Godsmack frontman Sully Erna has discussed the band's reshuffled line-up in a new interview, addressing how it feels to perform alongside new drummer Mike Mangini and guitarist Sam Koltun following the departures of long-standing members Shannon Larkin and Tony Rombola. The comments matter to fans because they mark Erna's most detailed reflection yet on rebuilding the band's chemistry after losing two founding members who had played together for around three decades.

Mangini, formerly of Dream Theater, made his live debut with Godsmack on 12 June at the Morton Amphitheater in Riverside, Missouri, stepping in after the abrupt exit of interim drummer Wade Murff, who himself had only joined in early May. Erna said the new players are highly capable and have made performing feel natural again, though he acknowledged the emotional bond with Larkin and Rombola, who left in late 2024 because they no longer wanted to tour, can never fully be replicated. He also referenced the late Rush drummer Neil Peart's saying that "nothing great lasts forever" as helping him come to terms with the line-up changes.