Godsmack - The Oracle
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Music Reviews of The Oracle
Music Review: God Say it is Not True, Smack me and Wake me up...
Rating: 3 Stars
There are three things I adore about Godsmack; The roaring yet catchy riffs that are suitable for both moshing and avid car drives to your local grocery store. The simple yet powerful lyrical content and of course Sully's trademark vocals. Their ability to contrast the edgy side with some truly original and pleasantly odd ambient/instrumental or just ballad-esque softer side. So it is safe to say I have been a long time fan since first hearing Godsmack back in 1998.
All that said, I have been completely devastated by this their latest release in the form of The Oracle. True, it's not horrible music as some have attempted to defend but Godsmack have been showcasing above average musical standards for years. What The Oracle offers is uncreative and bland at best. It just feels like the band regurgitated riffs and melodies from previous releases and added new lyrical content.
Each release to date had it's own feel and showcased the group moving in a new direction while keeping subtle similarities (mainly in the hard hitting riffs). This doesn't sound new or different, It sounds like a band trying to sound like Godsmack's first release with half the musical talent that Godsmack posses. The tracks are heavy but showcase simple and often boring riffs, repeated and machine like drums and though Sully's voice sounds great, the lyrics are really bad.
Sully's writing had depth, you could literally feel his emotion in his words. Whether it was anger like on my all time fav "Sick Of Life" or his sense of being on the ever popular "Serenity" he always put his soul into the lyrics and vocals. Here it just comes off as a pissed off guy going off about anything he can think of.
Now do not get me wrong, I have faith that the ability still lies within this band. I hope and pray that the guys truly take a step back and compare this to their previous releases and understand that this.. This is not Godsmack. However if this is the way the band continues to go I honestly have to admit that they will alienate me as a fan of the studio releases.
I do not condone any long time Godsmack fans to purchase this, I was rendered speechless after my first couple listens. However, if like me you feel you must own it then get it. But do not expect the band you watched grow into the monster it has become. This was replaced by the Awake album in my CD player after roughly the fourth maybe fifth and a half listen.
Music Review: Good album, but feel cheated as a consumer
Rating: 4 Stars
First off, I really like the album. More or less, all of the songs are solid. My complaint, however, is that two of my favorite songs are not on the cd disc; rather, they're stuck on the DVD!!! Who in the marketing department thought that this would be a good idea? Don't these record company people (and the band members for that matter) consult with ordinary consumers before doing something this stupid?!?! Furthermore, there's a "third" bonus track you don't get when you actually buy the tangible hard copy of the cd/dvd package at the store. That track is titled, 'The Departed' and is a really cool track but is only available by purchasing the album via iTunes or some other internet download means. Sadly, iTunes makes you purchase the entire album in order to get this extra track when it should've been included as part of the Deluxe Package to begin with.
Regarding these silly marketing gimmicks, the band has picked up where it left off with IV, which had an awesome hidden track. IMO, the hidden track was one of the best songs on the entire cd, unfortunately, you have to fast-forward through roughly 10 minutes of the sound of rain in order to get to it. Not to mention you can't load the hidden track onto your iTunes. So one of my favorite songs is inconvenient to get to on the cd and cannot be loaded into my iPod. Again, why would the record company and band do something that restricts our accessability to the great music that they, themselves, took the time and effort to write and record??? It makes no sense to me. The track shouldn't have been a hidden track to begin with...it should've been treated as a regular track on the album but I digress....
Regarding The Oracle, while I'm very pleased with the final product, I feel like I've been cheated to some degree with the accessability (or lackthereof) of all of the tracks I feel we the consumers are entitled to. I guess I will have to live without the third bonus track as I refuse to cough up another ten-twelve bucks for it. I'm sure in 5-10 years, they'll re-release all of their old albums with even more bonus tracks, forcing loyal fans/consumers to have to re-invest in their collection (ala Motley Crue). Sorry for "Cryin' like a B**ch" in this review but it had to be commented about how short-sighted the powers-that-be were in packaging this new album. Treat the fans and consumers right and you'll have a loyal base; cheat them, and you'll end up compromising that loyalty.
Music Review: 4 stars for the music; 2 stars for the deluxe edition extras.
Rating: 4 Stars
Godsmack have consistently released solid albums full of good music. "The Oracle" is no exception. Many of the songs are very good, and this album is a step up from its predecessor "IV," which I felt was closer to a three star effort. Unfortunately, though "The Oracle" had potential to make the leap to greatness, it fell just short.
THE MUSIC:
When I first listened to this album I thought it sounded like a perfect mix of 1/3 Alice in Chains, 1/3 Metallica, and 1/3 Godsmack originality. This is a killer concoction, for sure, but they just couldn't make it work for all ten tracks. The first five tracks are by far the strongest on the album. Each one has its share of memorable riffs and catchy vocal melodies, and both "Love, Hate, Sex, Pain" and "What If?" (my two favorites) capture the dark, brooding aura often felt on older Godsmack songs.
While the second half of the album also contains some good riffs and choruses, none of the songs stand out save the instrumental title track, which is reminiscient of "Vampires" with TV/film clips playing in the background for much of the song. This half of the album is very standard.
THE EXTRAS:
Frankly, there's not much going on here. The "making of" DVD is standard fare, clocking in at right around an hour. The two bonus tracks are also on the DVD, which is why I only give the deluxe edition of "The Oracle" 2 stars. As plenty of other reviewers have already mentioned, there is no point in doing this. Fans want to listen to the music on their Ipods, in the car, and on the go. We don't want to have to turn our televisions on and pop a disc in the DVD player to listen to music. Also, had they replaced "Forever Shamed" with "Whiskey Hangover" (which I am a huge fan of) on the actual album it would have been that much better. The other bonus track, "I Blame You," is just average, but I would still rather have it included on the CD than on the DVD. My recommendation: save your money and buy the standard release. I'm sure the "making of" is on YouTube by now anyway.
VERDICT:
As expected, "The Oracle" is a very good album that essentially caters to the fans. It's heavy, it's hard, and it has just enough diversity to work. Godsmack still haven't released a masterpiece, and it's a shame they couldn't reach that next level with this album. The elements are definitely there; Godsmack just fell a step short.
Music Review: Easy listening metal?
Rating: 3 Stars
really wanted to like this cd.
I've been a Smack fan since the first cd but after all these years is this really the best they could come up with?
I loved the first three cd's but # 4 was a sign of things to come as Smack is sadly running out of steam.
Ok what's good?
Great production.
Sully still has some of the best pipes in metal.
The songs themselves are good but nothing really sticks out at me as a "great" song.
Every song is radio friendly, there's just no bite to any of the songs.
There isn't one bad song on the disc, there just aren't any "WOW" moments either.
The bad?
There's no "WOW" moments.
The riffs are decent but nothing stands out.
After all this time away from music, Smack should have come out with an album that rivaled "Awake" or "Faceless".
It's better than the fourth disc but not by much.
And what is up with the harmonica in "Devil's Swing"?
Pathetic.
The biggest disappointment has to be the title track.
Six plus minutes of a song that really isn't even a song.
Just a bunch of riffs that don't go anywhere.
Easy listening and metal should never be spoken in the same sentence but sadly that's all we get with Godsmack's new cd.
It's corporate rock at it's finest.
Not too heavy, not too wimpy.
Just perfect for all those WWE intro's and jock rockers who can't tolerate anything that moves any faster than grandma in the grocery express line with her Hover Round.
I usually write what songs are great and which aren't.
The good thing is, none of the tracks are bad but none of them are that good either.
The disc as a whole is lifeless, and just feels dialed in.
Pity, this band always had so much potential but it appears they peaked with "Faceless".
Maybe next time guys.
Recommended?
For wrestling fans and jock rockers, yes.
For the rest of us with higher expectations?
No.
Music Review: Not their best - but it's not bad
Rating: 4 Stars
i was a big fan of Godsmack's first 3 albums - with their 3rd album "Faceless" being my favorite of the bunch.. i even liked their their acoustic album they released.. their fourth album, "IV" was 'okay' at best - i liked songs like Enemy, Speak and Voodoo Too, but it didn't feel like the good ol' Godsmack i knew and loved... i understand about progressing as a band, progressing the sound as artists... but it doesn't mean you ditch the heaviness of metal, to become some alternative rock band.... look at Metallica's progression from 'Kill 'em All' thru "Justice" - a big progression of sound, but each album in that span got better and better.... it seems nowadays that bands aren't willing to push that envelope, instead they sort of regress backwards... but oh well, back to matter at hand..
This new Godsmack album "Oracle" sounds closer to the Godsmack i remember than what was on the previous album - but if this was supposed to be their "return", it felt a little halfcocked... and what i mean by that is, there is still this lingering hangover (in sound) at times from their last album... but be that as it may, it's not a bad album at all... i absolutely love "Cryin' Like a Bitch" - i'd throw it right up there with "Awake" and "I Stand Alone" as one of their best songs ever... but past that, it feels like the album lacked the same punch as that song did - don't get me wrong, the songs are good (well, except for the beginning of "War and Peace" which at first listen sounded a bit like a con-jumbled mess at the start) - i was just expecting something a bit more i guess from the album..
but i still rated this a 4 star out of 5.... because i am a fan of Godsmack - and while this album didn't win me over right away like "Godsmack" "Awake" and "Faceless" did, it's definitely a step back in the right direction for a band that at one point hand the world by the balls - but had since slipped up a bit.