Live Review : Godsmack + The Raven Age @ Academy, Manchester on October 9th 2022

Something as simple as geography being a determiner of a band’s success has always been amazing to me. You hear a lot about some of the UK’s biggest bands struggling to “break the states”, which can turn a band that is of monumental stature over here into another run of the mill band clogging up a festival line up poster for some festival in the arse end of Colorado. What does not get mentioned all that much, however, is those gargantuan bands over in the United States, trying to “Break the UK.” 

Tonights headliners Godsmack are a notable example of this. Across the Atlantic they are 4x Grammy Nominee’s, Billboards Rock Artist of the Year 2001, 16x Boston Music Award Winners and have had 3 consecutive Billboard #1 Albums and 25 Top 10 Rock Radio Singles. They have headlined multiple festivals and are certified Arena band. What this means is that by their standards, tonight's show at the 2500 capacity Manchester Academy is an incredibly intimate affair.

Before Godsmack took to the stage however, London band The Raven Age had the job of getting the crowd warmed up. The Raven Age admittedly has a strong CV as tour supports, opening for the likes of Iron Maiden, Killswitch Engage, Anthrax and Tremonti. This is not something to be scoffed at and I expected as a result to see a top-quality band. For me however, the end product was somewhat uninspiring. It was like watching Bullet For My Valentine partaking in Alter Bridge Karaoke. Myles Kennedy and Co. Were present in a lot of what I heard, from the uncanny Myles Kennedy inspired vocals, to crushing Mark Tremonti-esque riffs, even going as far as leaning heavily on Scott Philips’ signature syncopated Hi Hat/Ride patterns on the drums. It would, however, be a disservice to say that they don’t cut it as musicians. Whilst the music was not there for me, it is undeniable that The Raven Age are a competent set of musicians. The vocalist, Matt James definitely has a bit of welly in his voice, and it shone through the massive noise being produced by the rest of the band; besides, to draw comparisons to Myles Kennedy, you definitely have to have a bit about you. In the end, the sum of these talented parts offered nothing in the way of innovation in my eyes. It was hard to differentiate song from song, as a result of the formulaic, verse, big chorus, verse structure that came with every number they performed. It came across all a bit “Seen that a million times before” and was ultimately pretty forgettable. 

As previously mentioned, the Manchester Academy was an intimate affair for Godsmack. Before arriving, a large white curtain covered the entire stage as a tape playing a bespoke set of remixes seemingly curated by Beastie Boys’ Mike D blared out over the PA. Multiple Genres were covered during this 5-minute mash-up, from Hip Hop to Classic Rock to Nu Metal and even a quick sample of Michael Buffer egging the crowd on with his trademark cry of “Let's Get Ready to Rumble”. Once the curtain dropped, revealing Sully Erna and Co, the place absolutely erupted. Opening tracks don’t come better than their 2018 track ‘When Legends Rise’. This was textbook Godsmack. There are huge thumping riffs, the pitch perfect signature post-grunge vocals of Sully Erna and an impeccably tight rhythm section. This was not just a song made for arena’s, it was a song that was made to accompany the hype package of a WrestleMania or UFC Main Event. Combine this with the intimate hall of the Manchester Academy and it was absolute opening song perfection. 

What followed was a 1-2-3 punch of ‘Keep Away’, ‘Cryin’ Like A Bitch’ & ‘Unforgettable’. Each song hitting harder than the next as the energy in the room never once died. What was clear from the capacity crowd tonight was that they absolutely adore this band. Every word was passionately sung back as if the room took the mantle of being Godsmack’s own personal choir. The infectious groove of songs such as ‘1000hp’ and ‘Awake’ kept the crowd moving and continuously engaged during the bands approximately 80 minute set. 

Usually, a band like Godsmack are not my cup of tea. The umbrella of bands they tend to fall under include an array of bands I simply don’t like. Disturbed, Five Finger Death Punch, Coal Chamber, etc. etc., have never done a thing for me. I just can’t get behind this very safe, pandering genre of metal, in which repetitive riffs and soulless vocals singing about absolute nonsense are the order of the day. What separates Godsmack from these bands is their ability to employ a bit more substance in their work. They are labelled “post-Grunge” for a reason, and that is because when they incorporate everything that makes Grunge as iconic as it is and add their own contemporary twist to it, they sound fantastic. Take a song such as ‘Awake’ for example. It has the contemporary radio rock chorus, the pretty simplistic riffs, yet Sully Erno adds a dynamic to it via his Layne Stayley-esque vocal performance. It’s what separates Godsmack from their contemporaries in my opinion. 

There is however, a flip side to this coin. We’ve covered the idea that Godsmack write songs for arenas, and tonight it was not just a blessing, but at times a curse. You can kind of tell the point in Godsmack’s career when they finally realised their potential as an arena band. You can tell this through their repeated use of the ol’ reliable “Woah’s” and “Oh’s” in their chorus. Once, maybe even twice, this is fine, but when every other song has the crowd participating in a case of the Woah’s and Oh’s, it gets a bit tedious. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not as soul destroying as watching Paul McCartney doing his usual “Okay, Just the Fella’s now”, 15 minutes into a performance of ‘Hey Jude’, and it didn’t even come across as self-indulgent either. It was just meh and killed the momentum of an otherwise blistering set on multiple occasions. 

All in all, I was mightily impressed with Godsmack. It’s plain and simple, they’ve done this for years now and know their arse from their elbow when it comes to what a live show is and as a result everything was covered. Phenomenal Light show, check. Impressive sound, Check. Songs that can hold and captivate an audience, check. If not for a few moments of tedium, both in the Woah’s and Oh’s and a fair bit of awkward and forced crowd interaction, it would have been a stellar show. I think in this instance, Godsmack would have benefitted from just playing their shit and letting the crowd take it all in for what it was, as they were received like heroes on the night.

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!