Deluxe Edition left the 'Deluxe' part behind
Posted October 22, 2008
By Nathan,
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. And with all great albums, what would it be without the special edition, or as this one is called Comatose Deluxe Edition.
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.
The bonus content is centered around the new song “live free or let me die”, an intense rock song where John Coopers vocals and the base take too much of the chorus and take away a little bit out of the song. Skillet’s interpretation of “acoustic” isn’t the same as most artists because “rebirthing” and “whispers in the dark” still retain much of their intensity, but it’s fun too hear the former without its booming intro. A mistake would be adding three acoustic versions of already soft songs (“Yours To hold (Acoustic”, “The Older I Get”, and “don’t say goodbye) because little changed during the transition.
The lyrics are another fantastic part of the album, and the most important. “Rebirthing” (‘Tell me when I'm gonna live again/Tell me when I'm gonna breathe you in/Tell me when I'm gonna feel inside/Tell me when I'm gonna feel alive’) and Comatose has similar messages about wakening up to God, though if criticism was taken to its extreme neither mention God and neither necessarily has to. “Older I get” is a great song about relationships with people and putting aside someone pride for friendship )‘It's been way too long for the times we missed/I can't believe it still hurts like this’).
The good rock tune “The Last Night” is the powerful song about a friend who talks someone out of suicide. The epic “Looking for angels” has some of the best lyrics you can find in a song. “Yours to hold” and “don’t say good bye” could be looked at as somewhat pathetic but there is no wrong doing. The extra song “live free or let me die” is vague with some edgy lyrics: ‘There's nothing left to fight (Live free or let me die)/You can't take away my pride, I won't be denied.
Skillet has emerged as a top Christian Rock group by making every song, from beginning to end worthy of a listen. “Comatose” gets high marks for when the music fades there will be the strong messages they send. But the deluxe part in the special edition isn’t much more than a way to get fans to get a little extra at the same price.
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