GODSMACK Recruits Guitarist SAM KOLTUN And Drummer WADE MURFF For 2026 Tour

In a new interview with TalkShopLive's The Rock N Roll Channel, GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna discussed the band's upcoming live album and Blu-ray, "Live At Mohegan Sun", which will arrive on May 1 via Primary Wave. Captured during GODSMACK's sold‑out October 26, 2024 performance at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, it marks the last performance featuring the classic GODSMACK lineup of vocalist‑guitarist Sully Erna, guitarist Tony Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill, and drummer Shannon Larkin, following the decision by Rombola and Larkin to retire.

Speaking about Rombola and Larkin's exit from GODSMACK, Erna said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[Shannon] gave me the best years in this band. Tony as well. Those guys are just irreplaceable, as far as I can say, because they're truly like brothers, and they always will be. And there's no bad blood.

"A lot of people are, like, 'Oh, what happened? You had a falling out?' No, there's nothing," Erna explained. "They got to that point in their lives where they just didn't wanna tour at this level anymore. It's hard work. The road is a lonely place. Shannon got sober several years ago. It just didn't feel fun for him anymore. The body gets beat up. We put ourselves to a lot, emotionally and physically, and they just wanted to go enjoy their lives now. And so we gave each other a big hug, and we wished them the best. We honor and respect their decision. And I think you're gonna feel every bit of that emotion on ['Live At Mohegan Sun'], because these guys, [director] Dan[iel E.] Catullo [III] and his whole team, [editor] Leslie [Atkins], and everybody who was a part of making this film happen really captured visually everything I would want a fan to see in a show, along with this retirement party that we did for Tony and Shannon and how emotional that was. I mean, our families were there, our daughters were there. I cried at least 12 times already, just watching the cuts, trying to get the edits right. 'Cause it's 30 years of my life, and they were truly the best parts of my life. So, yeah, closing that chapter, it took me a minute to kind of get ahold of it, but it's coming. It's a double live album. It sounds great. It looks great. It's everything I think you're gonna want. And I really hope everybody goes out there and gets it to experience it."

After the interviewer noted that it's almost unheard of to have two members leave a band "on good terms" after two or three decades, Erna admitted: "I'm not gonna lie — I had some bitterness at first. From the day they said, 'Listen, this is the last one. I think we're gonna finish this record. We're gonna finish the touring cycle, and then that's it.' … And even though I understood it, and they had my blessing, they had my respect, and it wasn't anything that kind of fell out on bad terms, it didn't sit with me well. 'Cause I felt like I'd worked so hard my whole life. I felt like I built this amazing thing with these guys and gave everyone their dream and they took mine away. And I was kind of experiencing that emotion for a while. And I found myself okay with it, and then really mad about it, and then finding my acceptance with it and then not finding my peace with it. And it was really like an emotional rollercoaster for me. And I'm still kind of on it a little bit, because I don't really know what the future holds. But me and Robbie sat down. We had a good talk, and we felt like we have a lot of gas left in the tank. And we wanna get out there and honor the catalog, honor the music, honor this thing that we built and give the fans that."

He added: "I feel good. I feel like I'm 25 years old. I'm not ready to go anywhere yet. So we're gonna run this a little bit longer, and we're gonna see how things go."

Referencing the fact that GODSMACK recently announced "The Rise Of Rock" 2026 tour, a North American run featuring special guests STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and DOROTHY, Sully said: "We have a strong lineup right now. I wanna mention this — this is the first time I've said this on any platform. So you and the fans are hearing this for the first time. But we have welcomed in a new guitar player named Sam Koltun, who's amazing. He was actually playing with Dorothy. He's played with some other bands along the way. And he came in for an audition. And I gotta tell you, the guy blew our mind. His attention to detail, his performance, his playing really elevated the frontline a little bit more than it was. And he's just an incredible guitar player. So I want people to know that, 'cause I want them to welcome him into this project. He really loves the band. He honored the music. He honored what Tony played. And, and I gotta tell you, it sounds identical. It's incredible how well he can play the stuff and put his own little flair to things. And for the first time we're gonna mention Wade Murff, who is gonna be the new drummer at this point. And again, great guy, great player, strong, looks great visually.

"I think for people that are gonna come see GODSMACK now, they're gonna really feel at home when they hear the band and how we sound because I don't think much has changed in that aspect, but there's this new breath of life now too," Sully added. "There's this thing that's been like recharged, and it's exciting."

When the interviewer speculated that Sully may have felt a "sense of betrayal" over Shannon and Tony's decision to leave GODSMACK, Erna clarified: "I wouldn't say 'betrayal', though. That's a harsh word, man. It was just a decision. It was a lifelong decision. Listen, Shannon has been on — what? — 40 albums. The guy's played with [BLACK] SABBATH, UGLY KID JOE, WRATCHCHILD AMERICA, you name it. He's done a lot of work, man. But listen, from the beginning, GODSMACK has been a blue-collar work-horse band. We were never a part of the MTV culture. We were never part of the VH1 culture. We were never a part of the pop scene. We were a blue-collar workboot band, and we made our career on touring and radio. And that is much harder than people may think, compared to the pop artists that go out there and just — whatever — they pop up and they sell a bazillion records and they're the favorites to the Grammys or whatever else was out there doing their thing, and they don't tour like we did, man. I can promise you that. The only band that even came close was PANTERA, and they even came to us at one point when they'd seen our schedule. They go, 'Holy shit. You guys just play a lot of shows.' And we're, like, 'Isn't that what everyone does?' They're like, 'No, not that many.' Seven in a row, one day off. Nine in a row, one day off. 11 in a row, one day off. That shit went on for three years, man. And we were like robots. So I'm really proud of what we built here, and I have no regrets. If this whole thing ended tomorrow, dude, I'm good. We lived a good life out here. But the reality is it's not gonna end tomorrow. We're gonna go out there. We're ready to run again. Everything is good. The band sounds great. And we're really excited to bring these new guys out and have some fun with them and with the audience."

Based in Los Angeles, Murff reportedly began playing the drums at age 4. He credits LED ZEPPELIN's John Bonham and VAN HALEN's Alex Van Halen as having sparked his interest in rock drumming. But it was SLAYER's Dave Lombardo and PANTERA's Vinnie Paul Abbott who fueled his desire to become a hard-hitting metal drummer.

When asked about his playing style, Wade said: "Don't get me wrong, I appreciate technique and precision, but I love seeing drummers that hit hard and play with a lot of heart and physicality. Live, I always want to play on the edge between control and chaos; something could break at any moment, someone might get hurt... especially me. [Laughs] Seriously though, I'm committed to delivering that type of show every night, no excuses."

Wade has built a solid reputation as a go-to drummer for established acts, seamlessly filling roles in live performances, tours, and recordings. His credits include work with DAUGHTRY, PRONG, Sebastian Bach, ORGY and Doyle (of the MISFITS).

Promoted by Live Nation, "The Rise Of Rock" 2026 tour will kick off Sunday, May 10 in Bristow, Virginia at Jiffy Lube Live and make stops across the U.S. and Toronto, Canada, including Austin, Chicago, Denver, Phoenix, and California, before wrapping Saturday, September 26 at Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater in Nampa, Idaho.

Larkin joined GODSMACK in 2002 after cutting his teeth with WRATHCHILD (later WRATCHILD AMERICA and SOULS AT ZERO) before getting picked up by UGLY KID JOE in time for a taste of their zenith.

Tony had been the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for GODSMACK since the mid-1990s following the departure of Lee Richards.

GODSMACK's latest album, "Lighting Up The Sky", was released in February 2023 via BMG. The LP was co-produced by Erna and Andrew "Mudrock" Murdock (AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ALICE COOPER).

The first single from "Lighting Up The Sky", "Surrender", which arrived in September 2022, marked the first release from GODSMACK in four years, following their globally acclaimed and gold-certified 2018 album "When Legends Rise", which earned the Erna-fronted outfit a No. 1 spot across U.S. Hard Rock, Rock, and Alternative album charts.

For GODSMACK's spring 2025 European tour, the band recruited "a couple of guest musicians" — Koltun and drummer Will Hunt of EVANESCENCE.