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“When Legends Rise” is the seventh studio album by Godsmack. It was released on April 27, 2018 on the BMG label. It marks the band's first album away from heavy metal into a more hard rock sound.
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Starting strong can be a bold move if you don’t have the means to follow it up, and Godsmack start very strong indeed. Entering the ring, throwing strong hooks with the records title track “When Legends Rise”, the less than three minute opener does exactly what it’s supposed to. Leaping out of the shadows it pumps adrenaline into the unsuspecting listener with its quickening drums from Shannon Larkin, the growling bass lines of Robbie Merrill and climbing guitar riffing from Tony Rombola, before it explodes into full throttle. By the time the chorus hits, with vocalist Sully Erna exhibiting some of his most passionate deliveries to date, you find yourself surrendered to the record a mere one track deep.
Taking a wonderful, and well-executed, turn for the mellow ballad, “Under Your Scars” calls all to its attention, demanding a sea of lighters to fill its performance. Sully Erna has never been one to hold back on his vocal delivery, but here, amidst haunting violins and piano, he truly opens up a vein and offers up a song that feels cathartically epic.
Erna has said that the song writing process, this time around, served as part of an organic process for dealing with the personal struggles surrounding the aftermath of an intense breakup he had gone through. And you feel it, with the lyrics enriching much of the record. That being said, musically Godsmack haven’t lost their ironclad grit either. “Eye Of The Storm” brings the album to a thunderous close despite its misplaced fade out.
‘When Legends Rise’ feels like the new face of Godsmack, ushering the way for a new era of the band. If ‘1000hp’ was a rallying death race of wah solos and muscle riffing, this effort serves up something much more fluid, fierce and fun to listen to. Gripping grooves, infectious hooks, and choruses so anthemic they grant no immunity, ‘When Legends Rise’ is a roundhouse, powerhouse, house smashing good ride that will leave you falling in love with these legends all over again.
Reviewed by Carl O'Rourke for metalwani.com.
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