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With two multiplatinum albums under their belts and one more heading in that direction, you'd think hard-rocking Godsmack wouldn't be "Faceless" anymore, but the band members would disagree.
‘We want to be the biggest rock band in the world.. Maybe we won’t be disappointed if we’re the second-biggest rock band in the world,’ says Godsmack guitarist Tony Rombola.
In fact, they chose the name "Faceless" for their latest album for that very reason.
Despite the success of their first two albums and last summer's smash "I Stand Alone" from the "Scorpion King" soundtrack, the band members still thought they were flying under the public radar.
Even the debut of "Faceless" at No. 1 on the Billboard charts in April - and the fact that the record has sold a million copies already - hasn't changed the mind of guitarist Tony Rombola.
"It was awesome, but I think we still are (faceless)," he said. "I don't feel any different."
Coloradans will get a chance to see the faces behind the music when Godsmack headlines hard-rock station KBPI's annual "Birthday Bash" concert Tuesday at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
While the sound of "Faceless" obviously marks it as a Godsmack album, the band experimented with some subtle melodic elements, and singer Sully Erna used songs such as "Changes" and "Re-Align" to stretch his vocal skills a little.
Rombola attributes the difference to producer David Bottrill of Tool and King Crimson fame. Rombola said Bottrill challenged the band to do some things it hadn't done before.
"We did 'I Stand Alone' with him, and we liked what he did with the band," Rombola said. "He worked with Sully on some vocal things, and he's a great engineer. We were really confident with using him again."
A lineup change brought more new energy to the band during the recording of "Faceless" - drummer Shannon Larkin joined the fold. In the past, Erna - who played drums for underground thrashers Meliah Rage before forming Godsmack - had laid down all the drum tracks.
"Sully's talked about Shannon for years," Rombola said. "This is actually the first record that Sully gave up the drumsticks for, but they have similar styles, so it was a great fit. It's like we didn't miss a beat."
Rombola said he's excited about playing the new tunes for an audience. With ever-increasing ticket prices, he said it's important to give fans their money's worth.
"That's always been our philosophy, to go out there and just kill - do the biggest show that we can do," he said. "Every tour we've always added something and tried to make it different, new and exciting."
That's part of the approach that's earned Godsmack one of the most dedicated fan bases of any new band in heavy rock - that and the fact that there are no gimmicks in their music, said Rombola.
While trendy styles like rap metal and techno-metal come and go, he said, straight-ahead rock will never go away.
"I hope people take (our music) for what it is and dig it," he said. "When we write a song, we all get off on the groove, the guitar riff, the beat, everything. It's pretty exciting to know that other people are feeling the same thing from our music."