![]() We wanted to do this for a living and be able to support our families and have a decent life. Look, everyone has a goal, right? Some people just go, "I want to have a family and a house with a white picket fence, a dog and a truck." They get that and then they go, "Well, I'd love a motorcycle, too." And they never stop. We put a lot of effort and thought into this record and because of COVID we had the luxury of time. BUT WHEN YOU CREATE AN ALBUM THIS STRONG, DOESN'T THAT MAKE YOU WANT TO MAKE MORE OF THEM? During our chat, presented in the edited excerpts that follow, Erna candidly discusses - in his salt-of-the-earth New England accent - career highlights and lowlights, creating Godsmack's swan song and more.įINAL ALBUMS BY LONG-RUNNING BANDS RARELY SOUND AS GOOD AS LIGHTING UP THE SKY. It's not a slot for the timid, but they have the bash and bangers required for such a gig. At Florida's Welcome to Rockville, they'll perform right before Pantera. At the time of our interview, Godsmack are mostly scheduled for festival dates. For perspective, in 2020 Godsmack tied Van Halen for Top 10 hits on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Songs chart, and their newest single, "Surrender," earned them their 27th Top 10 ranking and held the No. It just feels like it's the right time to start enjoying the sunset years and really focusing on, like, a greatest-hits show."Įrna says that the band's primary goal moving forward will be to create a striking tour production to present all those hits - and there are a lot. I mean, I could end up doing a collaboration with another artist or a soundtrack. We just don't think there's gonna be another full body of work after this. Which begs the question: why quit now? "We're not announcing the death of the band," Erna clarifies. His years of putting in the work - and every hard-won lesson he's learned since Godsmack formed in 1995 - add weight to what he sings. He didn't "make it" until he was in his early thirties, a move that required him to step out from behind his natural instrument, the drums. Lyrically, Erna's themes are reflective throughout Lighting Up the Sky's 11 tracks, the sequencing of which takes listeners on a Dark Side of the Moon gone Mob Rules-style journey: a 55-year-old rocker who's scaled the mountain, looking back on life, love, loss, family and what makes it all worth it.Įrna's success wasn't overnight. Beyond the title track, other highlights include the blues-metal opener "You and I," radio sizzler "Surrender," mystical mini-epic "Growing Old," strings-swathed ballad "Truth" and angular gem "Best of Times." ![]() The Massachusetts-founded band - which also features bassist Robbie Merrill, lead guitarist Tony Rombola and drummer Shannon Larkin - sounds as inspired and vigorous as ever. If Godsmack really are getting out of the studio-album biz, Lighting Up the Sky is a metric-ton mic drop. Video of Godsmack - Soul On Fire (Official Music Video) Is it something I apologize for or something I honor? And so, 'Lighting Up the Sky' is just a metaphor for running a thousand miles an hour around the world." "Or would I have gone a thousand miles an hour like I did and have no regrets? Because maybe if I didn't do it that way, we wouldn't have gotten to where we've gotten. ![]() "If I could go back, would I have done it different?" says Erna, reflecting on the central theme of the title track's lyrics during a recent call with Revolver. In his trademark bellow, Erna sings of "burning through a life" and "never taking time, never take it slow." Musically, the song shifts from shimmering chords and cinematic picking sequences to the big riffs that have made Godsmack hitmakers since the Clinton Administration. The singer-guitarist wrote the title track to Lighting Up the Sky - which closes the hard-rock veterans' new, eighth and what they claim will be last-ever studio record - from the perspective of what he'd say now to a young Sully just starting out. For the final song on the final Godsmack album, Sully Erna went back to the beginning.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |