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Godsmack

США

Alternative Rock
Acoustic Rock
Alternative Metal
Nu Metal

http://www.godsmack.com
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/godsmack
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Godsmack

13 июн 2025 :	New GODSMACK Touring Guitarist SAM BAM KOLTUN: 'I Was Very, Very Grateful For The Opportunity'
24 май 2025 :	SULLY ERNA: GODSMACK Is 'Taking A Full Year Off'
15 апр 2025 :	GODSMACK To Release The Oracle On Vinyl For The First Time Ever
3 апр 2025 :	GODSMACK Confirms Split With SHANNON LARKIN And TONY ROMBOLA: 'Their Departure Opens The Door For New And Exciting Possibilities'
31 мар 2025 :	See Two-Camera Video Mix Of GODSMACK's Concert In Gliwice, Poland During Spring 2025 European Tour
26 мар 2025 :	Watch: GODSMACK Plays Second Concert With Drummer WILL HUNT, Guitarist SAM BAM KOLTUN
25 мар 2025 :	SULLY ERNA Says 'Personal Things' Are Preventing SHANNON LARKIN And TONY ROMBOLA From Touring With GODSMACK
24 мар 2025 :	GODSMACK Kicks Off 2025 European Tour Without Drummer SHANNON LARKIN And Guitarist TONY ROMBOLA
1 дек 2024 :	GODSMACK's SHANNON LARKIN Says SULLY ERNA 'Gets Better' As A Singer As He Gets Older
9 окт 2024 :	SULLY ERNA: 'There'll Be No More New GODSMACK' Music
30 сен 2024 :	GODSMACK To Release IV Album On Vinyl For The First Time Ever
17 июн 2024 :	GODSMACK To Release Faceless Album On Vinyl For First Time Ever
16 май 2024 :	GODSMACK To Release Awake Album On Double LP Remastered Vinyl For First Time Ever
23 апр 2024 :	SULLY ERNA On Not Having A Game Plan With GODSMACK: 'It's Kind Of Exciting'
18 апр 2024 :	GODSMACK's SHANNON LARKIN On 'Vibez Tour': 'It's The Coolest Thing We've Done In Many Years'
16 апр 2024 :	Watch GODSMACK's Entire 'Vibez Tour' Concert In Indio
4 мар 2024 :	GODSMACK Joined By AEROSMITH's BRAD WHITFORD For 'Dream On' Performance In Nashville During 2024 'Vibez Tour'
1 мар 2024 :	GODSMACK Releases Music Video For 'Emotional' And 'Raw' Power Ballad 'Truth'
20 фев 2024 :	SULLY ERNA Doesn't Rule Out More New Music From GODSMACK: 'You Can Never Say Never'
18 фев 2024 :	Watch: GODSMACK Covers METALLICA, PINK FLOYD, LED ZEPPELIN And THE BEATLES At 'Vibez Tour' Kick-Off
31 янв 2024 :	GODSMACK Shares Video From Rehearsals For 'Vibez Tour'
28 дек 2023 :	GODSMACK's SHANNON LARKIN Reflects On The Moment He Realized He Had 'Made It' As A 'Rock Star'
22 дек 2023 :	GODSMACK's SULLY ERNA On Upcoming 'Vibez Tour': 'We Wanna Create A Really Cool Night Of Music And Storytelling'
17 дек 2023 :	GODSMACK's SHANNON LARKIN: 'We're Now At A Point In Our Career Where Maybe Our Lives Can Come First'
30 окт 2023 :	Watch: GODSMACK And EXTREME Cover AC/DC's 'Highway To Hell' In Camden
28 окт 2023 :	GODSMACK Is 'Talking About' Covering LED ZEPPELIN And PINK FLOYD On Upcoming 'Stripped-Down' U.S. Tour

13 июн 2025

New GODSMACK Touring Guitarist SAM BAM KOLTUN: 'I Was Very, Very Grateful For The Opportunity'

In a new interview with Thomas S. Orwat, Jr. of Rock Interview Series, Sam Bam Koltun (DOROTHY, FASTER PUSSYCAT, BUDDERSIDE) spoke about what it was like to play guitar for GODSMACK during the latter band's recently completed European tour. Asked if he had a lot of time to get ready for the trek, Sam said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I had found out about the auditions kind of end of January, very end of January. And that's about when I heard from management after I was looped in and connected with management. And then the auditions were kind of mid-February about, and then after that there was a week off and then rehearsals started at lke the end of February. So there was about a month, I guess, before that I knew. But I had already learned the set for auditions. They had sent out the setlist and said, 'Pick out as many as you want to learn, as many as you can learn.' I learned all of them, and I learned the studio versions and the live versions, and then a couple extra songs. So, yeah, about a month was the time prior to the first gig. But that was auditions, then rehearsals, and then I went and did [The '80s] Cruise with [FASTER] PUSSYCAT and then went to Europe, and then we had a couple production rehearsals there and then started the tour."

Reflecting on the experience of playing material that was originally recorded by the now-former GODSMACK guitarist Tony Rombola, Sam said: "I was very, very grateful for the opportunity, and it was really, really cool to do. And all those guys are really, really great. Their crew is incredible. [GODSMACK frontman] Sully [Erna] and [GODSMACK bassist] Robbie [Merrill] are really, really, really cool dudes and the stuff is really fun to play. A little heavier than — I can't really say heavier than I'm used to, just 'cause I'm used to playing all different styles, depending on what is necessary and what's needed. But it was fun to play with that much gain, as a guitar player. It's just, like, all the chunky riffs. And the crowds were incredible. The fans were really, really cool. I was very appreciative that people didn't throw stuff at me. And I had a great time with Will Hunt too, the drummer, Will Hunt from EVANESCENCE [who played drums for GODSMACK in Europe in March/April 2025 as the replacement for Shannon Larkin]. He and I had met prior to that. He was with either Stephen Pearcy or SLAUGHTER and I was with PUSSYCAT on a Monsters Of Rock cruise and we had met there. And so when we were both in [GODSMACK] auditions together, it was kind of a trip.

"I can't say anything other than [I'm] just thankful for the opportunity," Sam repeated. "It was crazy to do. I enjoyed every second of it. And how the whole thing came about in general, it was just very, very wild. But, yeah, it does something to your confidence for sure when you have to step onto a stage like that and the first show is 13,000 people, sold out, in Sofia, Bulgaria in a country that you've never been to. And so definitely something else takes over in that time, for sure. But it was really, really cool and I'm thankful to have gotten to experience a level of touring like that band does."

Regarding what Sully was like to work with, Sam said: "Sully was great. He was really, really cool to me. I was kind of unsure. The only thing I was unsure about at first is [when] we were in rehearsals and auditions... but he was really, really cool. He said that I had done my homework and he didn't really have any notes [for me], and it was great. He's a great singer, cool dude. I dig his whole vibe."

As for what he feels the most challenging part about that role in GODSMACK was, Sam said: "For me, I just wanted to hopefully try to give the most accurate presentation of the music. So, that was probably the most difficult — just trying to make sure everything was right. Yeah, just trying to present the music as close as I could, because Tony [Rombola] is a great guitar player, and I feel like a pretty underrated guitar player, especially going through and learning his parts and learning his things. And, yeah, that was definitely the most challenging thing."

Asked if there has been any talk about him playing more shows with GODSMACK in the future, Sam said: "I can't discuss anything further. I've already said too much. [Laughs]"

GODSMACK announced Rombola and Larkin's departures on April 2, revealing in a lengthy statement that both musicians had decided to retire from the band "for no other reason than to fulfill their desire to live a more simple and quiet life away from touring."

Larkin joined GODSMACK in 2002 after cutting his teeth with WRATHCHILD (later WRATCHILD AMERICA and SOULS AT ZERO) before getting picked up by UGLY KID JOE in time for a taste of their zenith.

Tony had been the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for GODSMACK since the mid-1990s following the departure of Lee Richards.

GODSMACK kicked off its 2025 European tour on March 22 at Arena 8888 in Sofia, Bulgaria.

The day before the Sofia concert, Erna told Elena Rozberg of Bulgaria's Z-Rock radio station that "personal things" were preventing Tony and Shannon from taking part in the trek and explained that "a couple of guest musicians" were playing with GODSMACK while he and Merrill were " trying to figure out exactly what's happening".

In the Z-Rock interview, Sully said about GODSMACK's current status: "I can tell you that there has definitely been some changes that have happened in the last few months. They are changes that we're not sure will be permanent or temporary, but everybody and everyone is in good health and in really good spirits. And the band is doing better than ever. We're [playing to] the biggest audiences ever, and the shows are just becoming more and more valuable, because, as we get older, we still appreciate coming to places like Sofia that is so far away from where we started and being able to come here and sell out a 13,000-seat arena.

"All I can tell you right now is that the band is in good health, we're in good spirits, but there's gonna be a little bit of a different visual for everybody. Tony and Shannon have some personal things going on, and they're not with us. So we have a couple of guest musicians playing with us that are phenomenal."

Asked to elaborate on the reason for Shannon and Tony's absences from the trek, Sully said: "Hmmmm… I don't know. I don't know. I don't know if I feel safe enough talking about that yet, because I don't wanna give people the wrong impression. Right now we're still at a stage where we're trying to figure out exactly what's happening, but we're also trying to respect their privacy. So whatever Tony and Shannon have going on in their personal life, we're just trying to respect that and at the same time still come here and put on a really great show. I can tell you right now that we have a guest drummer playing with us, who's Will from EVANESCENCE. And he is such a good friend of ours and such a great musician, and we've been having so much fun with him. So that's been a real surprise. And then we have a guitar player with us named Sam Koltun, who is somebody who — he's played with several different bands and a really, really nice guy and great guitar player. So as far as the music goes and the sound, it sounds exactly like we've always sounded, which is even surprising to me."

GODSMACK's spring 2025 European tour featured support from P.O.D. and DROWNING POOL.

The 14-date trek ended on April 12 in Oberhausen, Germany.

GODSMACK's latest album, "Lighting Up The Sky", was released in February 2023 via BMG. The LP was co-produced by Erna and Andrew "Mudrock" Murdock (AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ALICE COOPER).

Image credit: Loknath 007

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