Remus Lupin
08-26-2009, 03:07 AM
So this is something I'd really like to start on here, for those of us who still BUY ALBUMS instead of listening to radio hits only and not delving deeper into the rest of a groups music. Sometimes, the better songs don't make it to radio.
I'll start off with the newest release from Skillet -- Awake (2009)
Okay so I've had two days to listen to this album because I got it a day early (gotta love pre-orders) and I must say, I'm not that impressed. A few songs are pretty good. The first half of the album is the best, but the rest just seems to drag on. This is very atypical of Skillet who usually make better albums than this. Those of us in the Skillet Fan Club were allowed to download two new songs and a radio edit of another. The sad thing is that one of the new songs (Dead Inside) was better than some of the stuff that made it onto the album. It just seems like they wanted to make too many ballads instead of being the hard band they have been on Comatose (2006) and Collide (2003). It's a decent album, but it does not top Comatose like it should have. One thing that I did think was great was the addition of Jen Ledger (drums) on vocals. She has an amazing voice and I'm glad she got to sing on here. However, I think she only gets to accompany John on 2 songs out of 12 on the regular album. I was hoping for many more. One of the things that made Comatose work so well was the fact that Korey (John's wife and keyboardist/background guitarist) got to sing quite a bit. Korey sings none on this album. The other thing that made Comatose work was the fact that there was quite a bit more orchestral work -- something I've always LOVED about Skillet. I think they excel at combining hard rock music with a string section. However, on Awake, there's only one, maybe two, songs that actually have strings.
Highlights of the album:
-- 1 - "Hero"
-- 2 - "Monster"
-- 3 - "Don't Wake Me"
-- 4 - "Awake and Alive"
-- 6 - "It's Not Me It's You"
-- 10 - "Sometimes"
-- 13 - "Dead Inside" (Bonus Track)
My rating for the album:
Skillet -- Awake: 5/10. It's not bad, but I expected more from Skillet.
If there are any other Skillet fans here -- discuss!
I'll start off with the newest release from Skillet -- Awake (2009)
Okay so I've had two days to listen to this album because I got it a day early (gotta love pre-orders) and I must say, I'm not that impressed. A few songs are pretty good. The first half of the album is the best, but the rest just seems to drag on. This is very atypical of Skillet who usually make better albums than this. Those of us in the Skillet Fan Club were allowed to download two new songs and a radio edit of another. The sad thing is that one of the new songs (Dead Inside) was better than some of the stuff that made it onto the album. It just seems like they wanted to make too many ballads instead of being the hard band they have been on Comatose (2006) and Collide (2003). It's a decent album, but it does not top Comatose like it should have. One thing that I did think was great was the addition of Jen Ledger (drums) on vocals. She has an amazing voice and I'm glad she got to sing on here. However, I think she only gets to accompany John on 2 songs out of 12 on the regular album. I was hoping for many more. One of the things that made Comatose work so well was the fact that Korey (John's wife and keyboardist/background guitarist) got to sing quite a bit. Korey sings none on this album. The other thing that made Comatose work was the fact that there was quite a bit more orchestral work -- something I've always LOVED about Skillet. I think they excel at combining hard rock music with a string section. However, on Awake, there's only one, maybe two, songs that actually have strings.
Highlights of the album:
-- 1 - "Hero"
-- 2 - "Monster"
-- 3 - "Don't Wake Me"
-- 4 - "Awake and Alive"
-- 6 - "It's Not Me It's You"
-- 10 - "Sometimes"
-- 13 - "Dead Inside" (Bonus Track)
My rating for the album:
Skillet -- Awake: 5/10. It's not bad, but I expected more from Skillet.
If there are any other Skillet fans here -- discuss!