GODSMACK Frontman: 'Our Sound Is Much More Mature Now'

Altsounds.com recently conducted an interview with GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Altsounds.com: Despite the obvious lineup changes, how does the GODSMACK now compare to the GODSMACK in 1995?

Sully Erna: Our sound is much more mature now. We've really grown up a lot and learned how to respect each other's space while maintaining a brotherhood. That's not something you can learn after being a band for a year or two. That takes many many years or living together, working together, fighting, laughing, loving.... all to get to that point. But what a blessing to have these guys as brothers.

Altsounds.com: How did you approach the writing on your new album "The Oracle"?

Sully Erna: It was truly an equal collaboration. We all just sat in a room, had a long talk about writing a record for the fans, and then started to grind out riffs, lyrics, song titles, etc.... It was a great experience writing "The Oracle".

Altsounds.com: What were/are your hopes for the album?

Sully Erna: Of course we always hope for a #1 record. If we get it, that makes 3 in a row! Not bad for a bunch of shleps from Boston (laughs). But more importantly, we really just hope that the record has a huge impact with our fans and really connects to them. I mean this record was built for that. A record truly for the fans. Not for us, not for our influences, not to try and reinvent music. Just a run of songs that we felt our fans wanted us to write and a sound that they wanted us to sound like.

Altsounds.com: As an album how does "The Oracle" compare to your previous albums?

Sully Erna: Our previous records always had various influences that we tried to have surface in the music. But this record is much more true to the heart. It is filled with everything that we have built our success on. Raw, tough, powerful grooves and big vocal melodies.

Altsounds.com: How do you as a band weather the storms? What keeps you going?

Sully Erna: Just understanding each other. We all have been together for so long that we have very similar beliefs. And one of those beliefs is knowing that when you run into a bad moment, you just have to remind yourself that "This too shall pass." Nothing lasts forever. And they're all really nothing more than just moments in time.

Altsounds.com: It was reported that you had a feud with MÖTLEY CRÜE. Could you elaborate on this?

Sully Erna: Non Parlo Inglese...

Altsounds.com: You helped raise money for the Haiti survivors. How did you get involved with that and what exactly did you guys do?

Sully Erna: Through a good friend of mine Dan Catullo. He really masterminded that whole thing. But it was based on sending over thousands of wheel chairs on his friends jumbo jet.

Altsounds.com: You recently penned a song, "Sinners Pray", for the film "The Expendables". How did that come about?

Sully Erna: It's a long story, but the short of it is, I lost the movie. Stallone decided to change out the scene that the song was married to. So since the scene went, so did the music. Very sad about that. But more importantly, I have a song titled "The Departed" that will be featured for the new movie "Solomon Kane" that should be released sometime in May, I believe. It's a very cool fantasy movie. Make sure you check it out.

Read the entire interview from Altsounds.com.

GODSMACK has posted a new song called "Love Hate Sex Pain" on the band's official Twitter page, with instructions on how to access it available at the group's web site. The track is also available for download at iTunes.

"Love Hate Sex Pain" is taken from GODSMACK's upcoming fifth studio album, "The Oracle", which is due out May 4.

"The Oracle" track listing:

01. Cryin' Like a Bitch
02. Saints and Sinners
03. War and Peace
04. Love Hate Sex Pain
05. What If?
06. Devil's Swing
07. Good Day to Die
08. Forever Shamed
09. Shadow of a Soul
10. The Oracle