Disco de Godsmack: “All Wound Up”

Now, this is the real debut album from Godsmack. Harvesting such raw passion and power, this Boston area band have something clicking quite well with this debut cd. From the opening stomp of "Moon Baby" to the atmospherically creepy "Voodoo", ALL WOUND UP has everything you'd want as a Godsmack fan. Even if you already own the re-release, if you can get your hands on this album, make sure you do. Other noteworthy tracks include the thrashing "Get Up, Get Out"; the teutonic assault of "Bad Religion", and the hard fist-pumping "Stress". Hidden track "Whatever" really shows the direction Godsmack was heading with their second album, AWAKE. But for the true origins, look no further than here.

Pros: Great mixture of already good metal styles.

Cons: A few mediocre cuts - still trying to find voice.

Don't be too confused by the title - Godsmack's major label debut is self titled - however before they hit it big, they had a preview version of the album that was sent to radio stations and the like for promotional purposes called "All Wound Up". The main differences that I am aware of between to two is that All Wound Up has different artwork, a different track order, and "Whatever" is added as a bonus cut. All Wound Up was originally released in 97, while the self titled release was put out in 1998.

So why am I Doing a review on All Wound Up? Because that's the version of the album that I have. :)

I vividly remember when we first got this release at my college radio station. Embarassingly enough I let it sit in my car for about a month before I actually opened it and up and gave it a listen. I really was blown away - which very few new musical acts do to me. If you could mix Alice in Chains, Metallica, and the sampling power of a Rob Zombie into one package - Godsmack would be the result.

Here's the track listing, again - the exact order may vary from your copy of the release -

1. Moon Baby 2. Immune 3. Time Bomb 4. Keep Away 5. Situation 6. Stress 7. Bad Religion 8. Get Up, Get Out! 9. Now or Never 10. Going Down 11. Voodoo 12. Whatever (Hidden Track)

Clearly the album is heavily front and rear loaded, with most of the mediocre material wedged in the middle - oh but what a start and finish.

"Moon Baby" kicks things off - and immediately you are deluged with samples. It really is a decent introduction to the groups sounding - throwing most of the major elements they use at you - Alt Metal rock guitar, samples, and the angry post-Black Album Hetfield vocal stlyings that will mark most of the release. It's solid, but the best is yet to come.

"Immune" is probably my favorite song on the album. I love the intro - I love the samples ("You have come here from all over the world because society has no further use for you"). It starts of slow, with a eerie intro - and builds up to some funk metal guitar work ala Faith No More/AIC and then rocks out with a awesome chorus. It gets my vote for best song.

"Time Bomb" is a bit heavier on the electronic sampling and effects processing, and can get slightly repetitive - but is also another extremely good song. "Keep Away" is stronger in my eyes - much more of a purer metal sound. It also comes in with a slightly eerie intro and builds up to the meat of the song - it's full of anger and power - And if "Whatever" weren't so popular, "Keep Away" would fill the same niche.

Now we move into the middle of the album, where things weaken a tad. They don't get poor - but the stronger cuts are just so much more memorable that you'll not be captivated by tunes such as "Situation" and "Stress" - Godsmack offers nothing new here - angry, hard edged more traditional metal songs here. Decent, but not awe-inspiring.

"Bad Religion" is a bit better - starts off with cool samples, ends with cool samples, and the first line: "Get Back!" is forcefully enough to be intense - and the song tries really hard to be ultra-in your face and deliver a message - but somehow it gets a little lost. Perhaps it's simply weak title.

"Get Up, Get Out!" has a very Tool sound to it. It's slower, more of a sludge metal. But Godsmack is not Tool, nor do they sound particularly impressive trying to sound like Tool. The song takes far too long to get going - and when it does, it sounds like an Alice in Chains song. The actual chorus itself is extremely catchy - the song just could have really been trimmed up a bit to let the strength to show through.

The same can be said for "Now or Never" really - I think the band was still struggling a bit to find their own voice at this point in their songwriting - and it just sounds like a mix of other things you've heard before and have been done better. "Going Down" is just plain boring.

But then - after a mediocre middle - like a stale oreo cookie - The album finishes extremely song.

Yes, "Voodoo" sounds amazingly like it could have been an Alice in Chains song. Yes, it too is repetitive, and yes, it's not exactly a musical masterpiece. All that aside - The bottom line is that it is very catchy, and the song has a great sound. While I don't hold it in the esteem as many Godsmack fans do - I acknowledge it as one of the better tunes on the release.

And then "Whatever" - which was actually the song that first really got them noticed - is added as a hidden track. Though I think the record people knew it was going to be popular because on the little promo sticker on the front of the CD - it is mentioned as one of the featured songs. And they were right - it is catchy, angry, powerful, and dark. The timing for its release could not have been better. And it - behind "Immune" for me anyway - stands as the best song on the CD.

It's tough to say now - because Godsmack is certainly a more mainstream band now and accepted by most everyone. But when this was first released, it was a refreshing change from the pile of Korn sound-alikes that were trying to get noticed. I thought it was a great CD then, and I still do now. Metal fans all should be pleased - I believe it to be one of the best loud rock releases in many years.

NOTE - This opinion was originally written on 12/31/00.

Godsmack as many have known,have become very popular with hard rock fans.Bringing new listeners all the time,with such songs as,"Moon Baby",and "Whatever".Expilicit lyrics are no problem with Godsmack.Many listeners can relate to such songs as the very popular,"Voodoo",and,"Get up,Get out!".Though numerous apperances in concerts and the famous "Ozzfest",Godsmacks 2 albums have hit charts with awesome ratings.Everyone that listens to hard rock knows Godsmack.And if you listen to this CD,you'll not want to listen to anything else.

i got this cd over a year ago when theey were a local band and still selling it in stores this is an awsome cd(s) you should by it.

-"Whatever" is not on the cd, but attached as a single. -"Someone in London" is part of "Get Up, Get Out" -"Goin Down" is an exclusive track NOT found on "Godsmack". -Some tracks were modified.