Product Description

Boston's Godsmack practices the sort of post-industrial metal made popular by White Zombie and perpetuated by Tool and Alice In Chains. But by mixing the raw riffing of their peers with the machine-gun rhythms of Nine Inch Nails, they distinguish themselves from the pack. On their self-titled majorlabel debut, they demonstrate the commitment to furthering the evolution of metal that won them a loyal fan base in NewEngland.
Singer Sully screams his way through a dozen tunes chock full of chunky guitars and moshing rhythms. In keeping with the tone of modern metal, he sings about his own demons and failings rather than vaguely defined ills of society. While no threat to Dave Mustaine or Cliff Burton, guitarist Tony and bassist Robbie have a commanding presence that emphasises attitude and power over technique. And drummer Tommy has picked up where Lars Ulrich left off with quirky fills that add a depth to the sometimes two-dimensional rhythms.

Track Listing

1. Moon Baby
2. Whatever
3. Keep Away
4. Time Bomb
5. Bad Religion
6. Immune
7. Someone In London
8. Get Up, Get Out!
9. Now Or Never
10. Stress
11. Situation
12. Voodoo

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19711 in Music
• Released on: 1999-08-02
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• Running time: 55 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
In a post-Seattle Sound rock world, there's still a hunger for music that's dark, dirge-like, and heavy. And the void left by Soundgarden and company is being filled by a spate of bands, including Boston's Godsmack, who even nicked their name from an Alice in Chains song. Like Creed and Days of the New, Godsmack are raging and disenfranchised, as singer Sully Erna's lyrics illustrate: "I am in a living hell / Makes me wonder if I'm alive" or "You're pathetic in your own way / I don't like you anyway." Though the territory being mined isn't new, Godsmack's grungy grooves, potent energy, and strong hooks are irresistible. With a dash of Tool and a smattering of Filter seeping through, Godsmack are on the money, especially on "Whatever", the tantalizing "Get Up, Get Out!", and the strident and syncopated "Bad Religion," on which Erna puts one in mind of James Hetfield. While Godsmack's approach may not be fresh, the foursome's strong songs and powerful energy are still intensely tasty--especially for those with a taste for songs on the sober--but never staid--side. --Katherine Turman

Customer Reviews

this all seems very familiar....
the world of music was being over run with nu metal at the time of this albums release, so it makes perfect sense that a return to something different but safe was optioned by the record company. as here we have a very talented bunch of men, who sound like alice in chains covering metallica songs.
which personally i am very happy with as they are two of my favourite bands and these boys have twisted the sounds of these two bands ever so slightly by blending them together, the pained layne stayleyesque howl of sully erna lends itself so perfectly to the bastardised metallica rifs that the band are playing behind him.
despite(or because of) the abundant lack of originality this album is very easy to listen to and very enjoyable to listen to. there are very few debut albums where you get to track 6 or 7 without thinking about the skip button, but that happens here.
with the album opening so strongly with songs like whatever,moon baby and keep away its no small wonder that eventually a filler song might rear its head, but this is a very consistant and very solid start from a band that would take the thrones away from both of the other bands mentioned in this review with far superior follow up releases.
this is definately worth checking out but i would say get "faceless" first then either of this or "awake", whichever is cheapest at the time.

Don't keep away from this album...
This is a great debut album from Godsmack, and well worth your money if you are a fan of metal. Sully Erna's deep, threatening vocals add to the brilliant guitar in the background. One downfall of the album is the repitiveness of the lyrics, with the main theme being " away". This is but a minor glitch on an otherwise brilliant album. Particular note must be made of Voodoo, which is an excellent end to this fine album. The tribal drums and chanting vocals are somewhat at a slower pace to the rest of the CD, but are strangely mesmorising, hinting at Sully Erna's Wiccan practises...

Metallica sounding but still bloomin' good
Godsmacks first album is a storming success. They were great backing up Black Sabbath at the NEC. Forget all the crap about being a Metallica & Alice in Chains rip off, its still a wickedly weird album in particular 'Keep Away', 'Whatever', and 'Immune'and its worth buying. If only they could have a few more like this ,then it would one of the greats.