{"id":10467,"date":"2026-04-24T02:29:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T02:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/godsmack-sully-erna-interview-1236230469\/"},"modified":"2026-04-24T02:29:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T02:29:00","slug":"godsmack-sully-erna-interview-1236230469","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/godsmack-sully-erna-interview-1236230469\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Definitely There\u2019s Gonna be a New Record:\u2019 Godsmack Crushes Retirement\u00a0Talk"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tA lot of equivocating and elaborating followed Godsmack<\/a>\u2018s declaration in 2023 that it\u2019s ninth album, Lighting Up the Sky<\/em>, would be its last<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd now, as the Boston-formed heavy rock troupe prepares for the release of its new Live at the Mohegan Sun<\/em> album, next Friday, May 1, and this summer\u2019s Rise of Rock World Tour<\/em>, frontman Sully Erna tells Billboard<\/em> that there is indeed more to come.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cDefinitely there\u2019s gonna be a new record \u2014 I just don\u2019t know when it\u2019s coming,\u201d Erna says. \u201cWe\u2019ll probably get some new music out by early \u201927, I suppose. I\u2019m starting to noodle (on new songs), but it\u2019s a little too soon to say.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSome significant things have happened since Lighting Up the Sky\u2019s<\/em> release to bring about Godsmack\u2019s change in tone, none more crucial than guitarist Tony Rombola and drummer Shannon Larkin\u2019s decision to retire<\/a> from the band following the tour supporting Lighting Up the Sky<\/em> \u2014 \u201con good terms, but for no other reason than to fulfill their desire to live a more simple and quiet life away from touring,\u201d according to a statement by Erna during April of 2025. Erna said he and bassist Robbie Merrill were \u201cexcited to explore new directions.\u201d They filled out the band with Evanescence drummer Will Hunt and Dorothy guitarist Sam Koltun and toured in Europe during 2025.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cMe and Robbie sat down and had a long talk,\u201d Erna recalls now. \u201cWe contemplated kind of retiring the band\u2026but we were just like, \u2018We don\u2019t really want to stop yet. We feel like we have some gas in the tank. We love what we do.\u2019 (Hunt and Koltun) are strong, great players that really did an amazing job at honoring the music. Their attention to detail is perfect, (and) because the vocals don\u2019t change I really think people will enjoy the music and the brand the same as they have in the past, because that\u2019s really what it\u2019s about. It\u2019s about celebrating the music, celebrating the catalog.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSo we\u2019re like, \u2018Let\u2019s run this thing and see how it feels.\u2019 Me and Robbie started this thing together a long time ago; it was just me and him to begin with, now it\u2019s back to me and him. We made a promise to each other in the early days \u2013\u2018we don\u2019t know what this thing\u2019s gonna be. Let\u2019s just write some music, get in the studio, have fun with it, and no pressure.\u2019 And the thing ended up turning into a multi-platinum brand.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAnd now we\u2019re kind of using the same concept. We don\u2019t know if it\u2019s gonna feel good, not feel good, if it\u2019s gonna have longevity or if it\u2019s gonna die next week. But we\u2019ve got some gas in the tank now, so let\u2019s go out there and run it and see how it feels, see how people respond. Who knows; we might get surprised again and have Godsmack 2.0 for the next 10 years running, the second chapter in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

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