Faceless


Faceless is the third studio album by American band Godsmack. The album introduced drummer Shannon Larkin, former drummer for Ugly Kid Joe. The album was released on April 8, 2003.
The songs "Straight Out of Line" and "I Stand Alone" had Grammy nominations for 'Best Rock Song' and, 'Best Hard Rock Performance' respectively.

Recording and lyrical themes

The writing and recording process, according to Erna, was a self-contained one in which the band holed up in a rented home in Miami, Florida and wrote without distraction or influence from the rock music scene going on around them.
On the subject of the album, Erna told LAUNCH Media: "It's a bit more musical at times, it's a bit more melodic, but it's still raw," Erna said. "It's still tough. It's still got that Godsmack edge to it, but it's not quite as angry, maybe, as the past stuff has been. But it's still got its rawness...Well, I shouldn't say that. There's a couple of nasty fuckin' songs on this record. But all in all I think it's just really, I think, some well written stuff. I'm really proud of it." Erna found inspiration after reading Rush drummer Neil Peart's book Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road, and penned the new song "Serenity", which Merrill says is similar in motif to the tribal-drum sound of Godsmack's past hit "Voodoo".

Release

Faceless debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 269,000 copies in its first week, and the album would go on to sell over one million copies in the United States, Faceless beat Linkin Park's Meteora, which dropped to number two on the Billboard 200. Faceless also debuted at number nine on the Top Canadian Albums and at number one on the Top Internet Albums and remained at the specific chart for two weeks.
The second single "Straight Out of Line" received a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Hard Rock Performance." The award went to Evanescence's single, "Bring Me to Life".
Erna remembered that the band was rehearsing for the tour a few months back when they got the news that the album had debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart. "Well, we were in West Palm Beach, Florida rehearsing for this tour and the call came in and it blew my mind because we worked really hard on this record and we wanted people to love it and we wanted it to do well," Erna says. "But we had no idea that it would be the Number One album in the country and it's very gratifying to know that you're rewarded at times for the hard work you do."
The song "I Fucking Hate You" appeared in the T.V. spots for the movie , albeit an instrumental version.

Reception

The album received generally mixed reviews from critics upon its release. It holds a score of 50/100 on review aggregate site Metacritic, indicating "mixed or average reviews."
Many critics had mixed feelings towards the album. Wade Kergan, writing for AllMusic, awarded the album 2.5 stars and commented that although the album has “successful moments,” it lacks the “pop hooks” of their debut and often sounds “sorely underwritten.” Entertainment Weekly’s Chris Willman was similarly lukewarm towards the album, calling it “the same staccato riffing, constipated vocals, and generic, rage-against-the-kidney-stone angst.” Rolling Stone’s Christian Hoard also denigrated the album, awarding it 2 stars and commenting that although the music “well-constructed,” it “sounds like a nightmare that's more played-out than scary.”
Some critics were more positive regarding the album, however. ‘’AntiMusic’’’s review felt that the group “hit a little harder” and praised the album as Godsmack’s “strongest effort to date,” awarding the album 4 stars KNAC also awarded the album 4 stars and called the album “good loud aggressive heavy pop-rock.”

Track listing

Personnel

;Godsmack
;Additional musicians
;Management
;Production
; Artwork
Album
Chart Peak
position
Canadian Albums Chart9
Dutch Albums Chart98
German Albums Chart70
New Zealand Albums Chart36
UK Albums Chart154
The Billboard 2001
Top Internet Albums1

Singles
YearSongChartPeak
position
2002"I Stand Alone"Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks1
2002"I Stand Alone"Alternative Songs20
2002"I Stand Alone"Dutch Singles Chart70
2002"I Stand Alone"German Singles Chart98
2003"Straight Out of Line"Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks1
2003"Straight Out of Line"Alternative Songs9
2003"Straight Out of Line"Billboard Hot 10073
2003"Serenity"Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks7
2004"Serenity"Alternative Songs10
2004"Re-Align"Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks3
2004"Re-Align"Alternative Songs28

Certifications

Faceless was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America a mere five weeks after the album's release in April.

Release history