Turning 50 for some people means slowing down, holding back money, finally reading a great book or resting on one’s laurels. For the individual members of the band Godsmack, turning 50 meant modernizing its sound and doing anything but slowing down. The band’s seventh studio album, When Legends Rise, released in April 2018, is evidence the band not only cranked things up a level, they set in motion a worldwide tour stretching all the way through August 2019. Road is home, for now, but for drummer and bibliophile, Shannon Larkin, the time spent between albums is one reason for the band’s longevity. 

It’s also all about the fans. 

“We have the best fanbase ever,” Larkin said. “We’re steady. We’re like the ‘Little Engine That Could.’ Our fanbase, they just stick with us. We don’t put records out except for four years apart, Awake to Faceless, on and on, we’re conscious to not oversaturate. The main reason and I attribute to our longevity is the fact that we take a that time apart.”

Larkin’s bandmates include front man (and main songwriter) Sully Erna, guitarist Tony Rombola and bassist Merrill. Erna’s tribal growl along with crushing, crunchy riffs and spasmatic percussions first spread to audiences with 1998’s single, “Whatever” from the Boston-based outfit’s self-titled debut album. The band bulldozed its way through mainstream rock with hits like “Keep Away”, “Voodoo”, “Awake”, “I Stand Alone”, “Speak” “Cryin’ Like a Bitch” and on-and-on (to steal from Larkin’s aforementioned phrase).

When Legends Rise has yielded two Mainstream Rock No. 1’s to date – the first single “Bulletproof” and the title track.

“We all were turning 50 and wanted to step up our sound, modernize it,” Larkin said. “’Bulletproof’ was the first song that he (Erna) had brought to us. Right away when we heard it, we thought ‘wow’ this is a great song.”

The song “When Legends Rise” is a bit of a rebirth for the band, Larkin said, and he’s quick not to describe Erna’s meaning behind the song (he said Erna enjoys fans’ interpretations of Godsmack lyrics). Larkin said that, as a drummer, he didn’t have to change his approach in the studio. The drums go down first, he said, and the band approached creating a newer sound, but still retained the core Godsmack sound, with different production techniques. 

“You don’t want to keep making the same record,” Larkin said. “But you don’t want to alienate your fanbase and change so much that it doesn’t sound much like you anymore.”

The video for “Bulletproof” also included some new production values, including the band members donning makeup and new personas, with special appearances from Skid Row’s former lead singer, Sebastian Bach and “Achy Breaky Heart” singer/actor Billy Ray Cyrus. In the video, the band hires Erna’s cousin “Salvatore Pasquale” (played by Erna) from Sicily, Italy to direct. After a series of hilarious mishaps, the footage is forever destroyed. Larkin enjoyed taking on the role of the “old man/guru.” 

“That was funny because it took way longer to apply all the makeup and dress me up than it did the 10-second scene,” Larkin said. “But it was also fun for us, obviously it’s the first comedy video we’ve made and secondly, every video besides ‘Bulletproof’ it’s always focused on the band, on the instruments. We have to sit there and play these songs – and we can’t actually play the songs because it’s a video and recorded – and I have to double the cymbals. So, if you ever look closely at a video, you’ll see the cymbals are doubled. It deafens them. Because if you don’t deaden them, and also there’s a number of pads that go on the drum heads, so if you don’t deaden these things, drums you can’t turn down. So, it’s louder than anything. I can’t play along if I can’t hear what I’m playing to, so every video, the band has to play the song 20 times.”

One song from When Legends Rise that also stands out is “Under Your Scars.” The title itself evokes strong messaging and a spirit of change. 

“We spent the most time on the recording of the record on that one song,” Larkin said. “It might sound simple, but everything went under the microscope. We rearranged it probably 20 times, and the days kept passing, and we kept changing it. It’s our first ballad, and secondly, we didn’t want to make a cheesy ballad. We were shooting for something with that deep lyric – that was one of the best lyrics he’s ever written.” 

Larkin joined Godsmack in 2002. He previously played in Candlebox and Ugly Kid Joe. Although born in Chicago, he grew up in West Virginia before settling in Santa Barbara, California in his late 20s. When Erna called him to join Godsmack, he loved Boston from afar, just not the weather. He chose to live in Florida. 

“It’s great man, I love Boston,” he said. “I’ve made so many friends there.”

And, boy does Bean Town love Godsmack. In 2014, Mayor Martin J. Walsh proclaimed August 6 Godsmack Day. 

“It was crazy,” Larkin said. “We got to meet the mayor, it was this event and all these fans were in the streets. It was just craziest thing as a rock band.”

Now in his 50s (he turns 52 on April 24), Larkin still derives his energy from behind his Yamaha kit and from being in front of audiences. It also helps that every room in his house (except the bathroom) has a drum kit. 

“I’ve been sober for three years,” Larkin said. “That definitely helped me a lot as far as energy and that’s what it’s all about. When you get older you don’t have as much as energy, I don’t also want to pretend, I’m not trying to turn back the clock. I’m proud of my age and to be in rock ‘n’ roll this long. However, I don’t want to have to put some mask on every time I walk on stage. The evolution of my playing has been trying to still hit hard, but not overtax. My shoulders, my back, my neck – not as much headbanging. It’s more about the drumming. I’m obviously – if you see my play – I believe I’m an entertainer. That’s the whole reason I started all those shenanigans behind the kit because at the time in the early 80s every drummer that I saw just sat there. I was like I’m going to be Angus Young on the drums! I want to go crazy!”

One thing fans might be surprised to find out about Larkin is that he loves books. At a recent tour, he enjoyed escaping to a mall and perusing the bookstore. Erna found out and asked if he could join him the next time; he did and while Larkin loved meeting the fans, Erna drew much of the attention and distracted Larkin from his book search. 

He says he’s a pretty personable guy that enjoys Harley Davidson bikes, his Koi pond, horror movies, collecting vinyl, but most of all books. He loves to frequent “mom and pop bookstores.”

“I love to read everything – my library is full of rock star biographies…, “Larkin said. “I love that smell of bookstores.”

Don’t worry Bostonians, he’s also into sports and will be cheering for the Patriots. Just not when they play the Raiders.