The 11 song disc is the first Godsmack album produced solely by the band’s charismatic lead singer Sully Erna. Mixed by legendary engineer/producer Andy Johns (Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones) the group wrote nearly 40 songs for the new album, recording the final 11 tracks that grace the album at Sully’s Spiral Recordings Studio in Los Angeles. “We want to perk people’s eyebrows up with this one,” says Sully, the band employing their first full studio arsenal since 2003’s Faceless. “The key was to retain the toughness of our sound but move forward, as well.”

Consider mission accomplished on Godsmack IV, with hauntingly melodic offerings like “Livin’ In Sin,” “Hollow,” and “Voodoo Too,” a sequel of sorts to the 1998 Godsmack classic “Voodoo.” More of a fully co-written effort than previous Godsmack albums, Godsmack IV also fuels the band’s converging disciplines for what Sully calls ‘old school Godsmack,’ harking back to the thunderous arc of multiplatinum masterpieces like their 1998 self-titled debut album and 2000’s Awake, as well as the more subtle flexing heard on their 2004 acoustic EP The Otherside.

Known for their fierce touring regimen, Godsmack have been regulars at past Ozzfests, appeared at Woodstock ’99, toured with Metallica, and headlined their own arena juggernauts. The group will hit the road in support of Godsmack IV with a series of Canadian dates, kicking off June 10, followed by treks through Japan and Australia in July. A North American Tour is being mapped out for late summer and fall, with dates expected to be announced in the coming weeks.