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The Oracle (Godsmack album)

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Untitled

The Oracle, formerly known as Saints & Sinners, is the upcoming fifth studio album by American metal band Godsmack, due for release in the U.S. on May 4, 2010.[2] The Oracle is the first Godsmack album to be produced by Dave Fortman.[3] The Oracle also marks the first Godsmack studio album to be released since 2006's IV. The span of over four years between the fourth album and The Oracle marks the longest gap between studio albums in Godsmack's career.

Making the record

Early stages

In 2009, after taking a break for two years, Sully Erna announced that writing is underway for the band fifth studio record, with the record likely to come out in May 4, 2010.

On March 16, 2009, while Godsmack were in the middle of writing the new record, Motley Crue announced the lineup for their second annual summer festival tour, Crüe Fest 2, which included Godsmack. As a result of that, Sully Erna stated in an interview with ArtisanNewsService that the band had to postpone the writing process until the tour was finish on September 5, 2009, "We were in the middle of writing the record and we had kinda settle that process for minute and postpone it. So the idea now is to finish, you know, this tour and get right into the studio, finish the record, drop it by early 2010 and fire up a huge world tour."

During Crue Fest 2, Godsmack released their first single in almost two years since the release of "Good Times, Bad Times back in 2007. "Whiskey Hangover" reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks[4], and became a live staple in Godsmack's shows during the summer festival.

On November 11, 2009, Shannon Larkin announced that the band is working with producer Dave Fortman with the band hoping to get the album out in February, 2010. On February 8, 2010, Godsmack officially named its new album The Oracle, after initially calling it "Saints & Sinners".[5] On February 26, 2010, it was announced on the band official website that The Oracle will be released on May 4, with the final track listing being revealed the same day.

Writing

"Our goal is just to write the music that moves us, the best we can, and then assuming that there is gonna be other people out there would agree with us and enjoy it. And for the people that we do a track, that come to see us and enjoy it with us, then that's a bleesing, and we are very grateful to have those people and have a career. But there is no need for us to be self-conscious about it, or all worried about how the songs are gonna do, or the record is gonna do because we know we delivered a great record in our eyes and enjoy it. All we can hope for is it touches the people the way it touches us."[6]

Sully Erna on writing "The Oracle" - Webisode 7

The writing process, according to Shannon Larkin, was collaborative, stating that all four members of the band wrote the songs and Sully came up with the lyrics:

"It's collaborative. We're all in the room and we write the songs. Sully steps in with the vocals. So we write all the music first typically, and then he takes the tape of music and starts doing the lyric thing, writing lyrics and melodies, and then he'll come over excited and sing it to us, and we'll be "yeah" or "nay." But he's pretty great for that because he doesn't get excited much, so when he gets something that he thinks is good, it's usually really good."

Then he adds, "Like I said, when I said collaborative, on the new record we did this all four of us in a room. Like all four, we'll play a riff, I'll come in with the drums, and next thing you know were jamming, and then it sounds like a verse, or a chorus or breakdown part. And then we'll stop. "Alright, man, we got a great verse, let's try to get a chorus for it." So, you know, that's how the process goes. So it is a full band collaboration, much more than ever."[7]

When interviewed by Bloody Good Horror, Sully Erna described the writing process as equal collaboration between all four members of the band, stating "It was truly an equal collaboration between all four of us. We all sat down and discussed what we wanted and expected from each of us on this album, and God Damn it, we delivered every speck of it."[8]

Recording and production

Man in a studio producing a record.
The Oracle is the first Godsmack album to be produced by Dave Fortman.

The Oracle was recorded and produced by Dave Fortman, who has worked with bands such as Superjoint Ritual, Mudvayne, Otep, Slipknot on their new fourth studio album titled All Hope Is Gone, and Simple Plan, as well as on both of Evanescence's multi-platinum selling albums, The Open Door and Fallen.

According to Sully Erna, he was looking for a producer who is known for producing great albums. When Sully talked about some producers he is interested in working with, Shannon suggested Dave Fortman, "Got the mighty Dave Fortman producing who had made it before in a band called Ugly Kid Joe. I played with him for five years, toured the world with him. Love the guy, he's one of the funniest dudes ever. After Sully met Dave it was pretty much over because Dave is such a real pleasant guy to be around and real funny, makes you feel comfortable in all ways," Shannon said.[6]

On working with Dave Fortman, Sully Erna announced that the band will be recording their next album with Dave Fortman again, stating that, "Let me tell you this... I will DEFINITELY record another record with him again. If not every one. 
That dude is not only the funniest guy I’ve ever met, but he really knows how to produce and make suggestions that are relevant and important to the decision of the song."[8]

Band members recording in studio
Robbie Merrill, Tony Rambola, and Sully Erna in studio recording "What If".

With Dave Fortman producing The Oracle, The band took a different technical approach to recording their songs. While working on The Oracle in the studio, the band opted for laying down one track at a time, as opposed to recording composite parts and then assembling them in a piecewise manner.

As Shannon Larkin told AwayTeam,

"One of the cool things about this album is that we're recording it one track at a time. What I mean by that is, instead of me just laying down the drum tracks and then the band coming back in and laying down all the guitar, vocals, bass and stuff…we actually do one tune and then complete it before we move on to recording the next one. It's so cool because we get to hear what everything is going to sound like almost immediately and I'm not just laying down my drum tracks and then sitting around for the rest of the time waiting for it all to be done before I get to hear anything finished. It makes it way more exciting to record like this."[9]

A drummer tracking one of the songs.
Shannon Larkin in studio during the recording process of The Oracle.

Sully Erna stated that he's proud of the band's track record so far,

"You know, it is nice to know that we're creating stuff that's just kind of living on and that does really well in the active rock stations and the hard rock world and that kind of stuff. So we're in that middle ground. We're not quite as poppy as like Aerosmith, but yet we're not as dark and metal as, you know, the Slipknots or the Metallicas or whatever. So we're kind of like that in-between band."[10]

He also explained the benefits of recording that way, "In the past, we've always done one instrument at a time and it takes twice as long, and half the members of the band are gone once their parts are done. This way we all got to enjoy the entire process together and every two days we could hear a rough mix of what that specific track sounded like."[8]

In a video posted on Rockpit.com, Sully Erna encouraged the fans to buy the album, stating that:

"I think every single song on this record is really badass, and I think just for that people should go get all the songs. It has nothing to do with money, it has nothing to do with selling the whole CD or whatever, if they wanna download it, download it. But it's really about them just experiencing everying it's on this record, because it's really a great record."[6]

Album name

The working title for the album was Saints & Sinners, named after one of the tracks on the album, but in a video posted on Rockpit.com Sully Erna explained that he started to feel as the title Saints & Sinners was not very original.

|"I decided to change the name from Saints & Sinners to The Oracle and the reason being because I started doing a lot of research on Saints & Sinners, and although I liked what it represented, it's been done before. I think Whitesnake had a record in 1982 or some like that, before which I wasn't that worried about because that's almost 30 years ago, but there has been some other artists, even Spanish albums that I found called Saints & Sinners in Spanish. With all that put together, I started rethinking the name, and then with the name Godsmack, and then the title being called Saints & Sinners, it was all feeling a little bit religious to me, and that really wasn't what this record represented..."[6]

In the same video, Sully Erna explained that The Oracle came from a name of a new instrumental he wrote for the disc, saying, "Once I wrote the instrumental...we titled [the album that] because it’s really the epitome of all rock songs. Like, if you listen to this track it almost has every transition that’s ever been created in rock music in one song."[6]

Album cover

On March 24, the album cover was made available to preview on Noicecreep.com.[11] For the artwork, the band went with a dark red and black eclipse-like image, with light beams shining down over the band logo.

Sound

Shannon Larkin described the sound of the upcoming album as a return to the band original sound, stating that "Whiskey Hangover is a good clue, and that's what we're going for. It's more simplistic than the last record — less bluesy, more heavy, but you know we wanted to get back to the original sound of the band and what made this band happen in the first place….simple heavy rock, so that's where we're kind of shooting for on this one."[7]

When interviewed by Away-Team.com, Larkin described the sound as a sort of return to the band's self-titled album, stating that: "It's going to be a monster. The drums sound incredible, Sully Erna's voice is on fire… it's gonna be much more like the first record; much heavier, with simple, catchy guitar-driven riffs. We're working with Dave Fortman who I was lucky enough to play with in Ugly Kid Joe and who has done production for Slipknot and Mudvayne, to name a few. He and Sully are co-producing the record and they make a great team."[9]

In an early March 2009 interview with Rockerrazzi.com, Sully Erna stated that "the album is gonna be really heavy. I mean, it's very aggressive. I'm not really sure; it's very premature right now. Right now we just finished one track for the Crüe Fest this Summer. But as far as the whole record goes, I think it's going to be a lot more in your face. I don't think there's going to be any 'Voodoo's or 'Serenity's on this one. We decided to go balls out!".[12]

"What If"
Sample of "What If", a song Godsmack released from "The Oracle", it was made available to download through iTunes
Problems playing this file? See media help.

When asked about the difference between The Oracle and other albums Godsmack has released in the past ten years, Sully Erna stated that, "Our previous records always had various influences that we tried to have surface in the music. But this record is much more true to the heart. It is filled with everything that we have built our success on. Raw, tough, powerful grooves and big vocal melodies."[13]

Shannon Larkin explained how the band is able to walk the line between staying true to their roots and being able to satisfy themselves creatively, stating, "Usually the riffs decide how new songs come about, with one of us showing the others a riff, and then the rest of us just jamming along until a song starts to form. If the song sounds too far from our roots (or our sound or style) then we can tell after jamming it a few times, and we either drop it or re-work it to sound more true to our roots. Satisfying ourselves creatively is pretty easy, as we aren't trying to re-invent the wheel musically - we are a blue-collar hard rock band. That said, we do side projects in which we can experiment with different textures and styles and scratch any itches to experiment in different genres."[14]

Promotion

On January 15, 2010, the band joined forces with Rockpit.com to promote the album by creating a series of fifteen webisodes for Godsmack fans describing the process, rituals and methodology of making The Oracle. Each webisode is filled with exclusive content, behind the scenes footage, interviews and sneak peeks at their newest songs.[15][6] Seven episodes have been released so far. According to Daniel Catullo, the producer of the project, the new webisodes start with the photo shoot and go through release week into the tour.[6]

When Daniel Catullo was asked about the idea behind documenting them making The Oracle, he stated that, "We felt that over the course of 10 years of me filming the band we have done it all; the stadium show, the small initmate acoustic performance, the arena show and the mini-movie. The only thing we haven't done was document the recording of a record. Quite frankly it was the only thing left to do with them that wouldn't be repeating history!"[6]

The first official single off the album is "Cryin' Like A Bitch". It received radio airplay on February 23, 2010.[1]

Since the release of "Cryin' Like A Bitch", Godsmack has officially released three more songs. "Love-Hate-Sex-Pain", "What If", and "Saints and Sinners" were released on April 6, April 13, and April 26 respectively. All the songs were made available to download through iTunes. "Saints and Sinners", "Devils Swing", "The Oracle", and other previously released songs, including "Cryin' Like A Bitch", and "Love-Hate-Sex-Pain" were made available to listen on 98Rock.com.

On April 29, Sully Erna was interviewed by WAAF (FM) for their exclusive radio talk show, entitled "Godsmack Radio Takeover". During the sixty minutes interview, "Love-Hate-Sex-Pain", "What If", "Good Day To Die", "Shadow of a Soul", and "Forever Shamed", were all premiered on the radio for the first time. [16]

Release

Godsmack have announced a release date for their upcoming album scheduled to drop May 4, 2010.[2] Internationally, The Oracle will be released in Sweden on May 3, Austria, Germany, Netherlands and Switzerland on May 7, Finland on May 12 and the UK on May 24.[17]

The album became available for pre-order through Amazon and the band official website on March 25. Two editions of the album are currently available for pre-order, the standard edition, which consists of a CD that contains 10 tracks. And the deluxe edition, which consists of a CD and a DVD, with the DVD including two bonus tracks including the hit "Whiskey Hangover", "Making of The Record" series , studio footage, and other materials to be announced later.

Release history

Country Date
Sweden Sweden May 3, 2010
United States United States May 4, 2010
Austria Austria May 7, 2010
Germany Germany
Netherlands Netherlands
Switzerland Switzerland
Finland Finland May 12, 2010
United Kingdom United Kingdom May 24, 2010

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [18]
The Boston Globe(favorable)[19]

The Oracle has been praised by fans as well as critics as a comeback for Godsmack after their fourth studio album. Allmusic was one of the first websites to comment on The Oracle, with their reviewer Jason Ankeny describing the album' as "the most aggressive disc Godsmack have issued since their debut", awarding it three stars out of five, and praising it for being a return to the band original sound, stating, "The Oracle is, if nothing else, a return to the band’s signature sound of yore. It seems as if Godsmack heard the cry of their dedicated hoard and went back to making the kind of record that defined them.", then he added, "Those fans seeking a return to Godsmack’s roots will not be disappointed; for others, the sound may be a retrenchment because there was no place else for them to go. The only undebatable thing is that The Oracle is the most aggressive disc Godsmack have issued since their debut."[18]

Scott McLennan from The Boston Globe commented that the album has "fresh moments, such as the scrappy delivery of What If and the up-tempo snap of War and Peace", then he added, "On the few occasions that he is freed from formulaic constraints, guitarist Tony Rombola effectively knocks some texture into these otherwise slick and efficient songs. Godsmack also sticks to its stock songwriting topics — spiritual angst, mental torment, and social discomfort. The Oracle certainly reiterates all that has made Godsmack a successful band, and it proves that these locally bred players are capable of big-sounding, attention-grabbing music."[19]

Singles

Cryin' Like a Bitch

"Cryin' Like a Bitch"
Sample of "Cryin' Like A Bitch", the first single to be released from "The Oracle", it was made available to download through iTunes
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Cryin' Like a Bitch" climbed the Billboard Alternative Songs, the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and the Billboard Rock Songs, reaching number twenty-nine,[20][21], one,[22] and seven respectively,[20] making it the band's 18th Top 10 hit at active rock radio.[23] According to Billboard.com, "Cryin' Like a Bitch" began with 4.3 million first-week audience impressions on 92 stations.[24]

Recently, the single debuted on the Billboard Heatseekers Songs, Billboard Digital Songs, and Billboard Hot 100 at number one,[20] fifty-nine,[20] and seventy-four respectively.[20] According to Billboard.com, "Cryin' Like a Bitch" is just the band second listing on the Heatseekers Songs, and third on the Hot 100.[25]

According to Universal Republic Records, "Cryin' Like a Bitch", which debuted a mere six weeks ago, has become the most added new Active Rock single of the year, and has already blazed to the top of the chart reaching number one. "Cryin' Like a Bitch" is the 6th number one hit, and 15th Top Five hit for the group, more than artists such as Linkin Park, Foo Fighters, and others. It also marks Godsmack's record-breaking 18th Top 10 single of their career.[20]

With "Cryin' Like A Bitch" appearing on the Billboard Alternative Songs, Godsmack now stands as the act with the most appearances on the chart without reaching the apex. The single is Godsmack's 18th charted title at the format. The band has peaked as high as No. 6 with "Voodoo" in 2000.[26]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Sully Erna; all music is composed by Godsmack

Standard Single Disc Edition
No.TitleLength
1."Cryin' Like a Bitch"3:23
2."Saints and Sinners"4:09
3."War and Peace"3:09
4."Love-Hate-Sex-Pain"5:15
5."What If"6:35
6."Devil's Swing"3:30
7."Good Day to Die"3:55
8."Forever Shamed"3:23
9."Shadow of a Soul"4:44
10."The Oracle" (Instrumental)6:22
Deluxe / Limited Editions
No.TitleLength
11."Whiskey Hangover"3:47
12."I Blame You"3:08
13."The Departed" 

Personnel

Chart positions

Singles

Billboard (North America)[27][28][21]

Year Single Peak positions
U.S. Hot 100 Mainstream Rock Top Heatseekers Alternative Songs Rock Songs
2009 "Whiskey Hangover" 102 1 16 20 7
2010 "Cryin' Like A Bitch" 74 1 1 29 7

References

  1. ^ a b "Godsmack Select New Single "Cyring Like A Bitch"". The Rawk Pit. Retrieved 2010-02-06. {{cite web}}: Text "The Rawk Pit" ignored (help)
  2. ^ a b "Future Releases on Alternative Radio Stations, Independent Artist Song Releases". AllAccess.com. 2010-02-10. {{cite web}}: Text "..." ignored (help)
  3. ^ "Godsmack Working With Producer Dave Fortman on Next Album". Blabbermouth.Net. 2009-11-11.
  4. ^ "Universal Republic Rockers Godsmack Lock Down Another #1 Single with'Whiskey Hangover'". Reuters.com. 2009-9-14. Retrieved 2009-9-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Text "Reuters" ignored (help)
  5. ^ "Godsmack Officially Names New Album 'The Oracle'". Blabbermouth.Net. 2010-02-08.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h "Rock Pit presents Godsmack - Making of the Next Godsmack Album". RockPit.com. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
  7. ^ a b "Godsmack Recording Aggressive New Album Set For 2010 Release". Ultimate-Guitar.Com. Retrieved 2009-09-05.
  8. ^ a b c "Godsmack Frontman Says He Gets Along Well With Three Members Of MÖTLEY CRÜE". Blabbermouth.Net. 2010-02-08.
  9. ^ a b "Away Team music news". Away-Team.Com. Retrieved 2009-11-10.
  10. ^ "Alternative Rock Music News - 105.7 The Point :: Everything Alternative". 105.7 The Point :: Everything Alternative. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
  11. ^ "Godsmack, 'The Oracle' -- Cover Art and Track List - Noisecreep". NoiceCreep.com. 2010-03-24. Retrieved 2010-03-29.
  12. ^ "Godsmack Working On 'Really Heavy' New Album". Blabbermouth.Net. 2009-05-27. {{cite web}}: Text "Blabbermouth.Net" ignored (help)
  13. ^ "Altsounds.com Features". altsounds.com. 2010-04-07. {{cite web}}: Text "The Lowdown: Sully Erna from Godsmack" ignored (help)
  14. ^ "Shannon Larkin of Godsmack". Static Multimedia. Retrieved 2010-04-16. {{cite web}}: Text "Features" ignored (help); Text "Interview" ignored (help); Text "Music" ignored (help); Text "Static Multimedia" ignored (help)
  15. ^ "Godsmack Unveil Exclusive Webisodes – The Making of 'Saints and Sinners'". iconvsicon.com. Retrieved 2010-01-20. {{cite web}}: Text "Icon vs. Icon" ignored (help)
  16. ^ "Listen « Godsmack Radio Takeover". WAAF FM. 2010-04-29.
  17. ^ "The Official Community of Godsmack - iTunes Countdown - Saints and Sinners". Godsmack.com. Retrieved 2010-04-27.
  18. ^ a b "allmusic ((( The Oracle > Overview )))". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
  19. ^ a b "Godsmack, 'The Oracle' - The Boston Globe". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
  20. ^ a b c d e f "Godsmack to Release Fifth Studio Album 'The Oracle' on May 4th". Marketwire.com. 2010-03-29. Retrieved 2010-03-29.
  21. ^ a b "Music News: Godsmack Reveal Final Track Listing for "The Oracle" « Winxperts.net". Winxperts.net. 2010-02-26. Retrieved 2010-02-26.
  22. ^ "RadioWave Monitor". RadioWaveMonitor.com. 2010-04-09. Retrieved 2010-02-17.
  23. ^ "Alternative Rock Music News - 105.7 The Point :: Everything Alternative". 105.7 The Point :: Everything Alternative. Retrieved 2010-02-13.
  24. ^ "Chart Beat Wednesday: Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Godsmack - Chart Beat". Billboard.com. 2010-02-17. Retrieved 2010-02-17.
  25. ^ "Cruz Docks at No. 1, Rihanna Rises on Hot 100". Billboard.com. 2010-03-11. Retrieved 2010-03-11. {{cite web}}: Text "Billboard.com" ignored (help)
  26. ^ "Chart Beat Thursday: Loretta Lynn, Madonna, Peter Wolf - Chart Beat". Billboard.com. 2010-04-15. Retrieved 2010-04-15.
  27. ^ "Chart Highlights: Jazz, Christian Songs & More - Chart Beat". Billboard.com. 2010-02-15. Retrieved 2010-02-15.
  28. ^ "AMERICA'S MUSIC CHARTS -- 02.16.10 -- powered by MEDIABASE". AMERICA'S MUSIC CHARTS. Retrieved 2010-02-16.
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