Godsmack is a Hard Rock/Alt-Metal band from Boston, Massachusetts.
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. In early interviews, the band admitted they started off as a tribute band to Alice in Chains.
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."
Other bands cited by Godsmack members as their primary influences typically include Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Pearl Jam and Black Sabbath. 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." Nevertheless, the comparisons to Alice in Chains are well documented. 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 Chain's first album Facelift. The band's name is identical to the title of an Alice In Chains song from the album Dirt. 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.
In 2002, Godsmack received a Grammy nomination in "Best Rock Instrumental Performance" for the song "Vampires" from the album Awake. In 2004, they were opening for Metallica, 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'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 NFL Madden '06.
Members:
Sully Erna (b. February 7, 196

- 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, Wrathchild America
Former members:
Lee Richards - Guitars
Tommy Stewart - Drums
Joe D'arco - Drums
Albums:
July 28, 1998All Wound Up (released independently and remastered as the self-titled, Godsmack)5x Platinum
October 31, 2000Awake#52x Platinum
April 8, 2003Faceless#1Platinum
March 16, 2004The Other Side (EP)#5Gold
April 25, 2006IV#1Gold
Official site: http://www.godsmack.com
I just love this band, they have managed to get a unique sound and their songs are just kickass.
