Godsmack - Awake

Godsmack play their ghoulish hard rock with such a straight face, they make Metallica look like the Insane Clown Posse. For proof, look no further than heavily pierced frontman Sully Erna, who is not only a practicing Wiccan but the author of melodramatic declarations such as "Can't you see what this pain has fucking done to me." It's too bad the follow-up to the Boston band's triple-platinum self-titled debut rarely delivers with the desired intensity. Instead, the disc offers anodyne takes on the same old themes of aggression ("Sick of Life"), alienation ("Bad Magick"), and hocus-pocus ("Vampires"), with the all-too-familiar buzzsaw of nu-metal guitars and elastic bass grooves tearing throughout. --Aidin Vaziri Amazon.com

 Awake
Godsmack's sophomore effort, which in my mind is quite solid. Given a few times, you can notice a shift in the mood this album takes. It is a darker and angrier album than Godsmack, and with good reason- recording this album on the road, add a little drugs and rock and roll, and here is Awake. Personally, Awake remains to this day as my favorite Godsmack album. Some things that could've been cut out was how many times Sully sings "gotta get back, back on track, get off of my back" in Bad Magick, and by putting Goin' Down on Godsmack- it fits the vibe of the debut better than the cathartic elements that compose Awake. Even though Sick of Life and Awake were used relentlessly by the US Navy in recruiting commercials, they are good singles, and I still don't mind hearing them. The guitar work by Tony Rombola is particularly strong in Trippin' citing Godsmack's dedication to groove. Bad Magick, Sick of Life, Goin Down, The Spiral and Vampires are also prime examples of this. As stated, this was a very critical time in the lives of the men of Godsmack, and the anger that is felt in the music is the byproduct. Godsmack continued every album hereafter to hit a heavier vein, and after becoming well acquainted with Alice in Chains over the years, I still don't get what people are griping about. Maybe a tad bit in the vocal delivery, and that is it. Overall, this cd is highly recommended, and if you haven't yet, go and buy it now. You'll probably end up buying the other albums in their library. April 10, 2008

 Godsmack's Awake - A Solid Effort
'Awake' released in early 2000 was an instant success with its hit song 'Awake'. The song garnered fabulous reviews and got heaps of radio play. Godsmack is at their best when they stick with their core hard rock sound. This album is full of the above. If you are a fair dinkum Godsmack fan, you will fancy this album and add it to your collection. As I have.

Whilst this isn't the band's best album, it is a solid performance with hard hitting beats like 'Sick Of Life' and the driving force of 'Bad Magick'. The best track in this release is 'Vampires' that went on to be on several Vampire shows and movies and even getting a spot on 'Buffy: The Vampire Slayer'.

I was a fan from the very first time of listening to this great easy to rock to album that is a must for any rock party. October 16, 2007

 Awake to Hate
Godsmack has not made many albums compared to other artist, like Nine Inch Nails or Rob Zombie, but I really think thats what makes almost all of their albums interesting and fun. This is my personal favorite. The song Sick of Life is something I can really relate to and describes how I feel most of the time. Awake is a song I really would'nt listen to unless I'm in a really good mood. Greed is song that has lyrics that are powerful, but somewhat slow. Bad Magick and Goin down are not songs on the album I listen to often, but they are sort of catchy. Mistakes is another song I like and can listen to frequently. Trippin' is very similar to Mistakes, except that the intro is not as powerful and the vocals are more heavier. The other songs I have not heard because I don't have the CD, but instead an Mp3, but I'm sure there somewhat decent.
May 16, 2007

 Great
This is still one of my faviorte cds. I enjoy the title track but I like Sick of Life more. Its probably one of there last great cds as the other two cds havent been great. Although I stand alone is a faviorte track of mine. April 15, 2007

 What is this album missing hmmmm? SHANNON LARKIN!
I think the only thing that could have made this album 6 stars is Shannon Larkin. I actually think this album is much better than their first, oh who am I kidding out of all 5 (the other side an LP, also good but I am waiting for a Percussively solid lineup with Sully and Shannon) of their studio releases this is it. Don't get me wrong, the first is good... But I think Awake closes a chapter and Faceless opened up their modern sound... and IV is eh, well... trying to be diverse. I recommend this album of them all. June 20, 2006

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