IV

Performer: Godsmack
Engineer: Andy Johns
Producer: Sully Erna
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Godsmack: Sully Erna (vocals, various instruments); Tony Rombola (guitar); Robbie Merrill (bass guitar); Shannon Larkin (drums). IV is the 2006 release from alt-metal outfit Godsmack. The band's sound, which draws from both traditional heavy metal and hard-hitting grunge-era acts like Alice in Chains, has remained largely consistent since their 1997 debut, and IV continues that pattern. Crunching distortion, snaky riffs, and thunderous rhythms make up the bulk of the sound, while Sully Erna's gruff, sometimes drone-oriented singing (which certainly owes a debt to Alice in Chains' Layne Staley) creates an evocative counter-balance. But while IV may not overflow with musical reinvention, it boasts the strongest batch of songs the band has written since their debut. The album's lead-off single, "Speak," is a case in point, as are the songs "Shine Down," with its bluesy intro, and the powerhouse "Temptation." Fans looking for more of the well-crafted, bone-rattling sound Godsmack offered on previous albums will be wholly satisfied with IV. 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 clich� 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. ~ James Christopher Monger

Those who mourn MIA grunge rockers Alice In Chains may find relief in some of AIC's late-'90s musical offspring, especially Godsmack (named after an Alice In Chains song). Leader Sully Erna has a voice that's a dead ringer for that of Layne Staley, and has no problem churning out heavy guitar riffs a la Jerry Cantrell, while exploring the same dark and bleak subject matter as AIC did in the early-'90s.

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