In the 14 years of Skillet's existence the Kenosha, Wisconsin-based rockers have climbed a long way up the music ladder. 2006's 'Comatose' has been certified Gold by the RIAA while 'Awake' was one of the biggest selling Christian albums since its release in August 2009; this in a marketplace where CD sales have slumped dramatically.
And although Skillet isn't known for their 'great lyrics' or anything, I think this song has more to say in general, so the writing seems more solid to me as well. Now, I could be wrong, but I could see this album being (to use Linkin Park as an example) the LIVING THINGS of Skillet's career where they sorta combine a little bit of all their previous sounds into one album.
Benjamin Judah Kasica (Born April 15, 1984) is the former lead guitarist for Skillet. He joined the band in 2001, when he was sixteen, and left in 2011. He began playing guitar at age eleven. He joined Skillet in 2001 at the age of sixteen, and recorded the albums Alien Youth, Collide, Comatose (which went Gold on November 18, 2009) and Awake (which went Platinum) with them.
John Cooper and Co. are BACK! With their 8th studio album, and the much anticipated follow-up to the monolith that was the 2006 release Comatose, “AWAKE” released August 25th on INO Records, and it continues with the use of strings and guitars with a harder rock sound that made Comatose such a success. Recording for this album began in March 2009 with lead singer John Cooper writing more.
Track 4 - Awake and Alive - 03:31 Skillet returns with a song so strongly influenced by the comatose album (and after touring for three years who could not be influenced by Comatose) that each time I hear it I think I am listening to the wrong CD. The strings that begin the Song are so synonymous with Skillet that I have to imagine that any other band does this at their own peril.