Despite the band experiencing a ‘resurgence’ in interest according to their frontman Sully Erna, Godsmack are planning to take a year off. The multi-platinum hard rock group transitioned to a legacy band back in 2022, opting to cap off their catalog and only focus on performing live going forward.
The group also recently saw their roster cut in half, with vocalist/guitarist Sully Erna and bassist/vocalist Robbie Merrill remaining in place following the recent exit of drummer Shannon Larkin and guitarist/vocalist Tony Rombola.
Speaking this spring with Hammer World, Erna laid out some upcoming downtime for the band, as well his own potential solo plans.
“After this European tour, we’re taking a full year off. I’ll probably start something new during that time — I just don’t know what yet. I usually work on Godsmack for a certain amount of time, and then when we take a break, I shift to solo stuff. I think I might do that again.
This year is a bit of a mystery, but I’ve started getting some offers to focus on TV and film. I’m getting more and more involved in it, so I think I’m going to pursue that a little bit and see where it goes. I might end up writing music for movies or even acting again.
I’ve done that before and I really enjoyed it, so I’d like to do more. I’m definitely exploring other things besides Godsmack to keep me occupied while we figure out what’s next for the band. Right now, I honestly don’t know.”
Erna went on to add:
“What I do know is there’s been a resurgence of Godsmack. When we come out now, we’re playing to bigger and bigger audiences. We did Sofia, Bulgaria — sold out in two days, over 13,000 people. Romania was big and so was Poland. There’s this new interest in the band again, and we’re seeing a younger generation growing up listening to us. A lot of young kids are coming to our shows now, along with their parents. It’s wild.
We’ve survived so much over the years, gone through tough times, and we’re still here. We’re still relevant and writing good music. People keep coming to the shows, the band hasn’t stopped growing, and I couldn’t be happier. It’s nice to just get back to playing again without any obligations.
We’re not promoting a new record or anything right now. We’re just promoting the brand, the legacy. We’re doing these greatest hits shows and playing music simply because we love it. We’re back in control again — not the record labels, not the management company. Godsmack is back in control, and that, to me, is the greatest gift.”
Given the above attendance numbers mentioned by Erna, it would certainly seem he isn’t lying about the band picking up new fans. Back in 2023, Larkin lamented the lack of presence the group had in Europe, stating “…We’ve never made money in Europe ever. Period. And we’ve been there 15 times or whatever.” While the band have seemingly made inroads in that territory since, it’s clear that some markets still require a lot of work, as the group were forced to cancel a South American tour in 2023 due to low ticket sales.
