Search - Godsmack :: The Other Side

Kenneth W. (Eyesore) from TAUNTON, MA
Reviewed on 12/4/2007...

Godsmack is a guilty pleasure of mine. They're a modern rock band started by former Meliah Rage/Strip Mind -- thrash bands! -- drummer Sully Erna. They got lumped in with the whole nu-metal scene, but where never really part of it. The band released All Wound Up in 1998 before being picked up by a Universal Records imprint label. All Wound Up featured a hidden track called "Whatever" -- which, funnily enough, after re-releasing All Wound Up as Godsmack, would later become their breakthrough hit.

Sully Erna is a huge Alice In Chains fan, and was rumored -- but not proven -- to once be in an Alice In Chains tribute band; Erna, though he denies it, got the moniker "Godsmack" from an Alice In Chains song of a similar name: "God Smack." So is it any surprise that after a string of highly successful full-lengths Godsmack released a stripped down acoustic album not unlike the Alice In Chains classic acoustic EPs, Sap and Jar Of Flies?

Surprisingly -- or not so, if you're a fan -- The Other Side is just as good as those aforementioned EPs! The album starts with "Running Blind," a very catchy tune with light acoustic and percussion work. "Re-Align" follows and makes clear the one difference between this EP and the Alice In Chains EPs. "Re-Align" is not a new tune, but an acoustic reworking of a song originally featured on their Faceless album. Out of the seven tracks here, only three of them are exclusive to this EP. That doesn't affect the quality of the EP, however. "Touche," and "Voices" are the other two exclusive tracks; both are very good. "Keep Away," one of the band's most famous songs, also gets the acoustic treatment here, as well as "Spiral," but they both are essentially the same as the original versions, only now acoustic. The best of the reworked tracks is "Asleep," an excellent, haunting rendition of "Awake" from the album of the same name.

A lot of hate is directed at Godsmack, but I don't see the point. If you don't like it, move on. Who cares? Personally, I find them to be perfect for those times when I just want to rock out to a good, catchy, solid modern rock album. I've always found the comparisons to Alice In Chains to be vague at best, at least musically. There's no question that Alice In Chains were a big influence, but I've never found Godsmack to sound like Alice In Chains, nor have I ever thought Erna to sound like Layne Staley, like so many claim. To me, I've always found that to be an easy excuse to either vaguely write about the band or write them off. Alice In Chains were always a much more complex band; Godsmack are a simple modern rock band, and they do it very well. The Other Side is just further proof.

Website: http://www.godsmack.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/godsmack

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

William E. (unholyblackdeath) from GRAPEVINE, TX
Reviewed on 7/19/2007...

Accoustic Godsmack. Excellent. Puts a new spin on the band and shows a different side of their talents.

Sarah B. (FolkRockFan) from SEVEN POINTS, TX
Reviewed on 2/20/2007...

This EP is well worth the investment. Godsmack remake seven of their best songs, turning the hard rock hits into acoustic wonders.

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.