Skillet - Rise (2013)

Starting off 2020 in the ripe old month of February, I bring you Rise, the eighth studio album by Christian rock band, Skillet. Rise is different to other Skillet albums as it is a concept album. This means that the songs within the album tell a definitive story. It tells the story of a teenage girl coming to grips with the real world, once she has reached adulthood. All these large scale events are happening and the thing you should do is rise above it all.

I discovered this album shortly after Unleashed was announced and purchased it on iTunes. I instantly enjoyed it (it is a Skillet album after all), and it had me even more excited for Unleashed. But ultimately, it can't hold a candle to older material, like Collide, or newer material, like Victorious, so overall it's a mid-tier album. However, there are several redeeming factors about Rise. One thing I really like is some of the transitions between songs, especially between "Good to Be Alive" and "Not Gonna Die". It makes the album progress a lot more fluidly and tells the story to a greater extent.

Some of the songs on this album are absolute bangers and are worth replaying a million times over. Notable examples are "Sick of It", "Not Gonna Die" and "Salvation". These albums just resonate so well with me that I just love listening to them. "Salvation" is especially cool because the majority of it is not sung by John Cooper. Instead, the majority of it is sung by Jen Ledger, the drummer for Skillet. Other songs are good but not as good as these. On a technical side, the drums, guitars and other instruments are classic Skillet. Easily recognizable and easy to listen to.

Overall, Rise is an album that is good but is not up the highest Skillet standard. In recent times (from the style change in Collide), this is probably my least favourite album. It's good but it's nowhere near equal to Comatose or Unleashed.

Favourite Tracks: "Sick of It", "Not Gonna Die", "Salvation", "Hard to Find", "What I Believe"

Rating: 7 / 10

Brighter Than a Thousand Suns - Survival Machines (2011)

This review marks the first album / band in this blog that has a woman has the proper lead singer. From husband and wife duo, Angelika and Randy Roswell, better known as Brighter Than a Thousand Suns comes Survival Machines, their debut and only full-length album released to date. This album comes before their departure from post-hardcore rock to pursue an 80's synth rock sound, which is showcased in their later material.

It's quite a shame that Brighter Than a Thousand Suns is not that well-known, because they have some great songs which are 100% worth listening to. With this album, that's definitely the case. However, there are some things that I don't get. Survival Machines contains 11 songs, which take just over half an hour to listen to, so it won't take a great amount of time away from you to listen to it. It also has some of the longest song names I've ever seen, like "A Creature Bred On Hunger Made Food For Hungry Gods". Yes, that's actually the name of the song. One of the things I don't get is the copious amounts of screaming featured in nearly all the tracks, besides the instrumentals and "The Riot Of Our Blood And Breath", the latter offering a calmer ending to the album. I fail to see how that's healthy for anyone's throat, really. You gotta take a break from it at some point. One of the greatest takeaways are the meanest backing tracks I've ever heard that are featured in this album, with the meanest being the backing track in "Crossing The Divide". The instrumental tracks, "Long Live Impermanence" and "The Search For Second Earth", offer a break from all the screaming showcased in the other songs, especially the latter as that is the more toned down one out of the two.

In the end, Survival Machines offers heavy-hitting, power-driven songs that get you energized. I would have liked to have heard less screaming, as too much of it can take away from the quality of an album. Overall, it was a head-banging extravaganza, but could have been better.

Favourite Tracks: "Crossing The Divide", "Long Live Impermanence", "The Search For Second Earth", "The Riot Of Our Blood And Breath"

Rating: 7 / 10

Skillet - "Save Me" / "Anchor" (2019)

(Victorious Album Cover)

As this is my first music single review, I going to try something different. Considering I don't have a whole album to go over, I may as well go into slight detail and into my thoughts about each song. And for the first single review, we have 2 songs. 

Hailing from their latest album Victorious, Skillet has pulled off all the stops to give us some really breathtaking material, being better than before. We get sent shooting 13-16 years back with "Save Me", which is very reminiscent of their Collide and Comatose days, and then we get reeled back to the present with "Anchor", which has a more calm and comforting tone.

"Save Me"
(Lyric Video)

From the start, it's almost like a slingshot all the way back to 2003-06, with the song being comparable to songs from Collide and Comatose. The song itself tells the story of a person who is stuck in a dark place, consumed by depression, calling on someone to save them from their misery so that they can live a more happy and content life. The backing track of the song has a slower tempo than typical, but it's equally as powerful. The piano is probably the biggest kick to the past, as it is very reminiscent of piano sequences prevalent in songs, Rock or not, in the early 2000's. Being able to create a certain tone through 1 instrument is exceptional, but it's emphasised by all of them.

Skillet's intention with this song is to callback to their old days and they have done that, and a whole lot more. A modernised take on old ways. Very impressive, to say the least.

"Anchor"
(Lyric Video)

With "Anchor", we get pulled back to the present with a more relaxing and emotional tone, similar to "Stars" from their previous album Unleashed. The song is powerful, but in a different way to "Save Me". It's has an big sense of emotional power, which is true considering what the lyrics mean. Lyrics obviously mean different things to other people, but I interpreted these particular lyrics as a story of power and prevalence, saying that you are able to do almost anything, with the guidance and support of someone close to you. The backing track is sensational and it makes the song what it is. It provides you with a calm start and a really powerful and emotional ending. It's a perfect balance, and it creates an indescribable atmosphere.

To draw a conclusion, I can't draw a conclusion. The feeling of the song is one of greatness and it's just impressive beyond belief. I am in awe.

Ratings
"Save Me": 7 / 10

"Anchor": 9 / 10