Skillet - Awake

tmlfan123 · 11-04-2009, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean

Huh? THe song sounds like the ballads on Comatose. It didn't at all remind me of Nickelback.

I don't know why it doesn't remind you of Nickelback, but all I can hear in this song is a cheap remix of "If Today Was Your Last Day", "Gotta Be Somebody", and "I'd Come For You".

bravesfan007 · 11-04-2009, 12:40 PM

I wonder if part of the reason we're all displeased with this album is because of the hype build up. It hit me today at lunch, they debuted at #2 on the Billboard charts of all albums regardless of genre. Then, it sank. I bought the album the week it came out because I thought it was going to be great. They told me it was going to be great and I bit into it.

BenWahrman · 11-04-2009, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean

The problem is that there are too many ballads, but at the same time, there aren't that many ballads?

It just seems like there are more ballads than there are. Most of the songs fall into the muddy water between Skillet's rock, such as Forsaken or Whispers In the Dark, which is most often superb, and their soft ballads, like Yours To Hold. It's like they couldn't decide whether to make this a ballad record or a rock record. And, as a big (read: HUGE) fan of Collide, I automatically hear them as being closer to the ballad side. It's most likely just my personal taste. Two slow songs or even three is okay, IMO, but if you're going to do a rock record, do a ROCK RECORD. Don't make me question which songs are which.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bravesfan007

I wonder if part of the reason we're all displeased with this album is because of the hype build up. It hit me today at lunch, they debuted at #2 on the Billboard charts of all albums regardless of genre. Then, it sank. I bought the album the week it came out because I thought it was going to be great. They told me it was going to be great and I bit into it.

And it came right around to bite you (and me) in the hand that paid for it.

**Sean** · 11-04-2009, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmlfan123

I don't know why it doesn't remind you of Nickelback, but all I can hear in this song is a cheap remix of "If Today Was Your Last Day", "Gotta Be Somebody", and "I'd Come For You".

The disconnect is probably that I gave up on Nickelback about 5 years ago, and you listed a bunch of songs from their last album which I try to ignore it's existence.

**Sean** · 11-04-2009, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bravesfan007

I wonder if part of the reason we're all displeased with this album is because of the hype build up. It hit me today at lunch, they debuted at #2 on the Billboard charts of all albums regardless of genre. Then, it sank. I bought the album the week it came out because I thought it was going to be great. They told me it was going to be great and I bit into it.

Hype can over sell something new or different, but a 15 year old band disappoints when they release a weak album.

tmlfan123 · 11-04-2009, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean

The disconnect is probably that I gave up on Nickelback about 5 years ago, and you listed a bunch of songs from their last album which I try to ignore it's existence.

Fair enough. I worked in an office with the radio on all summer, so...

**relient nelson** · 11-05-2009, 12:45 AM

I haven't listened to this album enough to rate it... but honestly, I haven't heard a song that I liked. I've actually hated everything I've heard from this album.

**DKelly** · 11-05-2009, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean

Hype can over sell something new or different, but a 15 year old band disappoints when they release a weak album.

I agree. You'd really think a band who's been around that long and have released a number of well-acclaimed albums would know better than to release a huge misstep like this.

monkeysmile · 11-05-2009, 08:34 PM

I think Atlantic Records may be playing a part in Skillet watering out to more radio friendly rock.

LesPaulPlayer · 11-06-2009, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by monkeysmile

I think Atlantic Records may be playing a part in Skillet watering out to more radio friendly rock.

I Can't agree more. It started with comatose and got worse.

I give this album a 4 or maybe a 5. "Hero" is the only song that reminds me of "good" skillet. it's kind of epic like Comatose. monster is just one of those

songs. Like better than drugs. it's like Ben came up with some awesome riff and they had no lyrics for it so they just thought something up so they could use it. Awake and Alive is like a ramped up version of some of the ballady stuff on comatose. the rest is garbage imho.

hopefully they can fix this huge misstep with their next album.

Davomann · 11-08-2009, 06:36 AM

I'm hugely disappointed with this album. When John said on "Comatose Comes Alive" that he liked power ballads, he wasn't kidding. To me, almost every song sounds the same. They're heading in the Nickelback direction, but I kinda feared that they would do this after getting more than a bit sick of a couple of the songs from Comatose and knowing that they were signed to a major label now.

I like Awake and Alive and Hero, but I just can't bring myself to listen to the rest again. Lucy is ok too i guess, but I've heard much better attempts at tear-jerkers at the end of albums recently than that (Things Left Unsaid by Disciple from Scars Remain

), so I guess it just doesn't seem as good to me.

John's voice this time round sounds grittier than usual, but not in a good way - it sounds like he's trying to make it extra-hoarse intentionally, because the producer told him to or something, and it makes it sound fake and manufactured, as well as (for me, being a singer) very painful. I just can't listen to his voice on this record. It really bugs me, maybe more than it should.

The chord progressions sound very generic and samey throughout the whole album, which I think is partly where the Nickelback thoughts are stemming from.

And, also the Lyrics are stupid too. I mean, we all write crap stuff sometimes, but not a whole album's-worth at once. Surely they must have had some better lyrics than that somewhere that they could have put on the album instead?

Overall, I just can't listen to this album, but I gave it a 5 because I think that the uber-panheads out there will like it, particularly if they liked the ballady stuff from Comatose

tmlfan123 · 11-09-2009, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davomann

Lucy is ok too i guess, but I've heard much better attempts at tear-jerkers at the end of albums recently than that (Things Left Unsaid by Disciple from Scars Remain

), so I guess it just doesn't seem as good to me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davomann

The chord progressions sound very generic and samey throughout the whole album, which I think is partly where the Nickelback thoughts are stemming from.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davomann

And, also the Lyrics are stupid too. I mean, we all write crap stuff sometimes, but not a whole album's-worth at once. Surely they must have had some better lyrics than that somewhere that they could have put on the album instead?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davomann

Overall, I just can't listen to this album, but I gave it a 5 because I think that the uber-panheads out there will like it, particularly if they liked the ballady stuff from Comatose

Pretty much exactly my thoughts. I can still listen to it, because while I like it when they're original, I can appreciate the occasional four-chord song as well.