Three years later and Skillet are back with another installment following their “Collide” release back in 2003. Now, the time has come to unleash the band’s seventh album, entitled “Comatose”, which hit stores October 3rd 2006. Skillet for one, has never had the same style in their music, and has had many changes since their debut self-titled album almost 10 years ago. You can definitely tell that Skillet has matured as a group with this album as well as their last album “Collide”, but hey, that’s for you to decide. Skillet consists of John Cooper on Vocals and Bass Guitar, wife Korey Cooper on Keyboard, Guitar and backing vocals, Guitarist Ben Kasica and Lori Peters on Drums.

The album kicks off with the band’s first single “Rebirthing”. Filled with a hard rocking intro mixed in with violin make it touch you deep inside, and from the first note of the song, you know it’s going to be a good one. This track is the first track that we have heard in a while that also has John’s wife Korey singing along in the chorus and it adds that special touch to the track. “Breathe for the first time now, I came alive somehow”, makes you think about a person who feels like spiritually their dead and that their life is meaningless and then they get saved and they live for God. Next we have “The Last Night”, another soft melody which has a great vibe throughout the entire song. Again, listen to Korey’s voice in this song, just outstanding. Loneliness seems to be a common theme for the album as the next track “Yours To Hold” is more or less about that. I would consider this track to be the album’s first official ballad. When someone is going through so much in her life, she needs someone to hold her and make her feel more comfortable. This is my favorite track on the entire album. The soft melody and tone of the track are deep and make you want to listen to it more and more. On other hand, one of the band’s teaser singles “Whispers In The Dark”, another energy filled track, pretty much tells us a story from God’s perspective to us. “Better Than Drugs”, a hard –driven rock track filled with energy from start to finish. In this track, John is comparing on how God is much better than drugs and wine so to speak. If you think about it, the tracks on this album don’t mention God at all, but common sense is who is referred to in every track. We climb a few tracks later and we find “Say Goodbye”, a track that is something different and probably the first time I’ve heard Skillet record a song like this. This beautiful piano-driven ballad is to show us that we do not want to have friendships and relationships take the turn for the worse.

In all, for those who enjoyed the raw edge sound in “Collide”, you will be very surprised with the release of “Comatose”. Filled with a heart-pounding feel from start to finish, this album is guaranteed to make you want to feel loved and never let go. If you get a chance, pick up the album and I guarantee you will not be disappointed. This album is by far, the best album of 2006 for me.

Rating: 4.5/5