The hard rock band Godsmack recently released their newest album, The Oracle. After 12 years of rock stardom, nobody expected less than the fierce and powerful music that Godsmack delivered in spring 2010, and their second Multi-Platinum album Awake is just as impressive. Released Halloween 2000, it has continued to remain one of my favorite Godsmack albums for many reasons. It is by far the oddest and darkest of the collection, and I believe that this album deserves to be re-visited.
Slower songs such as “Spiral” and “Trippin’” explore complex thoughts of life and death, while the heavier single “Awake” expresses darker feelings of anger and hatred. All of the lyrics are extremely heartfelt and honest, as the songs are all based on the thoughts and feelings of the band’s front-man, Sully Erna. One line from the song “Mistakes” is easy for anyone to relate to, “I’m so tired of making the same mistakes.” Although there is some emphasis on the themes of sadness and regret, the music has a sort of healing quality to it. The instrumentals are not over-done or flashy, but the drums are consistently the dominant force in all of the songs, ranging from heavy metal to exotic and calming tribal beats that create a unique variety of percussion not often heard from modern rock bands.
I definitely recommend this record if you enjoy darker hard rock or metal. It surely has various unique aspects that set it apart from other albums in the genre, and Godsmack can always be trusted to put on a great show.