NASHVILLE |FROM: KRISTINE ASHTON/MAGGIE WANG/MITCH SCHNEIDER
GODSMACK
Critical Soundbites About ‘AWAKE‘
“Awake is louder, angrier…”
–David Caplan, FHM, December 2000 ****
“Unrelenting, seductive and craftier than its predecessor…”
–Jon Wiederhorn, Pulse, December 2000 ****
“Having sold 3 million copies of its debut album, Godsmack has become the biggest Boston band since Aerosmith…The new album is another bone-crunching winner, filled with speaker-blasting hard-rock, incendiary boogie riffs, and (Sully) Erna’s anger-cleansing lyrics which pick up from the first album but also show a sense of closure from some of the sour relationships he has endured both professionally and personally.”
–Steve Morse, Boston Globe, October 27, 2000
“…packs a wallop with aggressive rhythms and scorched-earth guitars…get points for eschewing trendy crutches like loops, rap and drum machines, and for transcending a worn formula into the muscular ‘Greed’, psychedelic ‘Goin’ Down’ and beat-crazy closers ‘The Journey’ and ‘Spiral,’ a Middle Eastern detour that briefly abandons sonic jackhammers and chain saws.”
–Edna Gundersen, USA Today, November 21, 2000
“…remorseless, surgical steel riffs and tribal bash drums…Underscoring most of Erna’s lyrics is a palpable self-loathing: He has met the enemy, and it is within…For them, rock is more about being hard than being hip…Their music is an unforgiving bellow of blunt assertiveness ordering you to just ‘deal with us’–or go away…Erna’s lyrics (are about)…fear, betrayal, and emotional treachery.”
–Pat Blashill, Spin, December 2000
“…it’s the grooves that further define Godsmack’s signature. Erna continues to primarily write on the drum, not the guitar, and Awake is filled with gaping holes that allow the drum beat or vocals to ride through.”
–Andy Langer, Revolver, Winter 2000
“…to stay on top, today’s metal bands have to be able to deliver tunes that are both intense and infectious. Boston-based Godsmack did it on its self-titled debut last year with mesmerizing cuts such as ‘Whatever’ and ‘Voodoo,’ and this follow-up has some equally raw, rhythm-fueled grinds. Moody numbers such as the title track and ‘Bad Magick’…the riveting rebel yell of singer Sully Erna…”
–Lina Lecaro, Los Angeles Times, October 29, 2000
“They’ve gone about the business of tightening up their sound and, in the process, displayed substantial signs of growth…On Awake Godsmack are at once heavier and more melodic…In tracks such as ‘Sick of Life’ and ‘Greed,’ he (Sully) glides effortlessly from singing to bellowing to growling. And while he may share vocal timbre with certain other singers, his delivery has become unmistakable…The world’s not such a bad place to dwell when you’ve just laughed in the face of the Sophomore Slump.”
–Mike Magnuson, Sex N Rock N Roll .com, October 31, 2000
“Heavier, angrier, and darker than 1998’s triple-platinum Godsmack, Awake proves the Boston-based band is worthy of its place near the top of the modern-rock hierarchy… Godsmack’s music is convincingly passionate and moody…Erna and company succeed in keeping the focus on the music when other bands rely on grotesque masks, big-budget stage shows and scandalous behavior.”
–David Glessner, Express-News (San Antonio, TX), October 30, 2000
“…thanks to the kind of growth that comes from long stretches of touring, makes it sound even better and punchier than before. If Godsmack was a full 12-round punch, then Awake is an instant knockout, from the sinewy roil of ‘Sick of Life’ to the brawny stomp of ‘Greed’ and the dynamic jackhammer of the title track and ‘Bad Magick.’ ‘Goin’ Down’s’ twirl is driven by guitarist Tony Rombola’s trippy, psychedelic effects, while ‘The Journey/Spiral’ is spiced with Middle Eastern textures, percussive polyrhythms…there’s no question Godsmack is a vital proposition in the here and now.”
–Gary Graff, Wall of Sound, October 31, 2000
“Awake sees Godsmack heavier still and eager to take another walk on the dark side.”
–Linda Laban, CDNOW, October 31, 2000
“…moody rockers Godsmack encouraging everyone to ‘get crazy’ as they spewed their melodic yet intense alternative anthems.”
–Lina Lecaro, Los Angeles Times, September 4, 2000 (live review)
“…Godsmack has returned with Awake, which one-ups its forerunner in terms of swagger and density, easing up on the murkiness and crunching a little harder.”
–Michael Moses, Playboy.com, October 31, 2000
“…riff-loving band that not only writes memorable songs, but fills them to the brim with passion and melody. Erna’s voice, an impossibly dark and expressive growl, gives listeners something to latch onto, while Rombola’s intense Les Paul licks serve as the fuel that powers the engine…Awake reasserts the thunderous foundation of Godsmack and ascends…to a rarefied place of majestic riffs, muscular passion, and hellish melodies. With that accomplishment in the pocket, Erna, Rombola and company can look forward to solidifying their stature in today’s hard rock movement.”
–Bob Gulla, GuitarOne, December 2000
“On their new Awake, the band take the bitter sludge of their multiplatinum 1998 debut, Godsmack (both Republic/Universal), and strip it down even farther. The result is a heavy load of sure-to-be chart magic…The closing ‘Spiral’ opens with a trance-inducing percussion groove reminiscent of Godsmack’s ‘Voodoo’ before exploding into the album’s most gut-wrenching chorus, an Eastern-sounding meditation on reincarnation that goes ‘Ride today/Live again/Here forever/The spiral never ends.'”
–Sean Richardson, Boston Phoenix, November 2, 2000
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