Godsmack – Faceless – Double Vinyl Records

Description

Godsmack – Faceless – Double Vinyl Records

Faceless captures Godsmack at a point when the band’s heavy, rhythm-driven sound had become firmly established, but the writing and performances were still pushing toward a larger stage. Released in 2003, the third studio album combines Sully Erna’s forceful vocals with Tony Rombola’s guitar, Robbie Merrill’s bass and Shannon Larkin’s drums. The songs are built around substantial riffs and a tightly controlled pulse, with enough space in the arrangements to make a change of rhythm or intensity count. The record’s weight comes as much from that discipline as from the distortion surrounding it.

“Straight Out of Line” opens the album with one of its defining statements. The vocal has a clear melodic shape, while the instruments give the song a firm and immediately recognizable foundation. The title track and “Changes” continue the attack, showing how the band can vary a heavy framework without losing its central character. Erna’s delivery often moves between a sustained melodic phrase and a more percussive emphasis, allowing the voice to become part of the rhythm. Rombola’s guitar parts work closely with the bass and drums, making the ensemble sound unified without becoming indistinct.

“Make Me Believe,” “I Stand Alone” and “Re-Align” form a particularly strong run through the middle of the program. “I Stand Alone,” already associated with The Scorpion King, gives the album another point of recognition, but it fits the surrounding material rather than sounding like an isolated soundtrack addition. The production allows the lower register of the band to remain clear, giving the grooves a physical presence. Larkin’s drumming adds definition to the shifts between sections, while Merrill’s bass reinforces the sense that these are songs built from a functioning rhythm section rather than guitar figures placed over a fixed backing.

The later selections include “I Fucking Hate You,” “Releasing the Demons,” “Dead and Broken” and “I Am,” maintaining the record’s confrontational tone while changing its rhythmic shape. The closing movement through “The Awakening” into “Serenity” is especially important. “Serenity” creates a different atmosphere, giving the voice and percussion more room and allowing the album to end on a more reflective note. That contrast broadens the record beyond the familiar image of uninterrupted hard-rock aggression. Its quieter ending makes the earlier intensity feel part of a larger emotional range.

This double vinyl edition presents the remastered twelve-track album at 45 RPM, spreading the program across four sides. The configuration gives the original sequence a distinct physical presentation while retaining the movement from the opening attack to the closing “Serenity.” Faceless remains a central Godsmack release because it combines the songs that brought the band a wider audience with a consistently strong ensemble sound. The hooks are clear, the riffs have weight and the rhythm section gives the music a precision that makes its changes of pace particularly effective.

Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic

Track Listing

A1. Straight Out of Line
A2. Faceless
A3. Changes
B1. Make Me Believe
B2. I Stand Alone
B3. Re-Align
C1. I Fucking Hate You
C2. Releasing the Demons
C3. Dead and Broken
D1. I Am
D2. The Awakening
D3. Serenity