The Oracle

The Oracle is the fifth studio album by American rock band Godsmack, released in the United States on May 4, 2010. It is the first Godsmack album to be produced by Dave Fortman. The Oracle marks the first Godsmack studio album to be released since 2006's IV. It received generally favorable critical reviews and became the band's third consecutive album to reach number one on the Billboard 200. Background and composition In 2009, after taking a break for two years, Sully Erna announced writing is underway for the band's fifth studio record, with the record likely to be released May 4, 2010. On March 16, 2009, while Godsmack were in the middle of writing the new record, Mötley Crüe announced the lineup for their second annual summer festival tour, Crüe Fest 2, which included Godsmack. As a result of that, Sully Erna stated in an interview with the band had to postpone the writing process until the tour was finished on September 5, 2009, "We were in the middle of writing the record, and we had kinda settle that process for a minute and postponed it. So the idea now is to finish, you know, this tour and get right into the studio, finish the record, drop it by early 2010 and fire up a huge world tour." During Crüe Fest 2, Godsmack released their first single in almost two years since the release of "Good Times, Bad Times back in 2007. "Whiskey Hangover" reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks, and became a live staple in Godsmack's shows during the summer festival.