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Godsmack's new seven-song acoustic EP, "The Other Side" isn't intended to be seen on the same level as the group's full-length studio CDs.
"We wanted it specifically to be an EP," singer/guitarist Sully Erna said. "We wanted new songs on there, a few remakes, so we just thought it was a really good little variety of music to use as a buffer in between (the 2003 CD) 'Faceless' and 'Godsmack 4.'"
Even so, Erna feels "The Other Side" makes an important statement about the musical intent of his band, which up to now had specialized in churning, decidedly heavy -- and plugged-in -- hard rock.
"As musicians do, we like to sit around and play different styles, and the band never really wanted to have a ceiling over our heads," he said. "We're curious to see how people react to some of these songs because we feel really good about them."
Erna said the idea of doing the EP came from acoustic in-studio performances the band would play during promotional visits to radio stations.
"We obviously didn't have full production with us so we would just kind of jam on (songs like) 'Keep Away' or 'Voodoo' or something like that and it just kind of really went to the acoustic feel really nicely," Erna said.
The seven songs on "The Other Side" reflect some interesting choices in material and a track list that changed from early reports on the EP, which had indicated reworked versions of such familiar tunes as "Voodoo" and "Serenity" would be included.
Those tracks didn't make the cut, but "The Other Side" does include a couple of especially notable reinterpretations. "Spiral," from the band's second CD, "Awake," gets a stronger Middle Eastern accent from the percussion treatment given to the acoustic version. An even bigger departure is "Asleep," which is actually an understated yet taut version of the band's hit single "Awake."
Erna said he and his bandmates, guitarist Tony Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill and drummer Shannon Larkin, were struggling to find a tempo and feel that would work for "Awake." Then John Kosco, vocalist for the band Dropbox (a band signed to Erna's Realign Records label), who was in the studio collaborating with Erna on a song called "Touche," suggested slowing "Awake" way down.
"Touche" is one of three unreleased tunes on "The Other Side." It features the kind of moody vocal melody that Godsmack have often employed, effectively set against a decidedly dark, low-register guitar riff. Another new track, "Running Blind," centers around a gentle droning vocal melody complemented by a simple finger-picked guitar hook. The third new track, "Voices," is lighter, with a strummy guitar line getting needed backbone from some of the CD's most aggressive drumming and percussion.
Erna said some of Godsmack's biggest hits, such as "Voodoo," "Bad Religion" and "I Stand Alone" didn't make the EP because they didn't feel natural in an acoustic setting.
"It doesn't translate well." Erna said. "We would have loved to play more of the hit songs, but again they were what they were because that's what they were designed to be. I think some things are better left alone."
Though "The Other Side" presents an intriguing new side of Godsmack, Erna said fans shouldn't expect the band to back off from their usual hard-hitting electric sound. He noted that the band won't do any of the acoustic material during their current run of dates opening for Metallica.
"We're going to put together the best one-hour set we can put together," Erna said. "So we may touch on 'Voodoo' or 'Serenity' or do a little medley or something like that to bring the set down and have some dynamics to it, but we won't be playing acoustic stuff from this record. As a matter of fact, we won't play anything from this acoustic record unless we go out in the late winter or something and do a theater tour of just acoustic stuff and strictly design that tour to be an acoustic tour so people know that if you're coming there, don't expect mosh pits."
That statement about the live set is a good indication that fans who come to see Godsmack open for Metallica will hear a cross-section of material from all three of the Boston-based band's three studio CDs -- the 1998 three-million-selling debut "Godsmack" (which featured such hits as "Bad Religion," "Whatever" and "Keep Away"), 2000's "Awake" and "Faceless," which has become the band's third-straight platinum selling CD.
The latter CD, in particular, not only solidified Godsmack's popularity in the United States, it represented an important period for the band's future.
Before recording "Faceless," Godsmack went through a tumultuous period that culminated in the departure of drummer Tommy Stewart. In an effort to rediscover their personal chemistry, the band (with new drummer Larkin on board) moved in together in Miami to write and rehearse material for that CD.
"We went into it very aware of saying this experience is going to make us tighter than we've ever been or it's going to break us up," Erna said in a separate interview conducted just after the release of "Faceless."
The band bonded in this communal setting, and now, nearly a year later, Erna is nothing but excited about the future of the band.
"It (the chemistry) is more solid now than it's ever been in the history of Godsmack," Erna said.
"How long this band will be around for, I guess it will be up to the public, how long they want to accept Godsmack and what we write for music," Erna added. "We're not trying to reinvent the wheel of music. We know that's not our goal. We're just four guys who like to play music and write songs, and we just hope that people will continue to embrace that kind of material."