Pleasing Fans Old and New
Posted June 24, 2013
By username2,
Skillet's previous album, Awake was a bit disappointing in that the band didn't break out and try out something new and stuck to the mainstream hard rock that made Comatose a breakout hit. With the aptly named Rise, the band decided to spice up their sound a bit and also added a story that is told throughout the running length. The story is about a teen who tries to find ways of dealing with all of the problems that are happening in the world as well as his own personal problems. It's a good story to tell and feels relevant with what's going on in the world today. The lyrics do a good job in informing us on what's going through the teen's mind as he's dealing with these problems.
Skillet's trademark hard rock sound is still here along with the other unique aspects they are known for like the orchestral strings and drummer Jen Ledger's voice. Those aspects are the forefront of some tracks while Skillet's old in-your-face Collide-era rock sounds dominate other ones. Although there are a few tracks that reminded me of Awake and why I didn't like that particular album.
In the end, the pros outweigh the cons and Rise ends up being a better album than Awake was. It manages to balance the old and new styles of Skillet and will, in turn, please both old fans and new ones. The story running throughout the album is good and current to world events. After 7 albums, Skillet still manages to surprise and deliver on good, solid rock and roll. View All Music And Book Reviews By username2 | View username2's Profile
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