Godsmack是来自美国马萨诸塞州首府波士顿的一支工业金属乐队。Godsmack乐队深受着名的Alice in Chains乐队影响，Godsmack的乐队名称便来自于Alice in Chains乐队的歌曲。90年代中期，Godsmack乐队刚刚成立之时的阵容由巫术崇拜者Sully Erna为主唱，Tony Rambola为吉他手，Robbie Merrill为贝司手，鼓手则是Tommy Stewart。 1997年，Godsmack乐队通过独立唱片公司EK Records公司录制发行了乐队的第一张专辑《All Wound Up》，随后不久，Godsmack乐队就得到了Universal唱片公司的合同，他们的早期作品也得以发行。1998年8月，Godsmack乐队重新发行了早期创作的专辑《Godsmack》，这也是Godsmack乐队发行的第一张正式专辑，不过在此期间，乐队的鼓手Tommy Stewart宣布离队，Joe D'Arco取代了他的位置。但是Godsmack乐队的麻烦却随之而来，由于专辑的内容过于猥亵，他们很快被要求重新分级发行，同时还遭到了零售业巨子沃尔马公司连锁店的封杀，至今Godsmack乐队的名字依然是沃尔马连锁店的敏感字眼。然而就在各界的争议声中，这张专辑在1999年的销量突破了50 万张，而同年就在Godsmack乐队获邀参加Ozzfest音乐节演出之后，立即名声大噪，次年这张专辑的销量超过了400万张，专辑中的单曲也在单曲榜上取得了佳绩。Godsmack乐队这支工业金属乐队终于成为了新金属时期的主要摇滚乐队之一。 2000年，Godsmack乐队第二次参加了Ozzfest音乐节的表演，并且在这一年10月发行了乐队的第二张专辑《Awake》，同时他们还为电影《惊声尖叫3》(Scream 3)的原声大碟贡献了单曲《Time Bomb》。在2002年初，Godsmack乐队第一次获得了格莱美奖评委的青睐，他们的单曲《Vampires》获得了格莱美最佳摇滚器乐演奏奖 (Best Rock Instrumental Performance)的提名，同时乐队的这张专辑也卖出了超过两百万张的销售成绩。在与格莱美奖擦肩而过之后，Godsmack乐队的灵魂Sully Erna又为了动作大片《魔蝎大帝》(The Scorpion King)的电影原声创作了好评单曲《I Stand Alone》。在2002年度格莱美奖评选上，这首单曲《I Stand Alone》获得了包括最佳硬摇滚演奏奖(Best Hard Rock Performance)和最佳摇滚歌曲奖(Best Rock Song)两项大奖的提名，但是最终依然未能获奖。2002年春天，Godsmack乐队还发行了DVD《Smack This!》。 2003年4月，Godsmack乐队的第三张正式专辑《Faceless》正式发行，并且在发行后的首周便排在了Billboard 200排行榜的榜首。在这张专辑中他们与新制作人David Bottrill一起展开合作，并且由新鼓手Shannon Larkin取代了Joe D'Arco，不过这张专辑的总销量却没有他们的前作那么好，仅仅卖出了100万张多一点。2004年3月16日，Godsmack乐队又收起了狂燥的气焰，发行了乐队历史上的第一张不插电专辑《Other Side》。 by Jason AnkenyThe Boston-based alternative metal group Godsmack originally comprised vocalist Sully Erna (a devout Wiccan), guitarist Tony Rambola, bassist Robbie Merrill, and drummer Tommy Stewart. After debuting in 1997 with All Wound Up, Godsmack signed with Universal, which in 1998 reissued the LP as a self-titled effort with a handful of new tracks; at that point Stewart — whod left the group in mid-1997 and was replaced by drummer Joe dArco — returned to the lineup on a permanent basis. The bands audience built slowly but surely, and Godsmack was certified gold in 1999, the same year the group was invited to join the Ozzfest tour; by the next year, it had sold over three million copies, thanks to hit singles like Whatever and Keep Away. In 2000, the group again played Ozzfest, and released their second proper album, Awake, that fall. In January 2001, Awake earned the band a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for the song Vampires, and by March, it had sold two million copies. Hot on the heels of their continuing success, their single I Stand Alone propelled the hype of the movie The Scorpion King in March 2002. As the single maintained Godsmacks strong presence at modern rock radio into the summer, founding member Tommy Stewart left the band in June. The David Bottrill-produced (Peter Gabriel, Tool, Mudvayne) album Faceless appeared in April 2003. It also marked the debut of ex-Amen drummer Shannon Larkin. The all-acoustic Other Side arrived in spring 2004. In 2006, Erna stepped behind the board to helm IV, a collection of new material that reached number one while both retaining the groups trademark heft and expanding their sonic palette.