Skillet "Unleashed" Album Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

If you haven't heard of Skillet, chances are you will sometime in the future. This band has been growing steadily ever since their very successful release of "Comatose". And after that, "Awake" firmly planted them as one of  the most popular rock bands out there as it was certified platinum. I have had a huge attachment to this band ever since I saw them live and then got into their album "Comatose", which is still one of my favorite albums of all time. For quite some time, Skillet was my favorite band until my musical tastes began to evolve and I began to see my childhood nostalgia was sort of clouding my judgement on this group. I used to refuse to hear anyone say a bad word on Skillet, and if they did, I was always quick to argue about how they were wrong. But now that I'm older and have a more open mind in terms to music, I can see why some people might not like Skillet, and I even share some of their concerns. For one, ever since "Comatose", Skillet has been trying to replicate the style of that album, sometimes making songs in the process that were near clones. I can't stand "Awake" for the most part, because it is practically "Comatose" part 2. It is also filled with ballads to the point of excess, and the only good ones are "Lucy" and "Believe". To make things worse, so many songs from "Awake" were on repeat on the radio so much ("Hero" and "Awake and Alive" in particular) that I got tired of the album and I don't listen to it much anymore. Their next album "Rise", was certainly an improvement over "Awake" in many ways, but its conceptual structure bogged it down a bit, and it unfortunately had some of their worst songs ("American Noise" is my least favorite Skillet song) to date in the midst of some really good songs. So, when I saw Skillet coming out with a new album this year in "Unleashed", I was really hoping this would be the truly worthy follow-up to "Comatose". And is it? The short answer is, thankfully, yes!

Skillet gets things off to a very positive start in a winning streak of their first four tracks. Usually the beginning part of Skillet's records has at least one weak song (almost always the ballad), but here all of the first four songs deliver. I loved the experimental industrial rock on "Feel Invincible", and I still do now. The song is so explosive and energetic, and it felt like a breath of fresh air. It was nice to hear a song that wasn't trying to copy off of "Rebirthing" (not that "Hero" and "Rise" are bad songs) and instead is its own entity. John Cooper and Jen Ledger's reliable vocals come in strong. The lyrics are nothing very special, but they give off  a very fun pump-up anthem vibe that worked for getting me excited about this album. "Back From the Dead" is yet another Skillet song that sounds unlike anything they've done before. The scat vocals and the VERY catchy chorus make this one an instant fun highlight, and with lyrics like "The zombies come out at night/They'll never catch me", it was impossible for me to not smile as I could tell how much fun Skillet has with this song. And then comes the ballad "Stars". Ever since "Comatose", Skillet has done a ballad for their third track, and for every album, it hasn't worked. I do not care at all for "Yours to Hold", "Don't Wake Me", or "Good to be Alive", as they just put a damper on the previous two rock tracks and did nothing emotionally for me. But "Stars" is a very different case: I was surprised to find I really liked this ballad. The electronic elements used gave it a totally new feel, and Cooper's voice actually carried the song very capably. This straight up worship track also boasts some of the best lyrics on the album: "If you can hold the stars in place/You can hold my heart the same/Whenever I fall away/Whenever I start to break/So here I am lifting up my heart/To the one who holds the stars". I hardly ever compliment worship lyrics, but Cooper did a good job of penning ones that felt fresh. This song is one of the unexpected but delightful highlights of the album.

If you were disappointed at this point that there had been no symphonic rock tracks, you will be pleased to hear "I Want to Live". I know so many people criticize Skillet for using this formula over and over again. But when Skillet does the style so well, I understand why they continue to use it. I loved this song from the first time I heard it, as it is distinctly Skillet but also something completely new. Jen's vocals are the real highlight of this song, as they sound particularly amazing here. The track is musically epic. It could've been tiring if Skillet had tried to do another symphonic rock track on "Unleashed", but since this is the only one, it works, and it stands as another highlight. But my personal favorite song from this album is undoubtedly "Out of Hell". I was blown away when I heard this song, as it brings to mind their "Collide" album- that's right, Skillet actually plays a song that is closer to hard rock/metal. I never thought I'd be able to say that again, but I'm so happy I can. The guitar riffs are impressive here, and there is a wonderfully done guitar solo that is probably the best solo on any Skillet song. Cooper's gruff vocals work here more than anywhere else. To make things even better, this song boasts the best lyrics on the album, as Cooper passionately cries for God to save him from his sins: "I'm suffocating waiting for you/Cause the Angels don't fly down here/I need you because no one else/Can you get me out of hell". This song is an absolute gem and rivals any of my other favorite Skillet songs, and really lifts "Unleashed" quite a bit.

"Watching for Comets" is another ballad, and much like with "Stars", I was a little apprehensive about it. But once again, it's actually a highlight. This relationship-centric song uses comets as a metaphor for a lost relationship, which is pretty deep for Skillet's often easily interpreted lyrics. When Cooper says "You were a comet and I lost it" it feels like it has a lot of weight attached to it. I don't usually say there's something to analyze in a Skillet song, but there is actually is here. Musically this song is solid, and the electronic elements serve it well much like in "Stars". The final track "The Resistance" is, in my opinion, the strongest finishing song Skillet has ever done, as it feels epic and powerful in all the right ways. With lyrics like "It’s our world/They can never have it/This is how we rise up/It's our resistance/You can't resist us" it's not hard to imagine the energy this song will undoubtedly have in a live setting. This song accomplishes what "What I Believe" attempted to do in "Rise" (ending the album on an epic note) in a considerably better way. The real cherry on top for this song, though was the unexpected but awesome instrumental outro. The outro is pure adrenaline fuel, and ultimately left me wanting more. "Unleashed" ends off better than any other previous album Skillet has done, and that makes this album feel all the stronger.

Unfortunately, this album is not perfect by any means. There are moments on here that are a bit cliched, and sometimes, straight-up bad. Both "Undefeated" and "Burn it Down" are typical pump-up anthems, and unlike "Feel Invincible", they don't have the musical creativity to make them unique. They're not bad songs, but they just aren't that special and feel more pandered for a sports arena or for live settings. "Lions" is the only ballad on here I did not care for, as Cooper's vocals are bit uneven, sounding smooth in the verses but way too rough in the choruses. Lyrically, this song is pretty bad, with some middle school-level lines like "If we’re gonna fly we fly like eagles/arms out wide/If we’re gonna fear we fear no evil/we will rise". I know Skillet is capable of better, which makes this song a little embarrassing. "Saviors of the World", while certainly sounding good in its electronic rock combination, is questionable theologically as Cooper says everyone can be saviors. I get what he's getting at, that through God we can make a lot of difference, but the way it's worded could definitely be interpreted wrong by the unsuspecting listener. The worst song on here, though (and probably the only one I'll actively skip on repeat listens) is "Famous". Skillet attempted a dance pop song here, and it just doesn't work. The chorus is used way too often, and the bridge has some of the worst lyrics Skillet has made: "Make make you famous/From NYC to Texas to the coast of LA/From way down under onto London/They’ll remember your name". The song just doesn't work in any facet, and the subject of making God famous is done in the worst way possible.

Still, even with the down points of this album, "Unleashed" is a vast improvement over "Rise" and "Awake", and feels like the follow-up to "Comatose" everyone was looking for. It gave the fans what they wanted: an album with mainly fun songs and an unabashed rock feel. And for the most part, that is not a bad thing by any means. So many songs here deliver, and just add up to make for a solid album, where even the worst moments don't hinder the album much (with the exception of "Famous" and "Lions"). And in the midst of the fun, there were a lot of songs with more serious weight on them and some surprisingly great ballads. I'll definitely be coming back to this album, as I just enjoyed it a lot. It's good to have you back Skillet, and in your best form for quite some time!

Favorite Songs: "Out of Hell", "The Resistance", "Stars", "Feel Invincible", "I Want to Live", "Watching for Comets"
Least Favorite Songs: "Famous", "Lions", "Saviors of the World", "Undefeated"