Godsmack - 1000HP review

Godsmack - 1000HP review

Godsmack has always been a solid hard rock band and, while they don't reinvent the wheel with 1000HP, I think this keeps them relevant and is a nice addition to this year's collection.  I was excited about their new album coming out and the fact that I should finally get to see them on stage this year at UPROAR on Aug 26th.  I decided to give a song by song commentary and rate each one. 

1. 1000 HP - The album opens with the title track.  The verses talk about the rise of Godsmack from Boston circa 1995.  The chorus is super huge and anthemic.  I can't help sing along "Turn that shit up louder!  Make it all go faster.  Play it through the witching hour.  Take it to one thousand horse power!"  There is also a pretty nice guitar solo about 3/4 of the way through.  This is just a really great hard rock song and one that I could play over and over again. (8/10)

2. FML - The second track has some dirtier riffs and is one of those songs that is just about releasing pent up frustrations.  It is a decent song, but I think lyrically it lacks a real identity.  Sully sings "Don't try to change me" and then "Fuck My Life" and I get a little confused.  Are we hating the haters or are we self loathing?  Pick your pity party and stick with it. (6.5/10)

3. Something Different - This song has more of a driving rhythm.  I like the lyrics "Don't feel you ever have to speak to me that way."  They could be applied in so many different situations that it lets the listener make their own meaning of this song. (7/10)

4. What's Next - This sounds like classic Godsmack to me.  It's a song with fast rhythms, haunting echo on the background vocals, a big sing-along chorus, questions about the meaning of life and the looming certainty of death.  Pretty kick ass. (8/10)

5. Generation Day - Here we start off rocking pretty hard, but then go into a lengthy slowed-down breakdown that is almost like a dream sequence.  The hard riff and chorus then pick back up for a strong finish.  Yelling "generation dayyyyyyy" is enough to get stuck in your head and make you want to go back to this song. (7/10)

6. Locked & Loaded - With choppy riffs and a heavier sound than some of the other songs, this one really pumps.  To break up the song structure there is a breakdown with even faster chords and chanting lyrics two thirds of the way through and then some nice guitar work at the end.  As the song fades out Sully says "How'd you like that one Frank?....hahaha, fuck him!" which is obviously directed toward Nikki Sixx who has been in a war of words with the band since they had a falling out after touring together in 2009.  The song "Cryin' Like a Bitch" was also supposedly written about Sixx.

7. Living in the Gray - This track is definitely solid, but it kind of gets lost in the course of the rest of the album and comes off like a filler.  On its own, I could hear this on the radio and like it.  It's just not the kind of track I would skip to on a cd or put on a playlist. (6/10)

8. I Don't Belong - This song picks up where the previous was lacking.  We have another good balance of riffs and solos.  We have lyrics that a lot of people can relate to.  I could see this becoming a single, but I don't think it is quite as strong as What's Next.  (7/10)

9. Nothing Comes Easy - The lyrical themes are similar to the previous song, but the guitar work and drum rolls found here gives the track an older, more classic sound.  It kind of seems like a mash up of 80s and 90s hard rock in a good way. (7/10)

10. Turning to Stone - This is the slowest song on the disc and kind of haunting.  It is nothing special musically, but an acoustic version is going to be on the The Walking Dead Season 4 Soundtrack: Songs Of Survival Vol 2 and should fit well. (6/10)

My view of Godsmack from Uproar 2014 Camden, NJ