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1. Rebirthing [Listen]
2. The Last Night [Listen]
3. Yours To Hold
4. Better Than Drugs
5. Comatose
6. The Older I Get
7. Those Nights
8. Falling Inside The Black
2. The Last Night [Listen]
3. Yours To Hold
4. Better Than Drugs
5. Comatose
6. The Older I Get
7. Those Nights
8. Falling Inside The Black
Comatose
[Release Date: October 3, 2006] (INO/Atlantic/Ardent Records)
Track Listing:
Track Listing:
9. Say Goodbye
10. Whispers In The Dark
11. Looking For Angels
Deluxe Edition:
12. Live Free Or Let Me Die (New Song)
13. Rebirthing (Acoustic)
14. Yours To Hold (Acoustic)
15. The Older I Get (Acoustic)
16. Whispers In The Dark (Acoustic)
17. Say Goodbye (Acoustic)
10. Whispers In The Dark
11. Looking For Angels
Deluxe Edition:
12. Live Free Or Let Me Die (New Song)
13. Rebirthing (Acoustic)
14. Yours To Hold (Acoustic)
15. The Older I Get (Acoustic)
16. Whispers In The Dark (Acoustic)
17. Say Goodbye (Acoustic)
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
3.5 out of 4
3.0 out of 3
2.0 out of 2
1.0 out of 1
9.5 out of 10
Message
Music
Production
Creativity
Overall Score
| 95% A |
Skillet returns with their first studio album in over three years, and fans will not be
disappointed with the latest offering from the Christian rockers, entitled 'Comatose'. The
title comes from, according to lead singer and bassist, John Cooper, as a wake-up call to
Christians who lay in a 'comatose' state instead of out preaching the name of Christ. I
hate to say it, but if your not awake by the end of this record, you are either A) Deaf or
B) Dead. There's no way you can miss this one! I really felt that 'Comatose' was a step
up in many ways for Skillet.
The group, who is known for reinventing their sound each album, has rightfully so done
the same with this new one. 'Collide' was a great album, but there were a lot of things I
didn't like about it. I thought number one, the guitars drowned out the songs and made a
lot them hard to hear. That's where 'Comatose' differed from 'Collide'. New styles were
added to this one, almost offering a kind of classical vibe to it. When you hear the first
single, "Rebirthing", you'll know what I'm talking about. Starting out with a classic
orchestra-sound, and then hitting into what makes Skillet Skillet, the heavy guitars and
booming bass. One of the first songs that I caught a hold of me on this record that
really spoke out, and in my opinion could be a powerful and ministering song to those
who have been extremely depressed and even suicidal, is "Last Night". The song talks
about coping and overcoming suicidal thoughts, saying Jesus is there for you. You don't
have to be alone. You just have to muster up the strength to ask Him for help. The
bottom-line, know that your not alone.
John and his wife Korey, who also plays keys, has a great duet on this song. "Better
Than Drugs" is another song that talks about addiction and how the Lord can become
better then the drugs (or alcohol or whatever your sinful vice in life may be). True to
say, yes, God is definitely better then having a life controlled by addiction.
The title track "Comatose" really dives into what the album is out to say. We as
Christians need to be out there in the world preaching the Gospel to every living creature
(See Mark 16:15), and that we need to 'wake up' from our world-induced coma and do
what we were born to do, and that's to serve God and help build His Kingdom. A lot of
people won't know that Jesus is waiting for them unless we (Christians) do something
about it! A song that seem to hit home with me, especially my life prior to Salvation was
"Falling Inside The Black". I had fought so many devils over the years, and until 2003 I
had fallen into the world, everything around me black. I used to love the Metallica song
"Fade To Black", and as hard as it was to admit, my own world had faded to black.
Nothing went right, and only the saving grace and forgiveness I found from God through
Christ, could give that hope of a bright tomorrow. Jesus said in John 8:12 "I am the
light of the world, he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light
of life". Amen to that.
"Say Goodbye" is a song that will probably have you thinking about loved ones who have
gone onto be with the Lord. In my case, it's sad to say, but those final goodbyes were
really that. Final. I know a lot of my family who have passed away, are not in Heaven
with our Lord, but in hell. It's sad for me to even think that, but it's true. But for those
of you who have family who accepted Christ, don't say goodbye, we'll soon be together
again. "Say Goodbye" would be a good song to put on a Christian rock anthem CD.
The last song that really caught my ear was "Whispers In The Dark". Besides having a
powerful message, this song really displays the God-given talents of guitarist, Ben
Kasica. Man this kid can play! I thought I was listening to Kirk Hammett there for a
minute. Yes, Ben is that good! All of the guitars on the album were exciting to listen to.
Oh, and before I forget, I have mentioned John, Ben & Korey, but I have not mentioned
Skillet drummer, Lori Peters. She rocks! God bless!
Closing Thoughts:
Bottom line, this was a great album, both message and music-wise. Skillet takes a step
forward and delivers a truly exciting, rocking and energetic album worth going out and
picking up.
COMATOSE DELUXE EDITION REVIEW [Added: 12/20/2007]
When a band re-releases one of their albums in a 'special edition' many fans will ask the
question, "Is it worth going out and re-buying again?". While most 'special edition' CDs
are really not worth going out to buy unless your a hardcore fan of a given band, this
release would definitely in my opinion not fit into that category. Here are a few reasons
why ...
Number one, the original 2006 Comatose album had 11 tracks, this one has 17. So right
off the bat, you know that there are 6 additional tracks that were not on the original
release. One of the 6 tracks is a new track and the other 5 are acoustic versions from
the original. Speaking of the new song, "Live or Let Me Die" is a rocking song. It's
inspirational 'let's live for God' message is great and I cannot wait to see what Skillet has
to offer it's fans in the future. The acoustic versions of the songs from Comatose are
pretty impressive too. Many sound very similar to the original, but one track stuck out
as an extra impressive when it came to reinventiveness of the original. "Whispers In The
Dark" was probably my favorite song from Comatose and at first I thought, okay, Ben's
guitar toward the end is pretty impressive from the original, how would it sound on an
acoustic track? One word best described my thoughts after hearing it. Wow. This guy
[Ben], like I mentioned in the original review of Comatose is an amazingly talented
musician who can stand up to the best of them when it comes to ability and creativity
with the axe.
Not only does the Deluxe Edition come with 6 extra audio tracks, but the release also
comes with a bonus DVD that includes all the music videos from the record. Those
included are: "Rebirthing", "Whispers In The Dark", "Looking For Angels" and a
Behind-The-Scenes video.
Closing Thoughts:
So what's my bottom line when it comes to Comatose: Deluxe Edition? Buy it. Even if
you have the original release, there is plenty of reasons why to go out and spend some
more $$ on this one.
It's actually a 'special edition' that's worth buying!
disappointed with the latest offering from the Christian rockers, entitled 'Comatose'. The
title comes from, according to lead singer and bassist, John Cooper, as a wake-up call to
Christians who lay in a 'comatose' state instead of out preaching the name of Christ. I
hate to say it, but if your not awake by the end of this record, you are either A) Deaf or
B) Dead. There's no way you can miss this one! I really felt that 'Comatose' was a step
up in many ways for Skillet.
The group, who is known for reinventing their sound each album, has rightfully so done
the same with this new one. 'Collide' was a great album, but there were a lot of things I
didn't like about it. I thought number one, the guitars drowned out the songs and made a
lot them hard to hear. That's where 'Comatose' differed from 'Collide'. New styles were
added to this one, almost offering a kind of classical vibe to it. When you hear the first
single, "Rebirthing", you'll know what I'm talking about. Starting out with a classic
orchestra-sound, and then hitting into what makes Skillet Skillet, the heavy guitars and
booming bass. One of the first songs that I caught a hold of me on this record that
really spoke out, and in my opinion could be a powerful and ministering song to those
who have been extremely depressed and even suicidal, is "Last Night". The song talks
about coping and overcoming suicidal thoughts, saying Jesus is there for you. You don't
have to be alone. You just have to muster up the strength to ask Him for help. The
bottom-line, know that your not alone.
John and his wife Korey, who also plays keys, has a great duet on this song. "Better
Than Drugs" is another song that talks about addiction and how the Lord can become
better then the drugs (or alcohol or whatever your sinful vice in life may be). True to
say, yes, God is definitely better then having a life controlled by addiction.
The title track "Comatose" really dives into what the album is out to say. We as
Christians need to be out there in the world preaching the Gospel to every living creature
(See Mark 16:15), and that we need to 'wake up' from our world-induced coma and do
what we were born to do, and that's to serve God and help build His Kingdom. A lot of
people won't know that Jesus is waiting for them unless we (Christians) do something
about it! A song that seem to hit home with me, especially my life prior to Salvation was
"Falling Inside The Black". I had fought so many devils over the years, and until 2003 I
had fallen into the world, everything around me black. I used to love the Metallica song
"Fade To Black", and as hard as it was to admit, my own world had faded to black.
Nothing went right, and only the saving grace and forgiveness I found from God through
Christ, could give that hope of a bright tomorrow. Jesus said in John 8:12 "I am the
light of the world, he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light
of life". Amen to that.
"Say Goodbye" is a song that will probably have you thinking about loved ones who have
gone onto be with the Lord. In my case, it's sad to say, but those final goodbyes were
really that. Final. I know a lot of my family who have passed away, are not in Heaven
with our Lord, but in hell. It's sad for me to even think that, but it's true. But for those
of you who have family who accepted Christ, don't say goodbye, we'll soon be together
again. "Say Goodbye" would be a good song to put on a Christian rock anthem CD.
The last song that really caught my ear was "Whispers In The Dark". Besides having a
powerful message, this song really displays the God-given talents of guitarist, Ben
Kasica. Man this kid can play! I thought I was listening to Kirk Hammett there for a
minute. Yes, Ben is that good! All of the guitars on the album were exciting to listen to.
Oh, and before I forget, I have mentioned John, Ben & Korey, but I have not mentioned
Skillet drummer, Lori Peters. She rocks! God bless!
Closing Thoughts:
Bottom line, this was a great album, both message and music-wise. Skillet takes a step
forward and delivers a truly exciting, rocking and energetic album worth going out and
picking up.
COMATOSE DELUXE EDITION REVIEW [Added: 12/20/2007]
When a band re-releases one of their albums in a 'special edition' many fans will ask the
question, "Is it worth going out and re-buying again?". While most 'special edition' CDs
are really not worth going out to buy unless your a hardcore fan of a given band, this
release would definitely in my opinion not fit into that category. Here are a few reasons
why ...
Number one, the original 2006 Comatose album had 11 tracks, this one has 17. So right
off the bat, you know that there are 6 additional tracks that were not on the original
release. One of the 6 tracks is a new track and the other 5 are acoustic versions from
the original. Speaking of the new song, "Live or Let Me Die" is a rocking song. It's
inspirational 'let's live for God' message is great and I cannot wait to see what Skillet has
to offer it's fans in the future. The acoustic versions of the songs from Comatose are
pretty impressive too. Many sound very similar to the original, but one track stuck out
as an extra impressive when it came to reinventiveness of the original. "Whispers In The
Dark" was probably my favorite song from Comatose and at first I thought, okay, Ben's
guitar toward the end is pretty impressive from the original, how would it sound on an
acoustic track? One word best described my thoughts after hearing it. Wow. This guy
[Ben], like I mentioned in the original review of Comatose is an amazingly talented
musician who can stand up to the best of them when it comes to ability and creativity
with the axe.
Not only does the Deluxe Edition come with 6 extra audio tracks, but the release also
comes with a bonus DVD that includes all the music videos from the record. Those
included are: "Rebirthing", "Whispers In The Dark", "Looking For Angels" and a
Behind-The-Scenes video.
Closing Thoughts:
So what's my bottom line when it comes to Comatose: Deluxe Edition? Buy it. Even if
you have the original release, there is plenty of reasons why to go out and spend some
more $$ on this one.
It's actually a 'special edition' that's worth buying!
Review Written By: Jay Heilman [jay.heilman@christianmusicreview.org] Date Written: September 26, 2006
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