Grammy nominations, No. 1 albums, a decade-long career -- these aren't necessarily things one associates with bands that play heavy rock, but Godsmack makes a point of being the exception to almost any rule. Emerging out of Boston in 1995, the band was a strident antidote to the college/indie rock that city is known for, coming with ferocious rhythms and crushing guitars that immediately found an audience. A few years later, Godsmack was at the forefront of the heavy-music insurgency on American radio airwaves and MTV. They took their bombastic, theatrical live show everywhere, from Ozzfest to Camp Pendleton, seldom coming off the road for more than a few weeks at a time in their quest to be one of the biggest bands in the world. Mission accomplished. The band's new album, "Godsmack IV" (Led Zeppelin fans take note), arrives April 25, bringing with it an ambitious divergence of sound from their previous works, and a no-less ambitious touring schedule. Godsmack founder and frontman Sully Erna spoke to MSN by phone in the weeks before his new LP's release. (I only wish you could hear his Boston brogue.)

MSN Music: You guys are veterans now, and you've seen just about every level of success along the way. How does it feel to know that "IV" is going to reach such a big audience?

Sully Erna: Well, you know, since the "Awake" record [2000], we've been doing bigger venues -- amphitheaters and stuff. I've always had a big vision, and I couldn't wait to get into a room with size enough to fit the vision into it. By the time we built the "Awake" set, it started to get really exciting for me, and we sort of never went backwards. We always try to put on a really big show, even if we're in a theater. I think that's what it's all about. When I was a kid, I used to love seeing things flying across the stage and blowing up -- that was a big deal to me. I always just want to entertain people and give them their money's worth. That was always my vision.

How has that vision evolved, musically?

We're definitely becoming much better songwriters. I'm becoming a much better producer. I think, artistically, we've evolved a lot. Visually, I don't know where we're gonna go, but I can guarantee you that when Godsmack comes to town, it's gonna be big and badass. I don't believe in cheating people.

When you guys first emerged, you were seen as being part of a movement of heavy bands storming the mainstream audience. Now you're an institution. Is that strange for you?

Geez, I don't know how to answer that. We've always just done what we've done. I guess anybody can get really good at what they do with enough practice. We've been together for over a decade now, and we know each other very well. The evolution has been slow and natural. It feels normal to be where we're at now. It feels like the right place to be. And I predict that this new record may be the biggest record we've ever done. If this thing grows into the monster I think it could be, we're gonna rip that rock belt out of the sky and wear it proudly.

At your level, there must be a lot of pressure and temptation to make the same record again and again -- but you've described "IV" as a departure. Why mess with a successful formula?

For me, this record was really emotional. It was a real reflection of my life. 2005 was a really tough year for me. I had a lot of bad things go down and a lot of negativity around me. It was a year of cleansing. It was hard to go through those things, losses, bad crap with my girlfriend and the band becoming distant because we were trying a new writing strategy -- usually I would write everything, but this time, I wanted everyone to contribute their own thing -- we disconnected and became alienated for a minute... but once we got back together and started realizing that the magic is so there and stronger than ever, it became untouchable for us. I think this record really reflects that special moment for us. We went through a lot of agonizing pain to get a great record. We worked hard, and I think it shows in the music. We get into some new directions. It's definitely not [like] the first "Godsmack" record.

Do you feel the new writing strategy changed something fundamental about the band?

The songs and the melodies were definitely a bit different, but yet the music still had the integrity and the toughness of Godsmack. It's just much broader and more blues-edged. It's really a cool record. A lot of us came to crossroads in our life during the making of this album. We're not young dudes anymore. We're not 19, 20 years old. We have our own lives and things to deal with; we can't always make Godsmack the No. 1 priority. It's been great to us, but I have a daughter, Shannon [Larkin, Godsmack's drummer] has kids -- things were just different. But we always knew we'd come back to it. You have to experience the downside to appreciate the reward. I believe that everything great comes from some source of pain.

Which is interesting, because your fans have always responded so strongly to the anguish in your music.

Well, I'll tell you, this record is no less emotional. It's very powerful and tough, but it's very melodic. Some songs are epic, some songs go back to the straightforward, in-your-face Godsmack sound from the first record. But there's an acoustic song called "Hollow" that's just mandolins, me and this blues-rock singer named Lisa Guy -- she's awesome, man; she sounds like Anne Wilson from Heart -- it's almost like a modern-day version of [Led Zeppelin's] "[The] Battle of Evermore." It's beautiful, man! There's so many textures on this record. It's a very broad album. People aren't gonna get bored with this one very quickly, I'll tell you that.

Love it? Hate it? Discuss