Godsmack [ tickets ] broke through in 1999 on the strength of "Whatever," a single from the hard rock quartet's triple-platinum, self-titled debut. Eager to replicate that success, the Boston-based group passed on the chance to record the follow-up LP, "Awake," in Los Angeles, choosing the sleepier setting of Haverhill, Mass.

With “Awake,” frontman Sully Erna said, the group tried to retain the spirit of its debut, which was recorded independently for $2,500 and released by Republic/Universal in 1998. “Awake” hit stores on Halloween, and already has been certified for sales of more than 1 million units by the Recording Industry Association of America.

"I had a lot of writing to do, and I wanted to keep an edge on and stay close to the streets," Erna said. "It's not too far away from where I grew up. I thought if we were surrounded in luxury, it might take the edge off, and that we should tough it out one more time."

Much of the new album strikes an angry tone, but no song resonates more bitterly than "Greed." Erna said he wrote the song after feeling that a longtime pal who had helped to finance Godsmack's first album was more interested in snagging a sizeable return on his investment than on maintaining the friendship.

"He's someone I hung out with quite a bit--I went to school with him,” Erna said. “He became a motherf----- once we got the deal ... tried to suck the life out of us and grab everything he could. He made our lives hell for a year and we ended up not being friends. But I got a great song out of it."

Erna does most of the songwriting for Godsmack, and then brings the fledgling tunes to his bandmates--guitarist Tony Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill and drummer Tommy Stewart. "I put together most of the songs how I hear them, and then I give them to the guys to tweak them a little," said Erna. "I'll usually tackle the lyrics after that. They change some parts, but I give them the bulk of the foundation to work from."

For some of the songs on "Awake," Erna buckled down and wrote while on tour behind the first record.

"It's not really that hard," said Erna of writing on the road. "You just have to discipline yourself. There's always a party going on when you're on tour. You just have to sacrifice a few of those nights."

Godsmack wrapped up 2000 on the Anger Management Tour with Limp Bizkit and DMX. "We've been playing to a whole new audience who have never had the opportunity to see us," Erna said of the package tour. "It's been a positive thing for us, very productive."