Faceless
Studio album by
Godsmack
ReleasedApril 8, 2003
Recorded2002
StudioHit Factory Criteria (Miami, Florida)
Genre
Length47:19
Label
Producer
Godsmack chronology
Awake
(2000)		 Faceless
(2003)		 The Other Side
(2004)
Singles from Faceless
  1. "I Stand Alone"
    Released: May 18, 2002
  2. "Straight Out of Line"
    Released: March 13, 2003
  3. "Serenity"
    Released: June 24, 2003
  4. "Re-Align"
    Released: March 16, 2004
  5. "I Am"
    Released: May 10, 2004

Faceless is the third studio album by American rock band Godsmack. The album introduced drummer Shannon Larkin, former drummer for Ugly Kid Joe.[3] The album was released on April 8, 2003.

The songs "I Stand Alone" and "Straight Out of Line" had Grammy nominations for 'Best Rock Song' and 'Best Hard Rock Performance' respectively.[4]

Recording and lyrical themes

The writing and recording process, according to Erna, was a self-contained one in which the band holed up in a rented home in Miami, Florida and wrote without distraction or influence from the rock music scene going on around them.[5]

On the subject of the album, Erna told LAUNCH Media: "It's a bit more musical at times, it's a bit more melodic, but it's still raw," Erna said. "It's still tough. It's still got that Godsmack edge to it, but it's not quite as angry, maybe, as the past stuff has been. But it's still got its rawness...Well, I shouldn't say that. There's a couple of nasty fuckin' songs on this record. But all in all I think it's just really, I think, some well written stuff. I'm really proud of it."[6] Erna found inspiration after reading Rush drummer Neil Peart's book Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road,[7] and penned the new song "Serenity", which Merrill says is similar in motif to the tribal-drum sound of Godsmack's past hit "Voodoo".

Release

Faceless debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 269,000 copies in its first week,[8] and the album would go on to sell over one million copies in the United States, Faceless beat Linkin Park's Meteora, which dropped to number two on the Billboard 200. Faceless also debuted at number nine on the Top Canadian Albums and at number one on the Top Internet Albums and remained at the specific chart for two weeks.

The second single "Straight Out of Line" received a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Hard Rock Performance." The award went to Evanescence's single, "Bring Me to Life".[9]

Erna remembered that the band was rehearsing for the tour a few months back when they got the news that the album had debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart. "Well, we were in West Palm Beach, Florida rehearsing for this tour and the call came in and it blew my mind because we worked really hard on this record and we wanted people to love it and we wanted it to do well," Erna says. "But we had no idea that it would be the Number One album in the country and it's very gratifying to know that you're rewarded at times for the hard work you do."[10]

The song "I Fucking Hate You" appeared in the TV spots for the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, albeit an instrumental version.[11]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic(50/100)[12]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
antiMUSIC[13]
Entertainment WeeklyC−[14]
KNAC[15]
Rolling Stone[2]
Ultimate Guitar[16]

The album received generally mixed reviews from critics upon its release. It holds a score of 50/100 on review aggregate site Metacritic, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[12]

Wade Kergan, writing for AllMusic, awarded the album two and a half out of five stars and commented that although the album has "successful moments", but lacks the "pop hooks" of their debut and often sounds "sorely underwritten".[1] Chris Willman for Entertainment Weekly was similarly lukewarm towards the album, calling it "the same staccato riffing, constipated vocals, and generic, rage-against-the-kidney-stone angst."[14] Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone also denigrated the album, awarding it two stars and commenting that although the music is "well-constructed", it "sounds like a nightmare that's more played-out than scary."[2]

Some critics were more positive regarding the album, however. AntiMusic's review felt that the group "hit(s) a little harder" and praised the album as Godsmack's "strongest effort to date", awarding the album four stars.[13] KNAC also awarded the album four stars and called the album "good loud aggressive heavy (slightly) pop-rock."[15]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Straight Out of Line"Erna4:19
2."Faceless"Erna3:35
3."Changes"Erna, Rombola4:19
4."Make Me Believe"Erna4:08
5."I Stand Alone"Erna4:06
6."Re-Align"Erna4:20
7."I Fucking Hate You"Erna4:07
8."Releasing the Demons"Erna4:12
9."Dead and Broken"Erna4:11
10."I Am"Erna3:59
11."The Awakening"Erna1:29
12."Serenity"Erna, Rombola4:34
Total length:47:19
UK bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Keep Away" (Live)Erna7:42
14."Awake" (Live)Erna5:39
Total length:60:40

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Faceless was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America a mere five weeks after the album's release in April.[25]

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[26] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[27] Platinum 1,500,000[28]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Country Date Label
United States April 8, 2003 Universal
United Kingdom April 22, 2003 Universal International

References

  1. 1 2 3 Allmusic Review
  2. 1 2 3 4 Hoard, Christian (April 17, 2003). "RollingStone.com: Recordings: Godsmack, Faceless". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 17, 2003. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Godsmack Ready For 'Faceless' Release". Yahoo! Music. April 8, 2003. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  4. ↑ "Ken Phillips Publicity Group - Godsmack". Ken Phillips Publicity Group. July 11, 2006. Archived from the original on September 5, 2008. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  5. ↑ "Godsmack... No Longer Faceless". Universal Motown Records Group. February 5, 2003. Archived from the original on July 30, 2007. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  6. ↑ "Godsmack To Debut At Number One". Yahoo! Music. April 16, 2003. Archived from the original on August 13, 2007. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  7. ↑ "Godsmack Set 'Serenity' As Next Single". Blabbermouth.Net. May 23, 2003. Archived from the original on December 23, 2008. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  8. ↑ "Godsmack: 'Faceless' Debut At #1". Blabbermouth.Net. April 16, 2003. Archived from the original on December 23, 2008. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  9. ↑ "Grammy Award Winners". Grammy.com. Archived from the original on December 2, 2007. Retrieved November 10, 2007.
  10. ↑ "Godsmack Releases 'Serenity'". Yahoo! Music. July 1, 2003. Archived from the original on August 14, 2007. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  11. ↑ "Lauran Doverspike Faceless". World News. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  12. 1 2 "Godsmack : Faceless (2003)". Metacritic. Retrieved January 28, 2009.
  13. 1 2 antiGUY. "*hit & Miss - Godsmack Faceless". antiMUSIC.
  14. 1 2 Willman, Chris (April 11, 2003). "Faceless Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 17, 2015. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
  15. 1 2 Stingley, Mick (June 12, 2003). "Reviews - Godsmack Faceless". KNAC.
  16. ↑ ultimate-guitar Review Archived October 17, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  17. 1 2 "Faceless - Godsmack". Billboard.
  18. 1 2 "Godsmack - Awake". dutchcharts.nl.
  19. ↑ "Charverfolgung / Godsmack / Longplay" (in German). PhonoNet.
  20. ↑ "Godsmack - Faceless". charts.nz.
  21. ↑ Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK: Gina G - GZA". Zobbel.
  22. 1 2 3 4 "Godsmack Alternative Songs Chart History". Billboard.
  23. ↑ "Charverfolgung / Godsmack / Single" (in German). PhonoNet. Archived from the original on July 27, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  24. ↑ "Godsmack Hot 100 Chart History". Billboard.
  25. ↑ "Godsmack's 'Faceless' Certified Platinum!". Blabbermouth.Net. May 17, 2003. Archived from the original on December 23, 2008. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  26. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Godsmack – Faceless". Music Canada.
  27. ↑ "American album certifications – Godsmack – Faceless". Recording Industry Association of America.
  28. ↑ "Universal Republic Community | Biography". universalrepublic.com. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
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