godsmack

History

Alice in Chains is believed to be the primary influence upon Godsmack; it is speculated that the band got their name from an Alice in Chains song of the same name (see below) and started off as a tribute band to Alice in Chains. [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." [2] Other bands cited by Godsmack members as their primary influences typically include Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Pearl Jam, Metallica, Judas Priest and Black Sabbath.

In 2002, Godsmack received a Grammy nomination in Best Rock Instrumental Performance for the song "Voodoo" from the album Godsmack. 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 and Napster. Their latest single "Speak" was released on February 14, 2006 and their album titled IV was released April 25, 2006. According to an interview with Sully a new international tour is slated to begin in June and touring in the states will begin in September. IV debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 211,000 copies in its first week.

Godsmack and Rob Zombie kicked off a multi-city U.S. tour on August 25, 2006.

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 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. 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."

Name origin

There are generally two beliefs of how the band came up with its name. Originally, many believed Godsmack obtained their name from the Alice in Chains song God Smack from the album Dirt due to the band's heavy influence on Godsmack. Godsmack's vocalist, Sully Erna, would state otherwise in interviews since at least 1999 that: "It happened at rehearsal when our drummer came in with a big cold sore on his lip. I was making fun of him all day because we had a photo shoot coming up. And then the next day when I came in, I had a big cold sore on my lip. So my guitar player said, "See, God just smacked you for making fun of him."[3]. 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]

Military support

Since 2003, Godsmack has taken a pro-military stance, allowing the US Navy to use the songs "Sick of Life" and "Awake" for recruitment commercials. Additionally, the band uses military imagery in their concerts, as they did at a Tweeter Center concert where video footage of an Apache helicopter was used to start a set. Because of this, the band has received criticism for its support for the Navy, particularly due to their continued support after the controversial 2003 invasion of Iraq (which Sully Erna supported).^[1] In an interview with Arthur Magazine, Erna sympathised with the soldiers, though admitted that he knows very little about the military. He also stated his belief that the use of his music in Navy advertising does not influence people to join the Navy.^[2]

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. 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 NFL 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 "Playstation 2" "Quad Power Racing 2"

WWE Summerslam used "The Enemy" as one of the theme songs for the 2006 event.

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) - Vocals, guitar, and percussion.
• 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.) - Guitars and backing vocals
• Shannon Larkin (b. April 24, 1967) - Drums/Percussion - ex-Amen, Ugly Kid Joe, Souls At Zero, Wrathchild America

Former members

• Lee Richards - Guitars
• Tommy Stewart - Drums (1997-2002)
• Joe D'arco - Drums

Discography

Albums

Singles

¹ currently active in charts

References

1. ^ "Fat Joe, 3 Doors Down, Godsmack Speak Out About War In Iraq". MTV News. January 22, 2003.
2. ^ Babcock, Jay. "Talking to Godsmack About Selling War". Arthur Magazine. May 11, 2006.

Interviews

• Shannon Larkin of Godsmack on IV

External links

• Official website
• GODSMACK site UK
• GODSMACK huge Fan site
• UnRated Magazine Chicago Show Review September 2006