Massive rock riffs, swirling drums, monstrous hooks and undeniably catchy choruses. Hints of progressive rock mixed in with modern alternative flourishes and touches of classical influence as swelling strings intersect with sonic adrenaline rushes. It's indeed a fusion unlike any other, marking the latest chapter in the continuous evolution of Skillet, whose moniker couldn't be more fitting come its explosive release Comatose.
Coupled with 200 dates a year on the road, this foursome is one of the hardest working, heaviest rocking, boldly witnessing and most broadly appealing acts of its generation. Comatose has several examples of Skillet flexing its experimental muscles while keeping true to their original calling. The first single "Rebirthing" is a complex but accessible amalgamation of piercing strings, jarring guitars, humongous power chords and neck snapping reactions calling all to come alive in Christ. In sharp contrast, but equally compelling are enormous anthems like "The Last Night," "Say Goodbye" and "Yours to Hold," all oozing with ethereal orchestration and insanely infectious sing-a-long potential.
"The funny thing about Jesus is that He wasn't just all talk, but as much or more about relationships and communicating to people in a relatable way, as He was solely preaching to them. I'm very passionate about evangelism, but love begets evangelism and we want people to know we care about their needs in a practical way." - John Cooper, Lead Vocalist - SKILLET
Naming the record Comatose further cements those expressions, hoping to rev up listeners to break beyond the mundane, get on track with their relationships (here on earth and with the Creator), and charge forward with hope.
John L. Cooper – vocals, bass guitar
Korey Cooper – keyboard, guitar, vocals
Lori Peters - drums
Ben Kasica - guitar
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Skillet's Rebirth Makes For An Epic Release| Posted May 16, 2010
Skillet took the Christian rock scene by storm in 2006 with their landmark release, Comatose. Forget any adjectives you had used to describe them previously, they blew them all away from the first notes of the amazing album.
Collide had gotten them some well-deserved attention, but Comatose built on that base and launch Skillet higher still.
From the opening orchestrated notes of "Rebirthing," the listener knows that this is something special and that feeling continues throughout every song. As you listen, you wonder when the 'bad' or 'filler' tracks are coming. Cause when one great track ends, another begins. It's like a Greatest Hits collection, only it isn't.
"The Last Night," the title track, "Those Nights, "Whispers in the Dark," all of these and more create splendid musical variety. These tunes will be stuck in your head for a long time.
The orchestrated stringed music mixes well with the crunching and intense riffs of hard rock music. Skillet has bypassed good rock music and landed well in the Unforgettable Musical Experience(yes I said experience) territory.
So if you like hard rock and haven't picked this one up yet(it's been years now, what are you waiting for?), DO IT! This isn't just something to pass the time, this here is MUSIC! Amazing, unbelievable, epic, MUSIC!
First 10 Seconds Tell You This Is Their Best Yet| Posted July 01, 2007
It's amazing what a little production can do. Skillet's previous efforts have been solid, but fans of the band noticed an immediate change within the first 10 seconds of the first track and single "Rebirthing." If I had a list of "Top 10 Song Intros In 2006," this song would top that chart.
With classic rock riffs, swirling drums, monstrous hooks, and undeniably catchy choruses, Skillet has produced a fusion unlike any other release this year, making their fifth album one the year's best releases. Their hints of old school progressive rock mixed in with modern alternative flourishes on songs like "Rebirthing," "Better Than Drugs," "Falling Inside the Black," "Looking for Angels," "Whispers in the Dark," "The Older I Get," the title track.
It's nice to hear lead singers John's wife, (and "Keyboard Entertainer Of The Year") Korey take a more prominent role with vocals on this album. She adds a great a layer to some of the songs and brings an edge that complete most tracks. Overall, this album leaves little to be desired, and after completing 11 songs from the same artist, that's a great feeling to have.
Comatose| Posted March 11, 2008
From the opening riff on Rebirthing I could tell I was in for a treat. Forget that it's lifted from Led Zeppelin's 'Kashmir', that part disappears after the first 15 seconds and is followed by a great hard rockin' song complete with female vocals and beautiful string arrangements. You can tell Skillet are reaching a new level right off the bat, something they seem very strong at doing from album to album. There's great vocal hooks in most every song that not only catch your attention but manage to keep as the song progresses. Here on Comatose you see a stronger focus on the vocals of the lead singer's wife and fellow guitarist, Korey Cooper. She has a nice angelic voice but it has an edge on it to go with the songs so it doesn't feel out of place. A good example of that where she really shines is on 'The Last Night' and it sort of gives the impression that the song is sung from a female perspective when she pipes in on the verses. Honestly I think that's a fantastic idea because it can draw female listeners and give them something to relate to in a genre that's male dominated.
Something else that's more of a focus is the use of string instruments to either set up a song, as with 'The Last Night' or 'Comatose', or to give an extra texture and layer to songs ('Yours to Hold') as is the case with most all of them. The use of the piano also helps set moods in songs or give an atmosphere beyond just rocking your brain until it hurts. For Christian Rock, a genre that fights with a reputation of being generic music, I find Skillet to be very refreshing. The production is top notch and it avoids being too shiny or plastic and an effect used on the vocals in my personal favorite, 'Whispers in the Dark', really helped make the song stand out.
A down side is the few ballads on here that seem repetitive or generic. 'Say Goodbye' is one I especially don't care for with it's cheesy breakup song style lyrics. I normally like it when CD's have some slower tunes to breakup the heavier stuff but on this CD they do just the opposite and bog it down too much. For example, you have the heavy riff soaked 'Better Than Drugs' with a knee buckling guitar solo followed by another catchy rock song 'Comatose' that gets your blood pumping before you're thrown into a coma with 'The Older I Get' and 'Those Nights'. Speaking of guitar solos though, there's a few on this album and they never overdo them. Sometimes bands seem to throw in solos for the sake of having one instead of feeling if a song needs one. The ones Skillet do have, particularly in 'Whispers in the Dark', are phenominal and all have a different sound to them. That one almost hints at power metal while others may be more melodic or sweeping as in 'Falling Inside the Black'.
The lyrics here are a bit more open for Christian music in that they can be taken a few ways. At least some of the songs are like that but others have clear messages alluding to God. The last song, 'Looking for Angels', is the most unique thing I've heard them do and nothing like anything else on the album. John Cooper 'talks' the lyrics instead of singing them and aside from being a powerful message to any teenager or young adult, there's a sense of urgency in his voice. I wasn't sure what to think of it at first but the song quickly grew on me and it really is a great way to end the album.
Overall, it's easy to see I'm quite pleased with this album and it's Skillets best. They've gotten better over time as they've changed their sounds and I wonder if they will ever create a true classic album. I'm optimistic but they have to shake some of those cheesy ballads and keep working on those strings first.
Gems of this album are: 'Whispers in the Dark', 'Comatose', 'The Last Night', 'Falling Inside the Black', 'Better Than Drugs'
Skillet no longer in Comatose| Posted November 09, 2007
Before Skillets latest album, they were a below average rock band who was not very popular, but now with the release of Comatose, their first three singles of their album ("rebirthing", "the last night, and "older I get") have been smash hits, as Comatose was the best rock album of the year.
In the past Skillet had used some techno music, but had mainly been a harder rocking band, but Comatose has a much more refined rock sound, but a main reason the album was so popular was lead singer John Cooper's lyrics. It's clear that from the first song to the title track that the music is incredibly good. "Rebirthing" and "Comatose" are very impressive rock songs. But some of the rock is a little too hard as Cooper resorts to yelling on "better than drugs" and "falling inside the black" which fall into the back of the album.
A sturdy rock song "whispers in the dark" shows fans that Skillet can offer solid rock music without sounding the same as the previous track. One song that doesn't quite fit is "those nights' which is a punk song, and it does not go well with John Coopers voice, but is still a cool song. "The last Night" is also a great rock song about However Skillet saved the best rock tune for last on "looking for angles" which is brilliantly done I everyway and is the highest point of the album.
Another part of what distinguishes Comatose, aside from their rock sound, is their lighter music, which is brilliant and adds the perfect balance to the album. the lighter songs are: "older I get", "yours to hold" and "don't say goodbye". Each one is great, having their own sound that makes them flat out amazing which really makes them the rock on which the album is built. Coopers vioce is good but is over done when he yells at a few points in the song.
The lyrics are another fantastic part of the album, and the most important. "Rebirthing" and Comatose has similar messages about wakening up to God, and the "older I get" is a great song about relationships with people. The good rock tune "The Last Night" is the powerful song about a friend who talks someone out of suicide. "Looking for angels" has some of the best lyrics you can find in a song. The rest of the songs, while not all talking about God, are positive and mostly meaningful.
Skillet has emerged as a top Christian Rock group by making every song, from beginning to end worthy of a listen. "Comatose" gets gets high marks for when the music fades there will be the strong messages they send.
The Older They Get, They've Gotten Better Yet| Posted July 18, 2007
Disclaimer: I've not heard every song on the album.
That said, I don't think I could. It's not like they're a bad band, it's just when they get into the hard rock stuff, I don't care for it too much. Songs like "The Last Night" don't float my boat either.
However, "The Older I Get" makes up for most everything else, as it has to be one of the best songs of the year. If you've not heard the song, please do, you'll be doing yourself a favor. I actually first heard it on mainstream radio, but that doesn't make the song any worse, it's just a great song. It's very catchy, and very emotional. Although I personally don't relate to the song's message, I think a lot of others would.
Overall, most of the album is suited for the hard rock crowd. Other songs I just don't get. But the one redeeming song saves the day. If you don't get the album, get "The Older I Get" I promise you, you won't be disappointed. Oh, get the mainstream version, because it has better production value than the album version.
Skillet's best yet| Posted August 13, 2007
This album comes in a long line of albums, however this album is my favorite one yet. It is strong both musically and lyrically, yet the production is the key aspect for me. It enhances this album beautifully and avoids songs that sound shallow and similar. Skillet can deliver both great rock songs and moving anthems. This album is definitely worth listening to and purchasing!
Amazig album, so relevant to what reality is like| Posted June 01, 2013
So, this was the first album I ever purchased from Skillet. There was definitely no disappointment.
Something that really struck me, was that the songs were not about something extraordinary that I was not able to relate to.
Especially when I was in high school, it became one of my favorites. Because of some things that were happening.
God used this album as a blessing. That may sound crazy.....but that's how it has been. And for that I am so thankful.
Amazing Album| Posted May 12, 2013
This album is truly amazing. It includes some of the best songs by Skillet, including Better Than Drugs. All of the songs on this CD are amazing, especially Comotose, The Last Night, and Rebirthing. In my opinion, this is Skillet's best CD by far.
Pretty Good| Posted September 23, 2012
This was an okay album. I like most of the songs on this album. But there were some that sounded too much like breakup songs, or songs about a girl. I would rather listen to songs focused on God. But altogether, this is a great album.
Comatose Comeback| Posted April 19, 2012
I believe that this is one of the greatest albums put together by Skillet and one of my all time favorite albums for me, it rocks out loud, which is my style of music, and hits me with a message that is unforgettable.
Incredible| Posted August 06, 2010
All i can say is that this is one of the best albums I have ever owned and I listen to it ALL the time. You CAN'T go wrong with buying this album. This has to be one of my all time favorites
Skillet| Posted April 19, 2010
this album is something new from skillet. although im more into worship and songs like 'rest' and 'one true thing', this album was something new and fresh. songs are really good and memorable. i liked songs like 'looking for angels' and 'comatose'.