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Metal/Prog Metal CD Reviews

Godsmack

Faceless (vinyl edition)

Review by Gary Hill

This new double vinyl release of Godsmack's third album is cool. That said, I missed the fact that it is a 45 rpm pressing when I put it on the turntable. That's an unusual setting for albums, but it works. The label of each side is adorned with a picture of one of the members of the band. There is sort of a familiar thread running through Godsmack's music, and this album lives up to that. I really enjoy the disc, and having this edition available is great.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2024  Volume 3 More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2024.

Track by Track Review
Side A
              
Straight Out Of Line

Sound effects start things off here. It powers out from there to some seriously hard rocking jamming that is trademark Godsmack.

Faceless
I really like the driving groove of the title track. This has some cool hooks, too. It's still instantly recognizable as Godsmack.
Changes

Another killer Godsmack stomper, this works really well. It's perhaps a little less instantly accessible, but it rocks out a little more, if that's possible.

Side B
                  
Make Me Believe

I dig the driving powerhouse modes on this. It manages to be catchy at the same time. As good as the songs that came before this were, I think I like this one even more. I like the dropped back, slower and somewhat more melodic movement mid track a lot, too. It's a great addition.

I Stand Alone

This defiant rocker is one that has gotten a lot of air-play over the years. It's a real powerhouse, so I think it deserves that level of attention. It does a good job of combining some accessible hooks with a lot of mean energy and power. This is a highlight of the set.

Re-Align

Perhaps not a big change or surprise, this song works pretty well. It's a little more melodic, but otherwise pretty trademark for the band. I wouldn't consider it to be any kind of stand-out track, but it works well enough.

Side C
                    
I F***ing Hate You

The title (which is edited on the internet version of this review) certainly tells you that this is an angry song. It also tells you that it gets a parental advisory for the lyrics. This is a classic example of the band's type of angry pounding metal sound.

Releasing The Demons

There is an introduction to this that features some atmospheric sounds with a spoken voice sort of in the background. The main song isn't quite a ballad, but it's more along the mellower end of the spectrum for a lot of its time. It does power up into more pounding Godsmack sounds as the contrast to that section.

Dead And Broken

Fierce, driving sound is in the menu here. This is another killer song. It has so much energy and power.

Side D
                  
I Am

This isn't a huge change, or anything all that unexpected. It's another driving Godsmack song.

The Awakening

Drumming and what sounds like Native American chanting is the concept of this piece.

Serenity

This reminds me a little of "Voodoo" from the first album. It has that same sort of percussive, mellower sound to it. This is dramatic and very effective.

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