Godsmack
IV

THE REVIEW

This is the fifth album by the Boston metal band that takes its name from the song of the same name by Alice In Chains. This work picks up the path interrupted after "Faceless" by the album "The Other Side", characterized by a collection of acoustic tracks that include the interpretation of five new songs and two reinterpretations of old tracks. Therefore, the sound returns to being powerful, although less "metallic" and incisive than "Faceless".

The first track "Livin’ In A Sin" turns out to be slow and almost boring but presents excellent instrumental episodes, with hard riffs and determined guitar solos that accompany Sully Erna's usual dark but scratchy voice. Then comes "Speak", the first single from the CD, which reproduces the typical sounds of Erna and company, with appropriately fierce guitars in the choruses and aggressive vocals. It echoes the previous track "The Enemy", which conveys the same aggressiveness, although we are far from episodes like "Straight Out Of Line" (the first single from the 'Faceless' album), which in my opinion remains, among the more recent ones, one of the meanest and most impactful tracks. It is followed by "Shine Down", which opens on almost country notes, to flow into a "Metallica" sound, though with less powerful sonorities compared to the previous tracks. "Hollow" is a splendid ballad, with Erna's beautiful and dark voice intertwining with that of Lisa Guyer, the blues voice of the Lisa Guyer Band. Very melancholic and reflective, adorned by the beauty of the lyrics: "Once upon a time in broken dreams Reflection's that I can't face So hold your breath and make a wish for me Take me to a better place Time always seems to be passing by It never waits for me If I could do it all one more time I wouldn't