October 31, 2000 - Godsmack and Awake

A day after my last release a new band joins my library when Godsmack released their second album "Awake" on October 31, 2000. But who is Godsmack? They are a four-piece alternative metal band from Lawrence, Massachusetts consisting of drummer Tommy Stewart, bassist Robbie Merrill, lead guitarist Tony Rombola and lead singer/rhythm guitarist Sully Erna. I'm not a huge Godsmack fan but I do have the title track off this album "Awake". They kick right into the chorus riff, which is a decent metal riff but nothing too special and Stewart plays some cool drums as they segue into the first verse. The stop and start guitar riff sounds cool and Erna shows us his very post-grunge voice that has elements of Scott Stapp from Creed and also elements of Layne Staley from Alice in Chains (whose song "God Smack" off of "Dirt" inspired their name), but he's definitely not as good as either of them. Things sound solid in the verse and the chorus is okay, but Erna's chorus is very repetitive and unexciting, as is the chorus riff really, making for a forgettable chorus. Thankfully the verse is longer and after the next round they switch to a repetitive but at least heavy new riff and Erna sings a solid new verse overtop. Rombola then takes off for a guitar solo that is easily the best part of the song and it sounds pretty good. They wrap up with several choruses and this was a worthy addition to the library, but if this is their better stuff, I'll stay away from most Godsmack. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

January 23, 1997 - Clumsy

Happy New Year! A month and a half after my last release and almost three years since their debut "Naveed", Our Lady Peace released their second album "Clumsy" on January 23, 1997. Original bassist Chris Eacrett is replaced by Duncan Coutts but they play the same unique style of alternative rock as their rockin' debut. Let's see what the new OLP is all about! The album kicks off with it's lead single "Superman's Dead" and while it definitely has a catchy main riff with some cool guitar, it's Raine Maida who carries this song with his one-of-a-kind vocals. He is just all over the place, hitting tons of nice high notes and just generally sounding great. Words can't properly describe his style but it's a no-brainer for a single and an undeniably solid jam that would become one of their most famous. Up next is another single titled "Automatic Flowers" and Maida leads the way once again with some pretty good vocals that are
Read more

June 15, 1999 - The Album Leaf and An Orchestrated Rise To Fall

A week after my last release a new band joins my library when The Album Leaf released their debut album "An Orchestrated Rise To Fall" on June 15, 1999. But who is The Album Leaf? Well, it's just one guy! The Album Leaf is a post-rock project of Jimmy LaValle, from San Diego, California, and he plays acoustic guitar, several different keyboards and also uses lots of electronics, including electronic drums. Let's check out some mellow post-rock! The album begins with "Wander" and it lays the foundation for a typical Album Leaf song with some trippy synths in the background, a light electronic drum beat and some space-y piano that combine for a light and trippy riff. After a bit the speed of the drums picks up and things shift into a faster new riff led by lots of different synths that sound fairly trippy. This main riff goes on for several minutes and LaValle plays some bass in the background that sounds solid and keeps the pace while you're entranced by
Read more

July 10, 2000 - Coldplay and Parachutes

Six days after my last release a new band joins my library when Coldplay released their debut album "Parachutes" on July 10, 2000. But who are Coldplay? They are a four-piece pop-rock band from London, England consisting of Will Champion (drums, percussion), Guy Berryman (bass), Jonny Buckland (electric guitar) and frontman Chris Martin (lead vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitar). Coldplay have all the components of a rock band, but they play a very light and pop-y style of rock that is very accessible and radio-friendly. Let's see what Coldplay is all about! The album begins with the short song "Don't Panic" and Martin plays a light acoustic guitar riff to drive things and then sings his first verse as we get our first taste of Martin singing. He has a high, pretty pop-y voice, but it's very smooth and solid. Buckland adds some decent light electric guitar as well and this is a pretty good soft intro into what Coldplay are all about. It's quiet and no
Read more