Godsmack - The Oracle Review

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pause has certainly refreshed the members of Godsmack, who've been on a recording hiatus since 2006's sonically adventurous "IV." But the New England headbangers have returned with a sinewy, muscular set that harks back to their 1998 debut. Despite its back-cover pronouncement that "the old me is dead and gone," "The Oracle" boasts a pleasantly vintage sound that opens with the punchy rhythm and grooving riffs of the song "Cryin' Like a Bitch" and works through the taut arrangements of tracks like "War and Peace," "Good Day to Die" and the gallopping "Forever Shamed." And with a title like "Love*Sex*Hate*Pain," it's evident that frontman Sully Erna remains all about the angst. Those seeking a change-up can check out "Devil's Swing," three-and-a-half minutes of metallic funk with a harmonica break, while the album-closing title track is an epic instrumental with a cinematic soundscape. While "The Oracle" is certainly familiar, it still sounds fresh enough and well worth the wait for fans who prefer their Godsmack served up straight.-Gary Graff...full text More than a decade after Godsmack helped rehab hard rock’s image in the wake of alt-rock’s radio takeover, the song pretty much remains the same for this likable if not particularly imaginative Bay State band. “The Oracle,’’ Godsmack’s fifth studio album, opens with “Cryin’ Like a [expletive],’’ a song that could have easily been on any other Godsmack record. The chug-chug guitar grooves, crash-bash drum work, and singing style of Godsmack mastermind Sully Erna are the key ingredients to every one of the band’s hits going back to the breakout “Keep Away.’’ Though built mainly with recycled material, “The Oracle’’ has fresh moments, such as the scrappy delivery of “What If?’’ and the up-tempo snap of “War and Peace.’’ On the few occasions that he is freed from formulaic constraints, guitarist Tony Rombola effectively knocks some texture into these otherwise slick and efficient songs. Godsmack also sticks to its stock songwriting topics — spiritual angst, mental torment, and social discomfort. “The Oracle’’ certainly reiterates all that has made Godsmack a successful band, and it proves that these locally bred players are capable of big-sounding, attention-grabbing music. But you can’t help but think that “The Oracle’’ is more calculated than heartfelt. (Out tomorrow) -- SCOTT McLENNAN...full text Four long years after IV, Godsmack’s last effort, fans perhaps had some reason for trepidation about the release of The Oracle. After all, since their 1998 debut, they had moved further afield of the songwriting and recording formula that made it eventually a triple platinum success. Godsmack had taken their post-grunge brand of heavy metal and brandished it into a sound that fluctuated between straight-up riff-heavy plodding and more dramatic sonic ambiences that thundered on Awake and Faceless (the former of these won a Grammy), then mutated on 2004’s The Other Side, which showcased them playing acoustically. Finally, on IV, they employed sound effects to such a degree that they used a vocoder. Each album had diminishing returns of fortune and and enthusiasm from listeners. The Oracle is, if nothing else, a return to the band’s signature sound of yore. It was produced by Dave Fortman, who has helmed sessions for Evanescence, Simple Plan, Slipknot, Mudvayne, and Otep. The album’s pre-release single, the aggressively roiling “Cryin' Like a Bitch” -- aided by its video -- pushed it to the top of the metal chart. (The controversy surrounding it, rumored to be about Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx and events of the Crüe Fest 2 tour, didn’t hurt either.) “What If?” and “Love-Hate-Sex-Pain” followed it, creating greater anticipation for the final product. Listening through the album, it seems as if Godsmack heard the cry of their dedicated hoard and went back to making the kind of record that defined them. Check tracks like “Forever Shamed,” with monstrous beats -- real and sampled -- by Shannon Larkin against Tony Rombola's churning, syncopated riffs and that timekeeping bass charge by Robbie Merrill. Frontman Sully Erna's vocals are right up front, half singing, half shouting, and channeling the late Layne Staley more than he ever has before -- and that’s saying something. Interestingly, singles aside, the album picks up steam as it reaches its nadir. “Shadow of a Soul,” with its military cadences and distorted guitars and basslines, propels one of the hardest-rocking tracks here. The title cut closes the album out, and at 6:23 clocks in as its longest. It begins slowly and melodically, but begins to pick up real steam at around the one-minute mark. Basically, it's an instrumental suite with sampled vocals from a number of sources asking “What is reality?” as it moves through various stages and phases before whispering to a finish. Those fans seeking a return to Godsmack’s roots will not be disappointed; for others, the sound may be a retrenchment because there was no place else for them to go. The only undebatable thing is that The Oracle is the most aggressive disc Godsmack have issued since their debut....full text