The band Godsmack has announced the release of their new album, Lighting Up The Sky, for February 24, 2023, in addition to the second single, “You And I,” which was released this Friday. The album is co-produced by Andrew Murdock and vocalist/guitarist Sully Erna .
Lighting Up The Sky is a great storytelling piece. “I like it when an album takes you on a journey from beginning to end. I realized there’s a whole story here about a man’s journey, the highs and lows. I believe it’s a story everyone will connect with, on a human level, because we all go through things in life. The album explores the meeting of a boy and a girl, obstacles in relationships, the polarized political climate and the state of the world, betrayal, connection, reunions, and more. It also touches on the idea of the legacy we leave behind,” commented Erna. The creative process happened naturally, without grand ideas. “This kind of mystical thing happened where I felt the universe wrote this album.”
On the other hand, in an interview with Minnesota radio station 93X , the vocalist spoke about this being Godsmack's last studio album. "It's the most important album, I think, that we've ever written and recorded. And that's because it's exciting, man."
Even though it's their last original work, the heavy metal intends to continue touring. “I'm not saying the band is going to break up. It's because we're at a point in our lives now where we've worked very hard for the last three decades. We'd like to enjoy our lives, families, homes, and things we've achieved over the years of sacrifice. So, I think the balance, the middle ground, is being able to go out there now and continue to do live shows with our greatest hits .” The decision also stemmed from the belief that people nowadays don't care about new music from bands that have been around for a long time. What matters are the songs that have been part of their lives for decades.
In September, Godsmack released the lead single “ Surrender, ” marking the band’s return after four years since the release of their last album, When Legends Rise (2018), which topped the charts.
Check out the single “You and I”, cover and tracklist from Lighting Up The Sky :
Godsmack: Lighting Up The Sky
01. You And I
02. Red White & Blue
03. Surrender
04. What About Me
05. Truth
06. Hell's Not Dead
07. Soul On Fire
08. Let's Go
09. Best of Times
10. Growing Old
11. Lighting Up The Sky
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