{"id":16830,"date":"2013-06-20T07:30:14","date_gmt":"2013-06-19T21:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/?p=16830"},"modified":"2013-06-20T20:20:31","modified_gmt":"2013-06-20T10:20:31","slug":"skillet-rise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/2013\/06\/skillet-rise\/","title":{"rendered":"Skillet – Rise"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Christian rock for some reason always gets somewhat frowned upon by some music fans, in particular rock fans, especially when it\u2019s widely known that a band represents that. Look at bands like Stryper who have always maintained their beliefs, and I\u2019m not scared to say that I caught a Stryper bible at one of their shows and I dug that. I may not be religious but that\u2019s not the point when it comes to music\u2026 music to me is a feeling, an emotion and can pick you up at any time regardless of content. So enter Skillet and their awesome new album \u2018Rise\u2019\u2026<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll set the scene for you, it\u2019s Sunday morning, I\u2019m a little tired and preparing for an interview with John from Skillet, so I press play on my advance of \u2018Rise\u2019 and within seconds, I am awake (pun intended) and had the feeling I was in for something I was going to like. Title track \u2018Rise\u2019 is the perfect lead off for the album, it\u2019s loud, proud and lyrically uplifting, and the vocal trade-offs between John and Jen are perfectly suited to this song and the band and is a part of what has helped propel them to the status of where they are now. The narrative throughout the album sees \u2018cut scenes\u2019 intertwined between tracks and helps to set up this concept as the tracks flow and tell a story. Lead single \u2018Sick of It\u2019 is so good, musically and arrangement wise, it works, a great bridge and chorus with a hook and perfect choice to promote this new album. Loved that track, BUT the ballad alarm has just gone off and I\u2019m in my element\u2026 always a sucker, you should know that by now but \u2018Good To Be Alive\u2019 is my favourite track on the album and I\u2019m only three in, yeah good luck trying to top that one, Skillet\u2026 but seriously, when I talked about music and how it makes you feel, this is a track that is for lack of a better word \u2018uplifting\u2019 and positive. Structured perfectly and with a melody that makes a song, and many bands could learn from a song like this. As its operatic outro leads directly into the rockin\u2019 \u2018Not Gonna Die\u2019 which is another I shake my head at, this one though stands out with a guitar solo thrown in for good measure, but vocally again, John\u2019s raspy rock voice blends perfectly with Jen\u2019s and harmony wise I can\u2019t fault it at all, plus again, this band knows how to write a song and in particular a chorus.<\/p>\n

\u2018Circus For A Psycho\u2019 has a bit of a \u2018Thunderstruck\u2019 element to it with its riff throughout, but this fast paced rocker is heavy and has its place on the album, but \u2018American Noise\u2019 keeps my ballad alarm in a job and is almost anthemic in its creation, I see many a fist raised and hoisted lighters burning many fingers if this gets a run at shows, oh wait, I\u2019m old school, I mean phone raised as this is suited to it, and lyrically this is as you\u2019d expect, great message and just an all-round good song, plus with a kick ass middle 8 in there for good measure, you can\u2019t go wrong, this was a great song. Again, no time to dwell in ballad land\u2026 \u2018Madness In Me\u2019 with its detuned guitar twang, it sets up another standard Skillet track, and I mean that in a good way, they have a formula and it works, the underlying keyboards help fill the track and I can see this one being a staple at a Skillet live show for quite a while.<\/p>\n

Jen takes lead vocals on \u2018Salvation\u2019 and what a perfect choice for this song too, the song lends itself to her voice, with John\u2019s coming in and emphasising her voice throughout the song, this works, well. Lyrically, it\u2019s a love story, and a good one at that. Then with \u2018Fire and Fury\u2019 a great album track in here, not my favourite by any means, but in the piece of the story here it works, then we have \u2018My Religion\u2019 with its swagger and a little bit of a different feel here for Skillet and its inclusion of a little of \u2018Amazing Grace\u2019 which I can honestly say I\u2019ve never heard done before, interesting\u2026 I was starting to worry that the album was getting a little weaker as we headed towards the end, now with only two tracks to go, it is redeemed with \u2018Hard to Find\u2019 and another power balladesque track, and just hits a groove that works, and I\u2019m thankful that it has, great track this far in. We close the album with \u2018What I Believe\u2019 and we went out as we came in\u2026 rockin\u2019, what a perfect choice for the last track, this is a song that has that hook, and brings back that feeling, it drew me in and made me feel it, there was something about this one, as it\u2019s written and structured so well, and this really was the best choice to end this story. It ends abruptly and with that, \u2018Rise\u2019 has risen and has ended.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure why there are so many worries about a \u2018change\u2019 or the inclusion of \u2018new elements\u2019 this time around for Skillet, I mean, what I hear when I\u2019m listening to \u2018Rise\u2019 is a band that has made one heck of a rock album and one that I think will surpass their predecessor \u2018Awake\u2019 as it truly has the potential to, given the chance. I loved this album and I hope you do too.<\/p>\n

Check out our interview with John Cooper of Skillet HERE<\/a><\/p>\n

Essential Information:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

From:<\/strong> Memphis, TN, USA<\/p>\n

For fans of:<\/strong> Rock<\/p>\n

Release date:<\/strong> 21 June 2013<\/p>\n

Record label:<\/strong> Warner Music Australia<\/p>\n

Producer: <\/strong>Howard Benson<\/p>\n

Website:<\/strong>\u00a0 http:\/\/www.skillet.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Track Listing:<\/strong>
\nRise
\nSick of It
\nGood to Be Alive
\nNot Gonna Die
\nCircus for a Psycho
\nAmerican Noise
\nMadness in Me
\nSalvation
\nFire and Fury
\nMy Religion
\nHard to Find
\nWhat I Believe<\/p>\n\n

\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t