Obviously he did. But not before the instrumentalists had composed some of the most interesting music in Godsmack’s canon. Erna’s spiritual themes are supported by a mix of electric and acoustic instruments, often textured in a way that makes reference to classic Zeppelin, but without compromising the low, bullfrog chug of modern metal that Godsmack helped cast in platinum. “Shine Down,” with Erna’s earnest declaration that “I still believe in immortal love,” is the album’s shimmering centerpiece. At times the acoustic playing recalls Zeppelin’s “Battle of Nevermore” and more-balanced tunes from ZoSo. The thundering single “Speak” and the string-colored confessional “Hollow” counter the thunder of hard rock with emotional bite and intellect. The nuances are provided by the blues foundation that Rombola contributed.

Still, it seems Erna had the clearest notion of where Godsmack should go for IV, and that was back to fundamentals. “The trick was to get the balance of the kind of driving hard-rock thing Godsmack is known for and a real blues edge, which would open up the melodies and the mood of the album.” Perhaps that’s why Erna’s mates asked him to produce the album, though Johns was, as he puts it, “chasing after us to let him produce us.” In the end Johns played a vital role in the engineering and the mixing. “I’d tell him I really want to get a lot of the old-school Led Zeppelin type of stuff in the mixes, like crazy panning and fades in and out. I also learned a lot from being around him. I soak up a lot of information from people quickly and put it to use myself.”

There’s one more thing troubling Erna: how to top the spectacle of Godsmack’s last tour. “We went out with Metallica, which is hard to beat in itself. Then, for the big highlight, we had the double-drum-kit showcase [Erna is also a drummer] with hand percussion, lighting effects. . . . It was huge. Amazing. We always want to make it bigger and better than the last tour, but Shannon and I were talking and we’re wondering, ‘Jesus Christ, how are we gonna top that?’ ”

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Godsmack: //www.godsmack.com/

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