No Longer Just Faces in the Crowd
Godsmack Take The Next Step

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>> It's hard to imagine in today's media-soaked world that any band that has sold millions of record could, for the most part, be veritable unknowns on the street.  But, for the guys in Godsmack, that's the reality.  Two great records, multiple Grammy nominations and the big hit from the "The Scorpion King" soundtrack, and still, outside of their native Boston, the guys could probably walk the streets and not worry about a crush of fans.

Hopefully, that's about to change.  With the impending release of their fourth record, the aptly-titled Faceless, Godsmack - lead singer Sully Erna, guitarist Tony Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill and new drummer Shannon Larkin - are looking to build on the past and at the same time forge new territory.  Faceless maintains the Godsmack heaviness, but shows the true growth of the group's musical abilities and Erna's songwriting.

The fantastic first single, "Straight Out Of Line," has already found it's way to rock radio and fans that have been impatiently waiting for some new Godsmack material have been rewarded.  If they’re faceless after this record, it’s only because they want to be.

As the final touches were being made and the guys were getting ready to hit the road, a snowstorm hit the east coast and Tony Rombola had some time to call in and give us the inside story.

VOX: I'm guessing you're snowed in somewhere…
Tony Rombola: Yeah.  [Laughs]  But it's not too bad…only a foot or so here.   I'm actually in New Hampshire, thirty minutes or so north of Boston, and we got lucky.  We expected more, but the storm really passed pretty much to the south of us.   A foot is still plenty, though.

VOX: I've heard that Faceless is very different musically from the two previous records.
TR: It's different…it still has the heavy guitars and stuff, and people will still find things they're familiar with, some of the same sound that we've had in the past, but it is different.  I think we're getting better at writing songs, Sully has only gotten better as well.  His vocal work on this record is the best he's ever done.   I have to admit I'm really, really proud of the guitar work on this record.

VOX: Do you feel like you've become a better guitar player?
TR: Yes, I do.  This is the first time we've seriously used acoustic guitars.   In fact, one track is all acoustic guitar, and another song, "Changes," has a very dynamic part in the middle that I'm really happy about.  Believe me, there's still plenty of heavy guitars, too, but overall I'm just really happy with the entire record.

VOX: Why 'Faceless?'
TR: It was Sully's idea…it stands for what Godsmack is - we're a radio band, by that I mean we've had lots of radio support and a lot of our songs have made it to radio, but we're not an MTV band - no one knows what we look like.  We’re relatively unknown that way.  I can go to the mall or go to dinner and not worry about being recognized.
VOX: In some ways that has to be kind of nice.
TR: Believe me, I would be more than happy to ride this all the way to the top, sell tons of records and still be able to go out like a regular guy.

VOX: How did the addition of Shannon Larkin to the band change things?
TR: Well…this is the first record that Sully didn't have to play drums on, so it lightened Sully's load that way and allowed him to take more time to write and work on vocal parts and concentrate on those things.  In the past he's had to dedicate a good portion of time to writing and recording drum tracks and having Shannon freed him up to do other stuff.
VOX: Do you think that may be the reason that his vocals and songwriting are so much improved this time around?
TR: Possibly…you know, I hadn't really thought about it, but I think that would be a big reason.  Also, we've been at this for a while now and we've come a long way and spent a lot of time together as Godsmack…
VOX: How has Shannon fit into the mix?
TR: Oh, he's been great.  We spent like five months all living together in a house in Miami, and he fit right in, perfectly.
VOX: No band fights?
TR: Nothing, not one.
VOX: Why the change in drummers to begin with?
TR: It was a mutual thing - Tommy had some other things he wanted to do and we were ready to try some other things as well.  Sully has known Shannon for many years, and I had heard about him for a long time.  Even before Tommy had joined the band, Sully had talked about Shannon, but he had joined Amen right before so we couldn't get him.   Now things worked out perfectly.

VOX: This is Godsmack's third record - how has the band having changed since the first record, in a personal sense?
TR: Well, I'm a little more ready to do things like this, interviews, as well as photo shoots and videos and press stuff.  Man, I grew up as just the guitar player, working on chops and learning how to be a better guitarist, and nothing can prepare you for this side of stuff other than going through it.  Like, I remember the first time we did Conan O'Brian and I was scared shit.  It's not what you expect - you go out there and there's no big crowd, just this sort of cold atmosphere, not the party scene you're used to at shows.  Now I know what to expect and how to go about it.  You learn the process of things like that.
VOX: There are plenty of bands that never get to make a third record.  Are you guys able to appreciate your positions in life?
TR: Oh, yeah.  Definitely.  Man I'm so lucky to be able to just play guitar and not have to build houses any more.  I know what it's like to work.  I had to work my ass of every day and then play guitar when I could.  To be able to just do this is awesome.  I was so happy I got rid of my tools and quit.

VOX: The first single is "Straight Out Of Line."   What’s the background of the song?
TR: Sully writes all the lyrics, so I can tell you what I've heard him say to people and in interviews…it's about when people, like old friends and people you know, they treat you different when you're successful.  Like you go into a bar and they won't come up and say hi, they wait to see if you come up to them, and these are people we've known for a long time, but they expect you to be different.  They're acting out of line. You're the same person, but they act like you're different.  It's all about how people perceive you, and lot of times those perceptions are inaccurate.

For me, I've got a handful of friends, the same 5 to 8 guys that I've always hung with, and we still get together when we can and things are the same - have a few beers, play some guitar, that kind of stuff.

VOX: The record hits stores April 8th.  What do you do until then?
TR: We'll be going to Europe for some shows here, and we've got the Grammy's coming up pretty quick, then mostly rehearsing and a bunch of press, the normal ramp-up to an album release.  We just did a video, and photo shoots before that, so we've gotten that out of the way for a while.
VOX: What are your tour plans once the album hits?
TR: We'll do the US for a while right after the release, cover the country right away, then back to Europe for some more dates, I guess.
VOX: Have you heard who you'll be touring with?
TR: No, I haven't heard - I thought we were going to go out with Metallica, but that isn't going to happen.  They have other commitments, so we'll do our own things.
VOX: Any bands you want to take out with you guys?
TR: Man, I'm so outta touch right now with the bands out there, so I have no idea.   Everything has been Godsmack for me for months, so I couldn't tell you.
VOX: Any changes to the live show?
TR: Yes - major changes.  Sully's designing a whole new set.  There'll be lots of changes that way, plus there's all the new music to play.  It'll be an elaborate show.
VOX: No more gargoyles?
TR: [Laughs] Nope, the gargoyles are gone.  Sully designed that, too.  He's amazing, and he's totally focused on Godsmack.  He does everything - he designs t-shirts, stages, you name it.  He's so creative and has all that stuff locked in.   I'm just the stoner guitar play, so I love it.  >>