to earn Godsmack their third #1 album on the Billboard 200. “Cryin’ Like A Bitch!” also landed at #1 on the Mainstream Rock Songs chart.
By early ’14, Godsmack was working on “1000hp.” Released that summer, the album sold 58,000 copies in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at #3 on the Billboard 200.
Godsmack returned in ’17 in a rather unexpected way. Their five-year-old cover of The Beatles’ “Come Together” went to #1 on Billboard’s Hard Rock Digital Song Sales chart. The song resurfaced when it was posted on SocietyofRock.com.
Back with original material, Godsmack rolled out “When Legends Rise,” their first album in four years.
The group’s seventh studio effort marked the band’s move from Heavy Metal to Hard Rock.
There was a desire to branch out and a dissatisfaction with getting lumped into the Heavy Metal genre.
Erna mentioned “reinvention” and a “new chapter” when talking about the album as opposed to what he termed as “vintage classic Godsmack.”
When Legends Rise
“(I wanted to find) a way to introduce a newer, fresher, more mature sound, while still maintaining the power of Godsmack,” Erna stated.
Producer Erik Ron was brought in to oversee a couple tracks. The band was so pleased with the results Ron was slotted to work on the entire album. Erna served as co-producer, as he had on prior albums.
The first single, “Bulletproof” peaked at #4 on the Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Songs chart on its way to platinum status. The title track topped the chart.
Fans had to wait five years before the ’23 set “Lighting Up The Sky” dropped. It was purported to be Godsmack’s final studio effort.
From the album, “Truth,” a power ballad that came about when Erna suffered a relationship betrayal that took a lot of processing to get through, became the band’s 13th song to reach #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.
To promote the album, Godsmack embarked on a U.S. tour.
Recorded live on October 26th, ’24 at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT, “Godsmack: Live At Mohegan Sun” featured the band’s greatest hits and marked the final curtain for the band’s longtime members: guitarist Tony Rombola (guitar) and drummer Shannon Larkin.
When Legends Rise Live
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