Review by Saxy S for Godsmack - Lighting Up the Sky (2023)

If there is one thing (and trust me, there is ONLY one thing) that separates the new Godsmack album Lighting Up the Sky from recent output by the Offspring and Five Finger Death Punch is that Godsmack is not filling this album to the brim with covers of far better songs; the record is, at surface level, original. But even that comes crumbling apart after more than a glancing listen to this record.

This album is dull in a way that those bands mentioned previously would be thoroughly impressed by. I understand that this style of grungy, hard rock/metal was popular during the 2000s and for a time, I used to listen to records like Faceless. But this is 2023, and Godsmack have gone nowhere since. They've been pumping out iron and albums on a semi-regular basis with no forward momentum or drive. Good luck being able to decipher which song is which on Lighting Up the Sky because barring the terrible ending from "Let's Go" to the title track closer, nothing pops.

I hold a special resentment for bands like Godsmack and any of the nostalgia farming bands that never change because boomer dads will eat this shit up. This is about as generic butt rock as they come.

Enjoy the retirement home and lighting up Bar-B-Q's.

Best Songs: Soul on Fire