Godsmack

Alice in Chains is believed to be the primary influence upon Godsmack; it is speculated that the band got their name from an Alice in Chains song of the same name (see below) and started off as a tribute band to Alice in Chains. [1] In an interview with MTV upon the death of Alice in Chains lead singer Layne Staley, Godsmack frontman Sully Erna stated that Staley "was single-handedly the guy that got me to start singing." [2] Other bands cited by Godsmack members as their primary influences typically include Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Pearl Jam, Metallica, Judas Priest and Black Sabbath.

In 2002, Godsmack received a Grammy nomination in Best Rock Instrumental Performance for the song "Voodoo" from the album Godsmack. In 2004, they were opening for Metallica's Madly in Anger with the World Tour, while headlining with Dropbox in the summer. Then they did acoustic shows for their newly released album The Other Side in the fall of 2004, while still opening for Metallica. In September 2004, Godsmack issued a live DVD titled "Changes," (it went gold, according to RIAA) which the band recorded earlier that year. That same month, the group also released "Batalla de los Tambores," a live cut available only via online services such as Apple's iTunes Music Store, Real and Napster. Their latest single "Speak" was released on February 14, 2006 and their album titled IV was released April 25, 2006. According to an interview with Sully a new international tour is slated to begin in June and touring in the states will begin in September. IV debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 211,000 copies in its first week.

Godsmack and Breaking Benjamin kicked off a multi-city U.S. tour on August 25, 2006.