Godsmack Album: “The Other Side [EP]”

I don't want to debate the pros or cons of Godsmack vs. Alice In Chains. As we all know...there can be no more Alice without Layne so to continue this is obsurd. We do have Godsmack and this is a great acoustical album....period. The band ventures into some really great dark minor key acoustic jam sessions as well as some middle eastern vibe riffs & the use of congo/bongo and other various percussion is mezmerizing...check out song #6 "Spiral"...its hypnotic rise and fall will really grab you !! Song #7 - "Asleep" is another powerfully understated song that escapes you on the first play through but one you'll come back to again and again...I even find myself doing an echo, repeating "Chris Cornell-esque/Soungarden" type harmony (its not in the song but if you listen it will just come to you !!) And without a doubt the song that will definitely make a believer out of you has to be "Touche`".....the acoustic guitar just pulls you in with the little stylie intro....and the words are classic...a quid pro quo look at the world. This is a cool buy if you like dark and hypnotic stripped down acoustic and bongo/congo percussion !!! As for the Alice in Chains comparison, remember, imitation is the greatest form of flattery !!

If your looking for a new cd to just chill to this is one cd that you can look forward to listen to over and over, even though its only a 7 song cd but hey thats why its 10 dollars.(Its worth every penny) Theirs 3 new songs on this cd running blind,touche(feat. lead singer from dropbox), and asleep. People knew that this cd should have been comming because of their alice n chains influences.

1. Running Blind-5/5 good song, this song first shows they can go acoustic

The Other Side is a great break from Godsmack's usual heavy songs. I'm glad to see more acoustic albums nowadays. My favorite tracks are Asleep (which is an awesome, slower version of Awake), Voices, and Touchi. Smooth, refined and entrancing. I highly recommend fans of Godsmack and rock in general buy this album. It's well worth your money.

Quick Review of the Tracks ;

1. Running Blind - Amazing song, great introduction to the album. I recommend that you watch it Live on Yahoo's Launch Music TV.

2. Re - Align - Beautiful Vocals here, wonderful chorus and a (even although acoustic) good hard riff.

3. Touché - Feat with Lee Richards and John Kosco with good lyrics and a country feel to it. Very nice track.

4. Voices - Also has a slight country feel to it, excellent use of percussion and the lyrics are well crafted.

5. Keep Away - Totally Rocks, hard and heavy despite being acoustic, catchy chorus and a great riff.

6. Spiral - Beautiful percussion, riff and vocals, awesome track, perhaps the EP's best.

7. Asleep - Asleep is a ballad type remake of a previous Godsmack song "Awake". Soft and soothing with a lot of nice touches. (ticking of a clock and breathing of a sleeper)

Being a Brit I'd never really heard of a band called "Godsmack" before (not sure why Godsmack haven't really established themselves over here yet) but thanks to my fascination with Metallica and by following the Madly In Anger tour via Metallica's website, I soon got to know Godsmack a lot better.

This is my first Godsmack album and I absolutely adore every track on it. Sully Erna is an outstanding vocalist and the naked acoustic-ness of the songs and Godsmack's experiments with percussion all come together to create music that is truly beautiful. Each track is soft and surreal, wonderful to listen and chill to.

I'm very impressed with Godsmack's ability to, like Metallica, try different things. It is also strange that whenever bands evolve and experiment their so called 'fans' slate them for it. If you want to hear bands doing the same stuff over and over again go listen to pop or rap.

This is an excellent EP, well worth the £10.00/$10.00 price and I recommend it to anyone, even to those who aren't into Rock / Metal to whom the soft accoustics will appeal. As vocalist Sully Erna says, Godsmack is opening up to different musical styles and sounds and I wait in anticipation as to what they will do next.

It's too bad Godsmack sounds exactly like Alice in Chains. They have really put out some great music over the years. "The Other Side" is no different. Sure, it sounds exactly like "Jar of Flies", but it's really a pretty darn good album.

Unfortunately, Godsmack will always be looked upon as a puppet of Alice in Chains, no matter what they do. I suppose when you sound like AIC, and you name the band after one of their songs, it's only fair.

But this album...a fine collection of acoustic songs.. some new, some remakes of old Godsmack songs. One of my favorites is "Re-Align". I also enjoy the first song on the CD.. the name escapes me right now for some reason. Before I heard this album, I didn't know what to expect, since Alice in Chains also made an acoustic EP. But Godsmack did pull it off, like they have all along. I can't imagine what's next in line for the boys of Godsmack.