Faceless (album)
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| Studio album by Godsmack | ||||
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Publication |
2003 |
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| Label (s) | Republic Records | |||
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Title (number) |
12 |
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running time |
47 min 26 s |
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Sully Erna, David Bottrill |
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Studio (s) |
The Hit Factory Criteria, Miami |
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Faceless is the third studio album by the American rock band Godsmack . It was released on April 14, 2003 via Republic Records . With Faceless the band reached the top position of the US album charts for the first time . In the USA alone, the album sold over 1.5 million times and was certified platinum . Faceless is the first Godsmack album with drummer Shannon Larkin. The songs " I Stand Alone " and "Straight Out of Line" received nominations for a Grammy Award .
Emergence
In 2002 singer Sully Erna received the offer to compose the soundtrack for the film The Scorpion King . His own band contributed the song "I Stand Alone" on which Tommy Stewart played the drums. After completing the recordings and the accompanying music video , the band decided to take a break. During this break, Stewart had to leave the band by mutual agreement. He was succeeded by Shannon Larkin , who previously played in bands such as Wrathchild America , Ugly Kid Joe and Amen . Larkin and Erna have known each other since the late 1980s.
In preparation for the recordings, the band rented a house in Miami so that they could work undisturbed. According to Sully Erna, the band deliberately stayed away from all influences this time, as the distractions at home were just too much. It would have been a great luxury for the musicians to be able to write an album without time pressure. All lyrics and music were written by Sully Erna, while Tony Rombola contributed ideas for the songs "Changes" and "Serenity". According to Erna, the new songs turned out to be more melodic, harmonious and less dark because he no longer felt as angry and depressed as in the past.
The recordings took place at The Hit Factory Criteria studio in Miami. Produced been Faceless Sully Erna and David Bottrill, who previously with bands such as Tool and King Crimson has worked. According to Sully Erna, the band didn't want to work again with Andrew Murdock, who produced the first two albums, to be able to develop further. Bottrill's penchant for perfectionism meant that Sully Erna had to sing the song "Make Me Believe" 50 times. In addition to “I Stand Alone”, music videos were shot for the songs “Straight Out of Line” and “Serenity”.
background
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The album title Faceless ( English for faceless ) was chosen because, according to Sully Erna, the title portrays the band well. Compared to other groups, Godsmack would still be a little faceless. The band would never have been on the covers of the really big magazines, and there would be a lot of bands that may have come out after Godsmack but are already way higher up the career ladder. Erna called Godsmack a not trendy band and doesn't want to be one.
"Straight Out of Line" is about people who view successful contemporaries differently than normal people. According to bassist Robbie Merrill, one day after he came home from a tour, 20 people were waiting for him to get his autograph just because he was in a successful band. "Re-Align" is about a spiritualistic session in which Erna was brought back to a previous life. He could see what happened in his previous existence and why he had to die. "I Fucking Hate You" is about a building contractor whose company built Erna's house and wanted to rubbish him in the process.
With the song "Releasing the Demons" Sully Erna deals with sins from his past. The song title was also the working title of his autobiography . "I Am" deals with the misery of alcohol abuse , the lifestyle of musicians and the inner emptiness after an excessive party. The lyrics of the song "Serenity" were inspired by the book Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road by Rush drummer Neil Peart . In the late 1990s, Peart quickly lost his daughter and wife and then rode around on his motorcycle alone for 14 months .
reception
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The album received mostly good reviews from the trade press. Conny Schiffbauer from the German magazine Rock Hard praised Faceless as "the most diverse album in the band's history". Matthias Weckmann from the German magazine Metal Hammer described Faceless as a "timeless, because never ingratiating piece of rock music" by a band that "composes independently of all trends" and gave the album six out of seven points. Wade Kergan from the online magazine Allmusic commented negatively . In his opinion, the band “couldn't find the pophooks that made their debut album so successful”.
Faceless debuted at number one on the US album charts. The album reached further chart positions in Canada with number ninth, in New Zealand with number 36, in Germany with number 70 and the Netherlands with number 98. In the USA, 269,000 units of the album were sold in the first week. The single “I Stand Alone” reached number 96 in the German single charts, while “Straight Out of Line” reached number 73 in the US single charts. To date, Faceless has sold over 1.5 million copies in the United States . The album went platinum in the US and gold in Canada .
The song "I Stand Alone" was nominated in 2003 for a Grammy in the category Best Hard Rock Performance . A year later, the song "Straight Out of Line" was nominated in the same category. However, the prizes went to the Foo Fighters and Evanescence . The US online magazine Loudwire published a list of the ten best songs by Godsmack in April 2015. In this list, the song "I Stand Alone" reached number one and "Straight Out of Line" number four.
Individual evidence
- ^ The band. Archived from the original ; accessed on February 12, 2017 .
- ↑ a b c Melanie Aschenbrenner: Under steam . In: Metal Hammer , May 2003, p. 66
- ↑ a b c d Conny Schiffbauer: Fight for the Rock! . In: Rock Hard , June 2003, p.104
- ^ A b Sean Richardson: Monsters of Rock. (No longer available online.) Boston Phoenix, archived from the original on April 9, 2018 ; accessed on February 15, 2017 (English).
- ↑ Michael Edele: "When I pray, I speak to the universe ..." laut.de , accessed on February 15, 2017 .
- ↑ Chart sources: US albums
- ↑ Chart sources: DE / US singles
- ^ Conny Schiffbauer: Godsmack - Faceless. Rock Hard, accessed February 15, 2017 .
- ^ Matthias Weckmann: Godsmack - Faceless . In: Metal Hammer, June 2003, p. 92
- ↑ Godsmack Takes 'Faceless' Straight To No. 1. Billboard , accessed February 10, 2017 .
- ↑ Kent Wolgamott: Godsmack gig is a dream come true for drummer. Quad-City Times, accessed February 16, 2017 .
- ↑ Gold & Platinum. RIAA , accessed February 10, 2017 .
- ↑ Gold / Platinum. Music Canada , accessed February 15, 2017 .
- ↑ GRAMMY AWARDS Nominees Announced! Blabbermouth.net , accessed April 9, 2018 .
- ↑ METALLICA, EVANESCENCE Among Winners At 46th Annual GRAMMY AWARDS. Blabbermouth.net, accessed April 9, 2018 .
- ↑ Jeff Cornell: 10 Best Godsmack Songs. Loudwire , accessed February 15, 2017 .