Tony Rombola (born November 24, 1964) is an American musician who has been the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

-based

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Godsmack Godsmack is an American rock band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Sully Erna, bassist Robbie Merrill, lead guitarist Tony Rombola and drummer Shannon Larkin. Since its forma ...

since the mid-1990s. Rombola has been cited as "an extraodinaire" in the guitar world by ''

Guitar World ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists – and fans of guitar-based music and trends – that has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original art ...

'' magazine, and is cited to be the only guitarist to keep an "original soloing style" during the

nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...

period, earning him the respect of the guitar industry. Rombola is also a guitarist for the side-project band

Another Animal Another Animal was a hard rock supergroup formed by members of Godsmack, Ugly Kid Joe, and Dropbox. History During the writing sessions of '' IV'' by Godsmack, lead singer Sully Erna encountered writer's block so Tony Rombola, Shannon Larki ...

, formed at the beginning of 2007. The band released their self-titled debut album in October 2007 and played shows, whilst frontman

Sully Erna Salvatore Paul Erna Jr. (born February 7, 1968) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter, best known as the vocalist and rhythm guitarist for rock band Godsmack. He is also a harmonica player, drummer, and percussionist, performing these o ...

did a small solo tour.

Biography

Born in

Norwood, Massachusetts Norwood is a town and census-designated place in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Norwood is part of the Greater Boston area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 31,611. The town was named after Norwood, England. Norwood is ...

, Rombola is a self-taught guitarist. He first picked up a guitar at age 11. According to his father, the first song Tony learned was a song by Black Sabbath. His first introductions to rock music were the albums ''

Led Zeppelin III ''Led Zeppelin III'' is the third studio album by the English rock music, rock band Led Zeppelin, released on 5 October 1970. It was recorded in three locations. Much of the work was done at Headley Grange, a country house, using the Rolling St ...

'', '' 2112'' and '' We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'n' Roll''. Having never taken guitar lessons, Rombola learned everything he knows from guitar magazines such as

. His first guitar was an SG copy, before moving to custom Les Pauls and PRS guitars. Before meeting up with Godsmack vocalist

and bassist Robbie Merrill in the mid-'90s and subsequently joining Godsmack, Rombola played cover bands, funk, rock, classic rock, and metal. The two encountered Rombola performing in a local circuit with some band playing covers of

Alice in Chains Alice in Chains (often abbreviated as AIC) is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1987 by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell and drummer Sean Kinney, who later recruited bassist Mike Starr and lead vocalist Layne ...

and

Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to simply Rage) is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerfor ...

. Erna and Merrill knew they needed someone with Rombola's skill to reach the success that they have with Godsmack. They recorded an EP in 1997 which later became their self-titled debut album in 1998. This album went on to sell over 4 million copies in just a couple of years. The song "Keep Away" was inducted into the top 100 greatest rock songs, labelled under 'Guitar Legends'. Rombola was a carpenter before he joined Godsmack, and has said that if not for the band, he would still be working as a carpenter. He has a wife, Sue, and three step children: Joe, Trisha, and AJ. He enjoys playing video games and golf as hobbies. Rombola worked with and Brian Coombes, of

Tristan Park Tristan Park was formed in October 1986 by songwriters Brian Coombes, Chuck Dyac, and Marc Larochelle. Early Tristan Park sets included their theatrical/musical production, ''"The Screams for an Absent Dawn."'' It was an ambitious and influentia ...

and David Pierog at

Rocking Horse Studio Rocking Horse Studio is an audio, video and multimedia production company located in Pittsfield, New Hampshire, United States. The studio was established in 2003 by Brian Coombes of Tristan Park and his wife Michelle Coombes of Waking in the Blue, ...

, on the Prospect Hill Album which was released in November 2007. David and Tony are co-producing his first solo release with bassist Joe Pierog.

drummer

Shannon Larkin James Shannon Larkin (born April 24, 1967) is an American musician, best known as the drummer of rock band Godsmack. He replaced the previous drummer Tommy Stewart in June 2002. Prior to Godsmack, he was a member of Amen, Candlebox, Ugly Kid Joe ...

and Rombola have formed a blues rock band, The Apocalypse Blues Revival, along with singer Ray (Rafer John) Cerbone and bassist Brian Carpenter. Their second album, The Shape of Blues to Come, is due to be released in July 2018. His son Joe Fay died in October 2018 at the age of 34. No cause of death has been released.

References

;Other sources
Godsmack: Tony RombolaTony Rombola: Guitar World

External links

*
The Apocalypse Blues Revue official band website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rombola, Tony 1964 births Living people People from Norwood, Massachusetts Lead guitarists American heavy metal guitarists Godsmack members 20th-century American guitarists Another Animal members