Godsmack may never garner the kind of praise that's bestowed upon its obvious influences (Metallica, Alice in Chains, Tool), but the hard-working Boston quartet has managed to stay at the top of the alternative metal heap for nearly eight years.
IV, produced by frontman Sully Erna, doesn't stray too far from the formula, relying on big midtempo brooders and heavy, drop-D riffs to work in the usual themes of loneliness, betrayal, and the overuse of the word "bleeding." For the most part it's cliché done well -- the record opens with an audio collage of children saying their prayers before bed -- and the band can turn it up to 11 with the best of them.
Stadium-sized cuts like "Speak," "Enemy," and "Temptation" are sure to please the masses -- they even bring out the vocoder for "No Rest for the Wicked" -- and fans brought into the fold with 2004's acoustic Other Side EP will eat up the pensive, mandolin-led "Hallow," but there's little growth to be found, resulting in a textbook-executed slice of commercial aggression.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Livin in SinSully Erna, Shannon Larkin, Robbie Merrill, Tony Rombola | Godsmack | Play | 04:39 | 10 MB | 32 MB |
| 2 | SpeakSully Erna, Shannon Larkin, Robbie Merrill, Tony Rombola | Godsmack | Play | 03:57 | 9 MB | 30 MB |
| 3 | The EnemySully Erna | Godsmack | Play | 04:07 | 9 MB | 31 MB |
| 4 | Shine DownSully Erna | Godsmack | Play | 05:01 | 11 MB | 36 MB |
| 5 | HollowSully Erna, Tony Rombola | Godsmack | Play | 04:32 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 6 | No Rest for the WickedSully Erna | Godsmack | Play | 04:37 | 10 MB | 35 MB |
| 7 | Bleeding MeSully Erna | Godsmack | Play | 03:37 | 8 MB | 26 MB |
| 8 | Voodoo TooSully Erna, Shannon Larkin, Robbie Merrill, Tony Rombola | Godsmack | Play | 05:26 | 12 MB | 36 MB |
| 9 | TemptationSully Erna | Godsmack | Play | 04:06 | 9 MB | 31 MB |
| 10 | MamaSully Erna | Godsmack | Play | 05:14 | 12 MB | 38 MB |
| 11 | One Rainy DaySully Erna, Shannon Larkin, Robbie Merrill, Tony Rombola | Godsmack | Play | 07:21 | 16 MB | 44 MB |
| 52 mins | 120 MB | |||||
| 52 mins | 374 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | P.R. Brown | Package Design |
| 2 | Sully Erna | Composer, Mixing, Producer, Vocals |
| 3 | Godsmack | Primary Artist |
| 4 | Kent Hertz | Digital Editing, Engineer |
| 5 | Andy Johns | Engineer, Mixing, Producer |
| 6 | Shannon Larkin | Composer, Drums, Sound Effects |
| 7 | Clay Patrick McBride | Photography |
| 8 | Robbie Merrill | Composer |
| 9 | Tony Rombola | Composer, Guitar |
| 10 | Dave Schultz | Mastering |
| 11 | Kevin Sheehy | Personal Assistant |
| 12 | Doug Strub | Engineer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |