Sully Erna, best known as singer and main songwriter of acclaimed rock band Godsmack, is branching out from his rock roots this year with his debut solo album, Avalon, which has been released on Universal Records September 14th, 2010. Already a proven commodity as the front man of one of today’s most successful and powerful rock bands, Erna is also a successful producer, multi-instrumentalist and soundtrack creator.
Born and raised in the suburbs of Boston Massachusetts, Erna has been a musician since the tender age of 3 and a half years old, where he began his journey as a drummer. With Godsmack, Erna has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide. He was awarded “Rock Artist of the Year†at the Billboard Music Awards, and has received four Grammy nominations.  Godsmack’s self-titled 1998 debut went quadruple-platinum, while five of the band’s albums and EPs have achieved gold or platinum status in the U.S. and Canada. Godsmack’s latest single, “Cryin’ Like a Bitch,†recently positioned itself at #1 for 9 weeks straight, and is the group’s sixth #1 track to land on Active Rock radio charts, as well as the band’s 18th Top 10 single overall — more than any other band in Active Rock history.
Sully Erna’s latest masterpiece, Avalon, features an array of eclectic compositions unlike anything he has ever written in the past, an epic body of work that has taken him over 2 years to compose, record and finally release, utilizing the hypnotic sounds of tribal rhythms, melodic pianos and cellos, and haunting vocals. Avalon also features the accompanying vocals of Lisa Guyer, as well as the hand percussion of Niall Gregory from renowned band Dead Can Dance. The first single off the record, “Sinner’s Prayer,” showcase’s his evolution in music and firmly defines his unique, new sound.
For more information on Sully and his solo debut, make sure to visit his offical page, www.sullyerna.com, or find him on MySpace and Facebook.
PCM has your chance to win an autographed copy of “Avalon” and a poster!
Be sure to include your full name and mailing address! Contest open to all entries and winners will be chosen at random!
PCM’s “Avalon” Album Review
When sitting down to write this review, I found myself almost at a loss for words when trying to think of a way to encompass everything that makes up an album like “Avalon”, this album is an aural treat from start to finish. The tracks take the listener on a musical journey, painting vivid imagery and allowing us to lose ourselves in the albums haunting melodies and tribal rhythms. Sully Erna truly shows his amazing versatility as an artist, and the lyrical content exposes Erna’s more vulnerable side, which we don’t always get to see, as we are used to hearing the aggressive side of him with Godsmacks’ tunes.
Tracks like “Broken Road” and “7 Years” show raw honesty, which is something we see very little of in today’s music landscape. I had the privilege of speaking to Sully Erna about the album (full interview coming soon) and we were discussing a bit about today’s musical landscape and how majority of listeners will only pick up on singles, without listening to albums as a whole. Erna told me that this album was meant to be listened to as a whole, and the track order was of great importance. I could not agree more, the album has extraordinary flow, and each track flows consistently into the next creating the musical scene. We also spoke a bit about seeing this album on a stage in theater type setting, something along the same vein as “The Wall” or “Tommy”. This is something that Erna would very much like to see happen, and he has some great ideas, so for now we will have to wait and see!
“Avalon” is absolutely worth checking out and I hope that everyone will join Erna on the music journey he has created with an album like this one!
Avalon is amazing!! I could listen to it for hours… I already have!
I totally agree with Amy. I’ve always wanted to love Godsmack, but outside of a few of their “softer” songs, I found I could only take them in small doses or in certain rare moods. After hearing their acoustic set at the House of Blues, I was praying that Avalon would branch out from the heavy metal of Godsmack. And lo, my prayers were answered! This is everything I hoped it would be, and more.
I could hardly begin to describe this album in any way that would give someone an actual idea of the sound, it’s that unique in my experience. But there aren’t enough superlatives in my vocabulary to express how highly impressed I am with it. And my vocabulary is pretty good, if I do say so myself.
This album is flat-out one of the best I’ve ever heard. It earns a place on the shelf right next to the rest of those albums that have become all-time classics.
I love this Cd. Rarely do I find a Cd that I enjoy every single song, as I have this one. Thanks to all the talented musicians involved. Great work!