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By GREG MAKI
Some bands can get away with repeating themselves over and over again. Some have even made long, successful careers out of it. AC/DC has been recording the same album for more than three decades. Over the course of their first three records, Godsmack followed a similar path. They had a formula, it worked, and aside from “Voodoo” from their self-titled debut and “Serenity” from 2003’s Faceless, they didn’t stray from it. Subtle changes and familiarity helped the band outgrow its status as a Metallica/Alice in Chains hybrid and establish a sound that, while not terribly original, was distinctly Godsmack.
Then came The Other Side. The acoustic EP released in 2004 broke down the walls the band had built around themselves, ushering in creative freedom that has carried over to their latest full-length effort, appropriately titled IV. Sure, frontman Sully Erna spends about half of the album growling his way through the kind of groove-heavy rockers the band has perfected throughout its career, the highlights being “Speak,” the first single, and “No Rest for the Wicked,” which has an “I Stand Alone”-type feel. But the album’s opener, “Livin in Sin,” is a slower, more atmospheric number. And what’s that I hear on track four, “Shine Down”? Harmonica? Yes, and the unlikely, blues-based song is IV’s brightest moment. Acoustic guitars ring in the next tune, “Hollow,” which would have been perfectly at home on The Other Side. It’s also a showcase piece for Erna, whose vocals have improved with each Godsmack release to date. On “Hollow” and “One Rainy Day,” which also bears a blues influence, he gives his best performances yet. “One Rainy Day” also features one of guitarist Tony Rombola’s best solos. “Voodoo Too,” meanwhile, sees the band return to the tribal rhythms of one of their biggest hits.
Though many metal fans—especially those who lean more toward the extreme side of the genre—will disagree, I thought Godsmack was pretty good at what they did over their first three albums. But change is always good and apparently I’m not the only one to think that; IV debuted at number one on the Billboard Top 200, more than doubling the first week sales of Faceless. The album is not a radical departure for Godsmack. There are a sufficient number of songs that sound familiar enough for fans who want “their” Godsmack. But the introduction of new sounds, which entrench the band firmly between the worlds of hard rock and metal, should widen their appeal and, more importantly, add to the life of the band.
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