GODSMACK: 'Live & Inspired' First-Week Sales Revealed

GODSMACK's first-ever live album, "Live & Inspired", sold around 16,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 19 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Released on May 15 via Universal Republic Records, "Live & Inspired" features fierce and furious live renditions of numerous hits from the Massachusetts rockers' five studio albums. Their incendiary and infectious shows have become legendary in modern rock, and they continue to impress both critics and audiences alike every time they hit the stage. The group sounds unchained on rousing performances of "Awake", "Keep Away", "Straight Out of Line", "Whatever", "Voodoo", and "I Stand Alone".

This is the first time that's been captured on CD, and bonus tracks of covers that have "inspired" GODSMACK is also going to be included along with it. The four tracks are quite close to the band's collective heart. The band started ripping through local Massachusetts haunts with their renditions of some of these songs, and these recordings bring everything full circle.

"Live & Inspired" track listing is as follows:

CD 1 (Live):

01. Straight Outta Line
02. Realign
03. Awake
04. Moon Baby
05. Changes
06. The Enemy
07. Keep Away
08. Speak
09. Voodoo
10. Batalla De Los Tambores
11. Whatever
12. Serenity
13. I Stand Alone

CD 2 (Inspired):

01. Rocky Mountain Way (JOE WALSH cover)
02. Come Together (THE BEATLES cover)
03. Time (PINK FLOYD cover)
04. Nothing Else Matters (METALLICA cover)

About the collection, frontman Sully Erna reveals, "'Live & Inspired' is our way of saying 'Thank you' to all of our fans for believing in us throughout the years, and helping us to become a great live band! Along with this ass-whooping set live from Detroit Rock City, we've also included four cover songs of our favorite hits in the past to show you that, we too, are simply just fans that appreciate nothing more than good old fashion ass-kicking rock 'n' roll! Enjoy!"

Erna told Loudwire in a recent interview, "We were going to do a compilation with this song from Vegas, this song is from Chicago, this one is from Dallas, but I don't know, the more we listened to the Detroit show, the more we kind of figured out that it was a really good show for us."

Erna also said that GODSMACK has nothing but love for the Motor City, explaining, "It's always a great audience, as any rock band will tell you. Playing there is a special kind of fanbase that they have there, they live up to their reputation. They're a great rock audience."

In addition, the quartet encouraged its legion of supporters to be a part of the release. The collection's packaging actually showcases a variety of fan photos. Fans may submit live snapshots of the group on stage, pictures of themselves rocking out at GODSMACK concerts, or photos of their tattoos of the group's iconic logo on the band's official Facebook. Now, the winning photos adorn the album's booklet and packaging.

The first single from "Live & Inspired", GODSMACK's cover of JOE WALSH's "Rocky Mountain Way", can be streamed using the audio player below.

GODSMACK's fifth studio album, "The Oracle", opened with 117,000 copies back in May 2010 to land at No. 1.