Rock is dead? I heard that in the 80’s, the 90’s and generally, at least once in a while somebody took that imaginary shovel and start digging that imaginary hole for this genre. And – surprise! – the genre it’s alive, kicking and evolving since the late 40’s.
You say “Godsmack”, you think of Alice In Chains and you start singing “Voodoo”. That self-titled 1998 album which contain that song entered the Billboard 200 at number twenty-two, and was certified 4x platinum by the RIAA in 2001 after being initially certified gold in 1999.
The next album, “Awake” debuted at number five on the Billboard 200, and has been certified 2x platinum by the RIAA. “Vampires”, a song on the album, also earned the band a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 2002. Two of the songs – “Sick of Life” and “Awake” – on the album were used in United States Navy commercials as background music.
They wrote a song, “I Stand Alone” for the soundtrack “The Scorpion King” and it became the number 1 single at Rock Radio and the most played Active Rock song in 2002 for 14 weeks straight. It was also used in the game “Prince of Persia: Warrior Within”.
In 2003 “Faceless”, their third studio album, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 269,000 copies in its first week, and the album would go on to sell over one million copies only in the United States. The lead single “Straight Out of Line” received a Grammy Award nomination for “Best Hard Rock Performance”. Next year Godsmack opened for Metallica’s “Madly in Anger with the World tour”.
On April 25, 2006, Godsmack released its fourth studio album simply titled “IV”. The album was produced by Erna and engineered by the well known producer and engineer Andy Johns, known for engineering Led Zeppelin’s Led Zeppelin “IV”.
Another Zeppelin parallel, to celebrate ten years as a band, Godsmack released a greatest hits album entitled “Good Times, Bad Times… Ten Years of Godsmack” on December 4, 2007.
“The Oracle” in 2010 debuted at No. 1 with 117,000 sold in the first week of release and meanwhile reached the gold-selling status.
“1000hp” (1000 Horsepower) is the upcoming sixth studio album by Godsmack. “1000hp” was mixed and produced by Dave Fortman, who has worked with Godsmack on their previous studio album as well.
And this is a straight up, right in your face, rock album based on heavy riffs, killer grooves and catchy vocals: “Turn that shit up louder! Make it all go faster! Play it through the witching hour! Take it to one thousand horsepower!” The title track is a bad-ass motor-rock anthem and I wish that the whole album would made out of the same type of dirty rock. “Locked & Loaded” it’s another that type of intense, groove based, modern rock anthem. The Alice In Chains like vocals and the powerful, driven riffs are simple, but great! “Living In The Gray” it’s even more Alice In Chains flavored, but they take things slower and darker. The main riff it’s simply wicked! “Turning To Stone” it’s the little brother of “Voodoo”, nice Oriental flavored percussion and acoustic guitars with a powerful chorus are the main tricks of this one and we’ve got a nice, mysterious, enjoyable song. But it’s not outstanding.
“Something Different” feels more like a fast-ballad with some (unnecessary) Metallica flavors. Quite forgettable. “Nothing Comes Easy” it’s made of the same type of ingredients, but the result it’s a little bit more convincing. Maybe the collage radios will love it, but still feels a little bit cheesy for my ears.
It’s a good, solid album, fans will love it because it’s Godsmack, but probably it will not bring them too many new fans.
Tracklist:
01. 1000hp
02. FML
03. Something Different
04. What’s Next?
05. Generation Day
06. Locked & Loaded
07. Living In The Gray
08. I Don’t Belong
09. Nothing Comes Easy
10. Turning To Stone
If you know and love them, buy it, if not borrow it and give it a shot, maybe they play your song.
Godsmack – Official Site
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