[SkilletAwake Full Album Zip
Addison Mauldin
Awake is the seventh studio album by American Christian rock band Skillet. It is the follow-up to their Grammy-nominated album Comatose. The album was released on August 25, 2009, by Lava Records, Ardent Records and Atlantic Records and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.[3] The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on July 27, 2010, and has since gone double platinum, selling over 2,000,000 copies to date.[4] It was nominated for Top Christian Album at the Billboard Music Awards 2011 and won.[5] This is the last album to feature guitarist Ben Kasica and the first studio release to feature drummer Jen Ledger. The singles "Awake and Alive", "Hero", and "Monster" are certified 2 Platinum, 3 Platinum, and 5 Platinum, respectively.
Skillet began recording for the album around October 2008.[6] The band recorded at Bay7 Studios in Los Angeles, California, with Howard Benson as the band's producer.[7] The album contains 12 songs.[8] Lead singer John Cooper wrote more than 40 songs in preparation.[9] He said that there was much pressure while recording the album: "Every time you do a record, there's pressure because you want to outdo the last record. This time it was intensified because the last project was so successful."[10]
According to band members, the album is similar to their 2006 release Comatose, featuring strings and guitars with a harder rock sound than their previous album.[11] John Cooper said that it "sounds like Skillet with some new things people may not expect." On Skillet's website, they describe their musical style as "Classic rock riffs, swirling drums, monstrous hooks, and undeniably catchy choruses... hints of old school progressive rock mixed in with modern alternative flourishes... touches of classical influence as swelling strings intersect with sonic adrenaline rushes."[9][12]
The band finished the first leg of their Awake and Alive Tour in support of Awake, which opened on September 24, 2009 in Fort Wayne, Indiana and encompassing 52 cities between September and December. They were accompanied by The Letter Black, Decyfer Down, and Hawk Nelson on the tour.[13] The band recently finished the second leg of the tour with RED and The Letter Black in April.[14][15] They also toured with tobyMac and House of Heroes on the Awake Tonight Tour in March and April,[16] and will resume the tour in November and December.
Awake was released on August 25, 2009, through Lava/INO Records,[17] and debuted at No. 2 on the national U.S. Billboard 200 chart, making it the band's most successful entry on the chart.[3] It also placed on other Billboard magazine charts as No. 1 on Top Alternative Albums, No. 2 on Top Rock Albums, and No. 1 on the Top Christian Albums listing.[3] The album sold 68,000 copies in its first week, Skillet's best-selling and highest charting opening week to date.[18]
The song "Awake and Alive" also charted on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 100 and No. 16 on the Heatseakers charts. It was Skillet's first song to chart on the Hot 100.[20] The song was released to Christian CHR and rock radio in February 2010.
"Monster" and "Hero" were used on the soundtrack of the WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 video game, with "Monster" also being used for 2009's WWE Hell in a Cell PPV and "Hero" being used for the 2009 Tribute to the Troops show and 2010's Royal Rumble pay-per-view.[citation needed] The Cleveland, Ohio AHL hockey team Cleveland Monsters use "Monster" for their goal song and game-opener,[citation needed] the AHL hockey team Portland Pirates also use "Hero" for their game opener before the team skates onto the ice.[citation needed]
"Awake and Alive" was used by ABC's daytime drama One Life to Live as part of the show's November Sweeps Promo in November 2009 as well as in promos for the MLB's National League and American League Playoff Series.[21]
"Hero" was used in commercials for Sunday Night Football, and is currently being used in commercials for the NBA on TNT and NHL's Los Angeles Kings and St. Louis Blues on Fox Sports West and Fox Sports Midwest, respectively.[citation needed] It was also used for the theme song to WWE's Tribute to the Troops event in 2009.[citation needed]
The album received mixed reviews from critics. Kevin Chamberlin of Jesus Freak Hideout gave the album 3 out of 5 stars, saying that the album "doesn't live up to Comatose and due to its extreme proximity style-wise, it is lackluster at best and on the verge of uninteresting." He also stated that the heavy amount of ballads on the album were unacceptable, saying that a few songs "wear immaturity like a fedora." He concluded his review by saying that the album "feels like the sophomore slump that Skillet never had to suffer through and a watered down version of Comatose."[27] Despite this, Awake has since gone double platinum in the United States, selling over 2,000,000 copies to date and outperforming Comatose.[4]
When talking about Skillet around here, there seems to be two heavy opinions, one based on a love for the older, ever evolving Skillet, while the other is the new found love for the matured arena rock Skillet that they have become of late. It used to be that no one could really say where the band was going next, as they went through different stages (grunge, worship, rock, etc.), but now it seems that Skillet has finally become predictable. The good news, for those who are into their current direction, they have become predictable good, with yet another album full of enough hits to really make their live show (where they really strut their stuff) complete.
In 2006, Skillet released their immensely popular and successful album Comatose. Along with the perfection of their live shows and the addition of a new drummer, Skillet's popularity grew more and more. With a new fan base and a new energy, their latest endeavor, Awake, attempts to build on that success. Having been known for not duplicating their sound with their previous records but still maintaining a basic foundation, Awake follows too in-step with Comatose.Comatose was such a transformation from the much harder Collide. Even the album titles Awake and Comatose suggest the albums are meant to be a tandem. That being said, Skillet has never truly duplicated themselves before. Hey You I Love Your Soul, Invincible and Alien Youth had similar elements but never were carbon copies of each other, but more of a progression and maturity.
"Hero" opens up Awake with a solid intro but immediately after hearing the vocals and the lyrics it's evident that the aim for this album is a much younger audience than the one that grew up listening to them. The most obvious change is the addition of Jen's vocals, which add a certain layer to the song, but also take away from the serious tone that Korey Cooper offered in the past. "Monster," a song about struggling with sin, follows with a heavier guitar, but the polished effects make it hard to fully embrace. The lyrics also make the topic difficult to take seriously especially with an extremely odd distorted "monstrous" vocaleffect singing "...I feel like a monster..." near the end of the song.
"Don't Wake Me" is a near duplicate of "Yours To Hold" from Comatose and is the first rock ballad (of many) on Awake. "Awake and Alive" opens with a strong strings section, similar to the song "Comatose," while Jen's vocals on the pre-chorus shine and mix well with John Cooper's leads. The string arrangements are a reassuring sign that their live shows will still maintain the same energy and captivating performances that over thirteen years of performing have brought. "One Day too Late" is another generic rock ballad that sings about resolutions that should have been made yesterday and feels much like "Don't Wake Me."
"It's Not Me It's You" is an angry song about a break-up with a good tempo but falls into the stereotypical relationship-angst laden genre with some unimpressive lyrics. "Let's get the story straight you are a poison, flooding through my veins, you're driving me insane..." are brutally honest, but ultimately sound clich. "Should've When You Could've" is another clich ridden song about missing out on love. "Believe," a late addition to the track roster of Awake almost feels like an outcast from a musical standpoint. Vocally, it's feels more like a b-side off Collide, but yet maintains enough of that"angry relationship song" feel to fit in here.
"Forgiven" is a highlight, but is still something that we've heard before. This song about redemption is the closest Skillet gets to a spiritually heavy song, with subtle strings throughout but heavier in the appropriate places. The song is directed towards the listener when Cooper sings "You have forgiven" about God's mercy. "Sometimes" is another highlight, which opens heavier and stays heavier throughout. Ben's guitar solo also has a crisp feel. "Never Surrender" opens like an epic sound, but still feels familiar. It follows up the theme on "Sometimes" and "Forgiven" with the three tracks working really well together."Lucy" closes out the album in a slow fashion, but on a downer about a girl named Lucy who has passed away. It's a sweet song albeit sorrowful, and closes out on a different note with John singing, "Hey Lucy, I remember your name."
As a whole, Awake is camping on the doorstep of its predecessor. As a sequel, it doesn't live up to Comatose and due to it's extreme proximity style-wise, it is lackluster at best and on the verge of uninteresting. The layout is fragmented into a rock-rock-ballad format throughout and a few songs wear immaturity like a fedora. However, the songs themselves have a higher listenability separate from the whole of the record. On a shuffled playlist they might suffice a longtime fan, but for newbie fans, this should wet the pallet to keep you interested for another record. Ultimately, Awake feels like the sophomore slump that Skillet never had to suffer through and a watered down version of Comatose.
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