Godsmack was formed in 1996, when
Sully Erna, a longtime drummer in the Boston
area
(one of his former bands is
Meliah Rage,
for whom he recorded in 1992)
decided to form a new group with himself as
a frontman.
In due time a lineup was put together and on
a shoestring budget, an album, All Wound Up,
was recorded and released, with Erna himself
recording the drums as a full-time drummer hadn't
yet materialized.
The album sold well enough in the local market that
Universal Records signed them up, deciding to remaster
the album and re-release it as Godsmack, and they
haven't looked back since.
The cries of
"Alice In Chains clones"
dogged the band for years (some also
claim that's where Godsmack got their name from,
though apparently that's not true), and sure,
there's a resemblance both musically and
vocally, though those comparisons have waned in recent times.
In truth, their style really hasn't changed a lot over the
years, but Erna's strong, distinctive vocal style and
the band's steady songwriting have kept them in good
standing with their fan base, and having weathered
the nu-metal phase that they were often associated with,
they continue to prosper.
