![]() It does not take lead vocalist Sully Erna to dismiss his tee and play the rest of the show half nude. The crowd knows they are in for one hell of a show as the blistering riffs of 'Straight Out of Line' begins and the band tear apart four of their most early tracks in quick succession. Luckily from the moment they swagger onstage to the sound of AC/DC's 'For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)'. Taking influence from the likes of Alice in Chains and Led Zepplin, the band had a lot of work to do to match the stature of their claims. Assured that they have always been a traditional rock band, the stage set up is sparse and the lighting minimal as the group allow themselves and even more importantly the music to take centre stage. Godsmack, the alt-metal rock band has been touring and recording for twenty years and although it has been a number of years since they performed in London, they left their impression on the crowd. They were very kind to us and as always were firing on all cylinders once they hit the stage. Guitarist Tony Rombola and bassist Robbie Merrill bring heaviness and hard hitting riffs of their own to the table as well which make for a mix of both raucousness and meditativeness, sometimes in separate instances, and other times simultaneously combining them! For me also, the crowning touch the last concert we attended in 2012 was winning our way in to the show complete with a catered lunch and a chance to meet the group with a photo op and signing all included. A true highlight of many performances of theirs I have seen and heard entails a dueling drumming interlude between skins man Shannon Larking and multi-instrumental front man Sully Erna, the latter of whose main instrument was once drums as well. From Pantera to Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, and almost everyone in between, Godsmack's list of influences runs nearly the full gamut as evidenced both in concert and on the record. One could call it looking back while looking ahead simultaneously namely transitional as there are turbulent and sludge passages with a modern sound fused with a trippy, hypnotic undercurrent. True that the sludgy grunge infused sound is reminiscent of such, but Godsmack took it one step further toward the end of the '90's, updating the sound and putting an industrial/nu metal spin on it all their own. Godsmack: Hard hitting yet hypnotic Many casual listeners/concert goers would chalk this amazing band up to an Alice in Chains clone, but nothing could be further from the truth. ![]() ![]() In 2014 Ema announced that the band was working on new material, and in August they released “1000hp.” The band headlined the Mayhem Festival, an annual heavy metal festival that travels throughout the United States, followed by a tour with Staind. In 2007 the band celebrated their being a band for ten years with the release of “Good Times, Bad Times.Ten Years of Godsmack,” that included a DVD of their live acoustic performance at the House of Blues, Las Vegas.Īfter taking about a yearlong hiatus, the band reunited to record and release “The Oracle” in 2010. The following record “Faceless” went on to sell over a million copies along with a massive sold out tour with Metallica. In 2003, Stewart once again left the band, due to personal reasons, and was replaced by Shannon Larkin. “Awake” reached four-times platinum, and the single “Vampire” garnered a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 2002. In 2000 they returned to the studio to record “Awake” which was later released in October. The album was met with success, reaching certified gold by 2011. In a mere six weeks later, the replaced D’Arco with former drummer Tommy Stewart and released their eponymous album this was then followed by a series of shows and tours around America and Europe. For a few years the band would tour up and down the east coast, until in 1998 they signed with Universal/Republic Records. In 1996 Richards and Stewart left the band and were replaced by Tony Rombola and Joe D’Arco. The name didn’t stick long, as they changed the name to Godsmack after they recorded their first demo. In February 1995, Sully Ema decided to start a band with Lee Richards on guitar, Robbie Merrill on bass and Tommy Stewart on drums, which they initially called The Scam.
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