Godsmack: Difference between revisions
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| Origin = [[Image:Flag_of_Massachusetts.svg|25px|Flag of Massachusetts]] [[Salem,_Massachusetts|Salem]], [[Massachusetts]], [[United States]] |
| Origin = [[Image:Flag_of_Massachusetts.svg|25px|Flag of Massachusetts]] [[Salem,_Massachusetts|Salem]], [[Massachusetts]], [[United States]] |
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| Genre = [[Alternative metal]] <br>[[Heavy metal]]<br>[[Rock_and_roll|Hard |
| Genre = [[Nu metal]]<br />[[Alternative metal]] <br>[[Heavy metal]]<br>[[Rock_and_roll|Hard |
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Rock]]<br>[[Post-Grunge]] |
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| Years_active = [[1996]] – present| Label = [[Universal Records]] |
| Years_active = [[1996]] – present| Label = [[Universal Records]] |
Revision as of 16:09, 8 April 2007
Godsmack |
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Godsmack is a band formed in 1996 from Massachusetts.
History
In February of 1995, after being behind the drums for more than 23 years, Sully Erna decided to start a new band as a lead singer.
Sully Erna, Robbie Merrill and Tony Rombola soon joined together and hit the studio, recording their first CD titled ALL WOUND UP. For the next two years, the band played throughout the Boston area with drummer Joe Darco and began earning a strong reputation and following. Eventually their CD landed in the hands of a DJ for WAAF, a Boston radio station. WAAF put "Keep Away" into heavy rotation and it quickly soared to the #1 spot at the station. Newbury Comics, a New England record store chain, agreed to sell the CD on consignment and the grind continued. Shortly after the success of "Keep Away" Godsmack went back into the studio and recorded a single titled "Whatever", which became the new local favorite on WAAF.
In the summer of 1998, Republic/Universal Records signed the band to a contract. Joe Darco was replaced by Tommy Stewart, and ALL WOUND UP was re-mastered. The finished self-titled debut CD GODSMACK hit the shelves 6 weeks later, leading to the bands first headlining tour, "The Voodoo Tour".
Influences
Alice in Chains is believed to be the primary influence upon Godsmack and it is speculated that the band got their name from an Alice in Chains song of the same name. Tony was previously in the New Hampshire based cover band 'Crushed Tomatoes' which kept up on the latest music from bands of the early 90's such as Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam, as well as classics from Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and Ozzy Osbourne.[1] In an interview with MTV upon the death of Alice in Chains lead singer Layne Staley, Godsmack frontman Sully Erna stated that Staley "was single-handedly the guy that got me to start singing."[1] Other bands cited by Godsmack members as their primary influences typically include Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Metallica, Judas Priest and Black Sabbath.
In 2002, Godsmack received a Grammy nomination in Best Rock Instrumental Performance for the song "Vampires" from the album Awake. In 2004, they were opening for Metallica's Madly in Anger with the World Tour, while headlining with Dropbox in the summer. Then they did acoustic shows for their newly released album The Other Side in the fall of 2004, while still opening for Metallica. In September 2004, Godsmack issued a live DVD titled "Changes," (it went gold, according to RIAA) which the band recorded earlier that year. That same month, the group also released "Batalla de los Tambores," a live cut available only via online services such as Apple's iTunes Music Store, Real, Napster, and the Zune Marketplace. Their first release from the album "IV" was "Speak" was released on February 14, 2006 and their album titled IV was released April 25, 2006. The band will continue performing on their IV tour in May and June, 2007. IV debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 211,000 copies in its first week.[2]
Name origin
In 1996 Godsmack played small bars in their hometowns of Lawrence, MA and Salem, NH as a 1990s grunge coverband originally. Godsmack obtained their name from the Alice in Chains song God Smack from the album Dirt. Sully Erna, the lead singer for Godsmack, has stated this in an interview. "That's where we picked the name from. I was making fun of somebody who had a cold sore on his lip and the next day I had one myself and somebody said, 'It's a godsmack.' The name stuck. We were aware of the Alice in Chains song but didn't really think much about it. It's a cool song and the name had meaning for us".[3] This was also confirmed by Robbie Merril, the bassist for Godsmack, in the home video DVD "Smack This". When asked, he stated "we stole it, from Alice in Chains". However, many believe that this was part of Godsmack's attempt to distinguish themselves from the band that they have been compared to most frequently.[4]
Comparisons to Alice in Chains
There are many examples of comparisons to Alice in Chains. Sully Erna's style of singing mirrors that of Layne Staley's while the overall sound of the band's first two albums sound incredibly similar to the sound of the Alice in Chains album, Dirt. The logo of Godsmack is similar to the sun logo of Alice in Chains. Godsmack also released an album titled "Faceless" which is similar in name to Alice in Chains' first album Facelift. The band's name is identical to the title of an Alice in Chains song from the album Dirt, being God Smack. In their video, "Keep Away," a boy dressed and wearing a haircut very similar to Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley is seen as the main "character" of the video, though his face is never seen. The band even transcended from their heavy sound to a more mellow acoustic sound on their album The Other Side in the same manner Alice in Chains did in Sap and Jar of Flies. More recently, Godsmack have attempted to distance themselves from the Alice in Chains comparison with Erna stating in an interview with Matt Ashare, "I've just never really heard that in our music."
Appearances in popular culture
Godsmack's songs "I Stand Alone" and "Straight Out of Line", were used as the theme songs for the 2004 Ubisoft game, [[Prince of Persia: Warrior Within]]: In Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, "I Stand Alone" plays without the lyrics when the Prince is being chased by the "Dahaka". It also appears when you are fighting, but not every single battle. Instead, in the boss fights, more traditional music plays. "Straight Out of Line" appears in the credits. Their song "Moon Baby" from their self-titled album appears in Championship Motocross for the PlayStation. "Bring it On" appears in Madden 06.
The song "I Stand Alone" appeared in the movie The Scorpion King. The song "Straight Out of Line" appeared in the movie A Man Apart. The song "Why?" appeared in the movie Any Given Sunday. The song "Bad Religion" was background music in Quad Power Racing 2.
WWE Summerslam used "The Enemy" as one of the theme songs for the 2006 event. It will also feature on the soundtrack of PS2 game, WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2007. "Touché" was featured as one of the Themes for Wrestlemania XX.
MTV's Fear used "Voodoo" as the theme song.
Tribute
On May 25, 2006, Judas Priest (along with KISS, Queen and [[Def Leppard]]) was inducted into the "VH1 Rock Honors." Televised on May 31, their presentation was preceded by Godsmack performing a medley of the Priest classics Electric Eye, Victim of Changes and Hell Bent for Leather.
Current members
- Sully Erna (b. February 7, 1968, in Lawrence, Massachusetts, U.S.A.) - Vocals,
Lyrics, Guitar, and Percussion - ex-Strip Mind.
- Robbie Merrill (b. June 13, 1963, in Norwood, Massachusetts, U.S.A.) - Bass and
backing vocals
- Tony Rombola (b. November 24, 1964, in Lawrence, Massachusetts, U.S.A.) - Guitar and
backing vocals
- Shannon Larkin (b. April 24, 1967, in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A) - Drums/Percussion -
ex-Amen, Wrathchild America, Souls At Zero
Former members
- Lee Richards - Guitars
- Tommy Stewart - Drums (1997-2002)
- Joe D'arco - Drums
Discography
Albums
Album Cover | Date of Release | Title | Label | US Billboard Peak | US sales |
July 28, 1997 | All Wound Up (released independently and remastered as the self-titled, | EK | |||
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August 25, 1998 | Godsmack | Universal | #22 | 4x Platinum |
October 31, 2000 | Awake | Universal | #5 | 2x Platinum | |
April 8, 2003 | Faceless | Universal | #1 | Platinum | |
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March 16, 2004 | The Other Side (EP) | Universal | #5 | Gold |
April 25, 2006 | IV | Universal | #1 | Platinum |
Singles
Year | Song | US Hot 100 | US Modern Rock | US Main- stream Rock | UK singles | Album |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1998 | "Whatever" | - | 19 | 7 | - | Godsmack |
1999 | "Keep Away" | - | 31 | 5 | - | Godsmack |
1999 | "Voodoo" | - | 6 | 5 | - | Godsmack |
2000 | "Bad Religion" | - | 32 | 8 | - | Godsmack |
2000 | "Awake" | - | 12 | 1(1) | - | Awake |
2001 | "Bad Magick" | - | 28 | 12 | - | Awake |
2001 | "Greed" | - | 28 | 3 | - | Awake |
2002 | "I Stand Alone" | - | 20 | 1(4) | - | Faceless |
2003 | "Straight Out of Line" | 73 | 9 | 1(2) | - | Faceless |
2003 | "Serenity" | - | 10 | 7 | - | Faceless |
2004 | "Re-Align" | - | 28 | 3 | - | Faceless |
2004 | "Running Blind" | - | 14 | 3 | - | The Other Side |
2004 | "Touché" | - | 33 | 7 | - | The Other Side |
2006 | "Speak" | 85 | 10 | 1(5) | - | IV |
2006 | "Shine Down1" | - | 31 | 4 | - | IV |
2006 | "The Enemy1" | - | - | 4 | - | IV |
References
- ^ He Got Me To Start Singing MTV.com;retrieved on October 27 2006
- ^ Godsmack, Taking Back Sunday Flatten Rascal Flatts On Billboard Chart at VH1.com;retrieved on October 27 2006
- ^ http://www.nyrock.com/interviews/1999/godsmack_int.asp
- ^ article on Godsmack at Subvulture.com;retrieved on October 27 2006
Reviews
- CD Review of "IV" by Chris Andrade on June 1,
2006 for kMNR...Music News Weekly
Interviews
- Godsmack's Shannon Larkin on Music, the Military, and Vanilla Ice
- [http://entertainment-news-network-archive.blogspot.com/2006/06/interview-shannon-larkin-of-godsmack.html
Shannon Larkin of Godsmack on IV]