Awake -Deluxe-

the first bad Skillet album
My suspicions were correct when I got this album. Skillet made an album that's ridiculously radio-friendly and their lyrical content is weak in comparison to even their most recent Collide and Comatose. If this was to be their continuation towards symphonic alternative rock, they could've done SO MUCH BETTER than this. John Cooper is still as good as he was 3 years ago, Ben Kasica's been watered down for the most part except in the song Awake and Alive, Korey is almost absent vocally and Jen Ledger stands out a lot in her vocal parts. Despite how much i disliked this album, there were 3 songs I did like. Hero, their first single, would fit PERFECTLY with Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 because the Civil War storyline plays in my head when I hear this song. Awake and Alive is their other awesome track and Lucy is to Skillet as Into the Light was to In This Moment, only not as tearjerking. Love ya Skillet, but Awake has me sleeping.

Solid, but nothing that they haven't done before and better.
I love Skillet, and I'm sure this album will sell and do well on radio. As a singles album, it's fine, but listening all the way through leaves me wanting much more. It's very similar to Comatose, but not as good because they've already made that album. More of the same. The lyrics are cliche, and the repeated "I feel like a monster" doesn't do it for me. "Don't wake me" sounds like a clone of "Yours to Hold" from the last album. Again, good, but we've been there before. Awake sounds too much like the album before, and it's like a sophomore slump, but several albums in.

Skillet is set to go platinum with "Awake"
Skillet is ready to cross over to mainstream rock and strike it rich with their latest album, "Awake". Please don't get me wrong, the lyrics are still Christian-based. But this album will appeal to mainstream rock fans that aren't Christian. "Hero" and "Monster" can be found on both Christian radio stations and mainstream rock stations. They are highly energetic and set the tone for the rest of the album. I don't want to ruin the rest of your listening experience by reviewing the whole album. If you like Christian rock music, then you will enjoy this album. If you like mainstream rock music, then you will probably enjoy this album. It has a lot of similarities with their earlier album release, "Comatose". Don't be afraid to give this album a listen, you might enjoy it immensely like me. This "Awake" album has changed my life for the better. It's inspiring, heartfelt lyrics have captured my imagination and warmed my heart. The music is heavy at times and soft at times. I believe "Awake" has a great balance of heavy and soft music. I listened to the "Awake" album weeks in advance of its release date, Tuesday, August 25, 2009. I am a member of The Panheads and that is the way I was able to listen to the "Awake" album before the general public had a chance to. My favorite song on the album is "Lucy". I hope you enjoy the album, I know I do! :) Take care and God Bless. 01] Hero 3:06 02] Monster 2:58 03] Don't Wake Me 3:55 04] Awake And Alive 3:29 05] One Day Too Late 3:40 06] It's Not Me It's You 3:24 07] Should've When You Could've 3:31 08] Believe 3:50 09] Forgiven 3:38 10] Sometimes 3:26 11] Never Surrender 3:30 12] Lucy 3:38 13] Dead Inside (Bonus Track) 2:56 14] Would It Matter (Bonus Track) 4:12 15] Monster (Alternate Radio Version) 2:57

Another great cd, but sometimes going too radio/pop
This is another great Skillet album. However, it is their most "radio friendly" album to date. This might put off some listeners. Generally, Skillet always have a mix of heavy, soft, and pop songs on their albums. This album is no different, but the attempt at making the album more radio friendly hurts the album in some ways - mainly, I feel like Ben has to hold back on his guitar playing, especially solos and weird guitar noises (which are cool), and the ballads are more generic-rock-ballad sounding that Skillet has ever sounded before. Even on the heavier songs, it seems like Skillet are holding back a little, making sure that every song is a potential rock or pop radio single. Now, please don't take that criticism to mean that this is a bad album. In fact, I think quite highly of the album and believe that Skillet have never put out a bad album. I get the impression that this is the album aimed at the masses and meant to put Skillet "over the top" in terms of being a well-known rock act. Overall, great album, but as a fan of rock, I would love to have heard more cool guitar work and risk-taking. On other Skillet albums, a lot of the songs will have a part in the middle where you want to say "wow, that was a cool change up" or "man, that little part was awesome." This album has slightly fewer of those moments, probably due to the more pop-rock oriented production, but they are still there. Still, a great album, and I have no major complaints. I prefer the more rock oriented songs, and here are my thoughts: Hero - good lyrics, great song, good use of Jen's vocals. Monster - good lyrics, great song, but I wish the studio version had the cool growl that they do live in concert. Sometimes - cool little guitar riff, one of the better heavier songs. It's not me, it's you - pretty good song. catchy rock riff. cool lyrics in the intro. Awake and Alive - good song, good use of Jen's vocals (or is that Corey's vocals?), cool use of the synth Dead Inside - cool riff, pretty good rock song. A lot of the other songs are more ballad oriented or more pop-rockish, and those are good too, but I don't feel like giving them all an individual review. Maybe I'll update this review at a later date. -If you ever have a chance to see Skillet live, do so. They put on a very good live show. -I enjoy the mix of male/female voices in some songs. They don't overuse it, and it adds to their unique sound. -If you like the band, check out their past albums. They have a wide variety of musical styles and influences. There are super-heavy songs (far heavier than anything on Awake) and far softer songs as well. There's grunge songs (the first album) and electronic/industrial influenced albums as well. -Really, I wish they would release a remix album featuring studio remixes similar to the live versions of their songs. "Better Than Drugs," from "Comatose" has a really cool intro live, and "Monster" has a cool deep growling voice saying "Monster" in the middle of the song (neither of the album versions effectively capture the live version greatness of that growl). Some of the songs also seem to have more complicated bass/guitar parts in concert as well, and those bits sound better too. These guys are incredible in concert, and I worry that the influence of producers/record label/radio is taming their sound down a bit too much. I enjoy a few pop-rock songs and ballads from Skillet, but I still wanna hear the band "lay it down" musically on a few of the heavier numbers. I don't even mean make the songs super-heavy; I just like hearing layers of guitar and cool riffs, rather than the "bar chords without lead guitar" sound that's taken over the radio. Thankfully, the band hasn't fallen to that fad, but this album does feel like it has less "jamming." Ben and John can jam! Let them! Despite my apparent concern, still a great album.

They have come into their own
It doesn't matter if this is Christian rock or not, this is really excellent music and it is so enjoyable at loud volumes. If you like rock music you will love this record and the songs will rattle around your melon for days afterwards. It kind of reminds me of Three Days Grace One X with more melody and sharp, more pertinent lyrics.