"Godsmack's 'Oracle.'" – Music Review

Tweet The hard rockers are back with their latest album called “The Oracle.” Prior to the release of “Oracle” the boys in Godsmack went on a little hiatus. Lead singer Sully Erna wrote the autobiographical book “The Paths We Choose.” It’s not your typical rocker memoir. It’s a great read that starts with his teenage years and into the early days of Godsmack. It’s not about the parties and the women; it’s about Sully’s journey to Godsmack. The other guys in the band formed a side project called Another Animal with former Ugly Kid Joe front man Whit Crane (Drummer Shannon Larkin used to be in Ugly Kid Joe). They had moderate success landing an opening slot on an Alter Bridge tour.

Last summer the Boston band got back together for “Crue Fest 2” (Motley Crue’s festival tour) releasing the song “Whiskey Hangover.” While on tour Erna had some nasty remarks for Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx. Although he never actually said Sixx by name, he later went on to say he gets along well with Vince, Mick and Tommy. The first single “Cyrin’ Like a Bitch” is rumored to be about Sixx.

What Godsmack is known best for is their pissed off anthems. Whenever somebody pisses you off the best cure for it is Godsmack. Their lyrics have a way of making you feel better: “I’m doing the best I ever did…now go away.” “I fucking hate you, you’re such a liar.” “Do as I told you, stay away from me, never misunderstand me keep away from me.” “Get off of my back bitch.” I could go on and on. In fact I’m pretty sure the word “away” is in every song off of their debut album.

Godsmack claims that “The Oracle” is a return to their roots. It’s not an album where the band was experimenting; it’s an album for the fans. Their last album “IV” definitely had a different feel to it, almost a bluesy feel to it, while remaining true to Godsmack’s sound. Their EP “The Other Side” was all acoustic material including some acoustic covers to their own songs. “The Oracle” is definitely a return to that patented crunchy Godsmack sound. “The Oracle” is on pace to debut at number 1 on the Billboard top 200. This will be Godsmack’s third straight album to debut at number one (“Faceless” & “IV”).

The album kicks off with the first single “Cryin’ Like a Bitch.” It’s definitely a hit single. I can already hear the arenas chanting along with the chorus. I guarantee you this will remain a staple in the Godsmack set list from here on out. I can see why there is speculation why it’s about Nikki Sixx. The song is about a has been strutting around and telling everybody what to do and how things should be. Of course it’s just a rumor so I should probably stop fueling it.

The rest of the album is full of epic titles like “Saints & Sinners,” “War & Peace,” “Love – Hate – Sex – Pain,” and the instrumental title track “The Oracle.” Godsmack is kind of becoming the modern day AC/DC. I don’t want to say all of their songs sound the same, but there is definitely a consistent feel with every Godsmack song going back to their first album (“IV” and “The Other Side” were a little different, but still had a similar feel).

Some of my favorite songs on the album are the groove heavy “War & Peace” and “Devil’s Swing.” Both songs have a great bounce to them. Drummer Shannon Larkin is one of the best rock drummers around and he definitely shines on this album. In “War & Peace and “Devil’s Swing” in particular, he has a great beat going. Pantera introduced groove to heavy metal, but Godsmack definitely found a way to make it more easily accessible. What I mean by that is Godsmack is a band that the jocks on the football team will like as much as the metal fans if not more so. “Devil’s Swing” is probably the closest thing to experimenting that “The Oracle” showcases. Rather than moshing around and pushing someone, “Devil’s Swing” is going make you bounce up and down, almost dance…as close to dance as a hard rock band could bring you.

I love the guitar riff in “Love – Hate – Sex – Pain,” the verse is a little bit sleepy for my taste, but when that main riff comes back for the chorus it brings you right back. It has a very eerie feel to it. The song sounds like it belongs in a creepy dream sequence/montage in some movie thriller.

The biggest song on the album is “What If?” I would love to hear this song live, because it sounds very much like a song perfected in the studio, but if they were able to pull it off live it would just be amazing. Sully has always been a growler, but his voice reaches screaming levels that I’ve never heard him attempt before. If I had to compare the song to another song I’d compare it to “Voodoo,” because it has a very tribal drum beat to it, but it’s much heavier and not quite as catchy.

“Good Day to Die” is another song that I think would be great to see live. It’s opening riff moves around a lot, with the verse being very crunchy and the chorus takes us back to the main riff. After “Good Day to Die” they jump right into “Forever Shamed.” “Forever Shamed” starts out almost as a punk song, but quickly becomes a Godsmack song. “Forever Shamed” is definitely another pissed off anthem that Godsmack is so well known for.

If you don’t like Godsmack, their latest effort is not going to transform you into a Godsmack fan, but they don’t need you. You don’t have three number one albums in a row without a solid fan base. If you like Godsmack you’ll like “The Oracle.” Outside of “Cryin’ Like a Bitch” there probably aren’t too many hit singles, but who cares about the radio hits, the album is hard, heavy, crunchy and when you’re pissed off it’ll help quench your thirst for anger.

BYLINE:

Bob Zerull is the Managing Editor of Zoiks! Online. He writes pop culture commentary, does interviews with bands, and reviews music and stand-up concerts. He also administers Zoiks! Online's Facebook page. Follow Bob on twitter at bzerull. Email Bob at bob@zoiksonline.com.

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