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Rating: 10 years of Godsmack, there would be so much to say. One of the bands that has defined 'modern' hard rock celebrated its 10th anniversary with a highly respectable greatest hits collection featuring the most successful tracks of the Boston group, including a Led Zeppelin cover, "Good Times, Bad Times", and various singles from the 5 albums (including "The Other Side EP"). From the tribal style of "Voodoo" to the 'MTV-like' hit "I Stand Alone", the collection starts with the aforementioned cover serving as the title track (frankly, a bit more originality in the title's name could have been better).
There is nothing extraordinarily original about the quartet's early career, except for the fact that Salvatore Paul 'Sully' Erna , a believer in "Wiccan", a neopagan religion that overlays witchcraft on everything, reflects his 'pseudo-faith' in "Voodoo", both in the song and obviously in the corresponding video clip, one of their most successful pieces, obviously among the most radio-friendly and commercialized in their career. (I used the term 'pseudo' because, in my opinion, it reeks of a publicity stunt, in the style of Scientology/Tom Cruise, but I could be wrong).
After the rock of "Greed" and "Awake" (I prefer the former to the latter), here come the tracks from what I consider the band's best CD, as well as one of the most "hard" and Metal, "Faceless". "Straight Out Of Line" and "I Stand Alone" are melodic pieces but full of grit, and the voice of vocalist Erna, of Sicilian origin (another pride for the beautiful country that has exported talents aplenty to the new continent) shines in its hoarse roar, in the midst of a cross between a chain smoker and Metallica leader James Hetfield.
As long as it lasts, it's OK, but when you get lost in the God money, it's better to step aside, and so the band, with the latest "IV", plays the last ideas of an excellent career, there's less power and less passion in the rhythm of the pieces, and much more catchiness, see "Speak" and "Shinedown", but it should not be considered a failure. It seems to be a career with ups and downs, from the easily catchy debut singles, to the more grounded tracks of "Faceless", passing through a melancholic acoustic "Running Blind", the only track from "The Other Side EP" present alongside "Touchè".
Perhaps the title "Good Times, Bad Times" wasn't so unoriginal after all, in the end, the 'Good' surpassed the 'Bad', and this should be enough to convince you to listen to this splendid, excellent collection.
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