All of this week's best is rock music. In stores, such as our favorite
store, Grassrootsmusic.com, you can get new discs from Skillet and Pillar,
plus the greatest hits of Slick Shoes. And since our recent interview with
Skillet was not enough for their fans, we have a full-length review of their
disc, Collide, which is in stores this week. And fans of the bands on the
See Spot Rock tour can pick up a disc full of the bands just doing stupid
things, if that makes you excited. And speaking of See Spot Rock, check out
our interview with John Reuben the Professional Rapper, only at
cMusicWeb.com.

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COLLIDE - SKILLET (2003)
by Rick Foux

Let's rewind to September 2001. I was sitting in front of my laptop, much
like I am now, typing up the review for Skillet's fourth album, Alien Youth.
My goodness, what a grand album that was. I listened to it seventy-hundred
times, salivated over it until my mouth was dry, and bought copies for all
two of my friends. My closing comments went something like this: "When it
all comes down to a point, this album is FLAWLESS. Cooper and Co. have done
everything perfectly this time around, giving them a tough challenge to top
in the future…" Yes, I remember it well. Then two years later Skillet had to
go and release a project better than the one I previously reviewed. Dang it.
Who'd have thought it would have been so easy?

Needless to say, if Alien Youth was the equivalent of an epic civil war
between pirates and ninjas, then Collide throws sumo wrestlers and monkeys
into the mix. Oh yeah, and they're all on fire now, too. Although only ten
tracks long, Skillet's newfound vigor is amazing as they flesh every last
bit of energy from each song. You'll notice the difference immediately as
the opener, "Forsaken," makes any track from Alien Youth sound fledgling in
comparison. John Cooper and Ben Kasica's guitar work melds tighter than ever
while Lori Peters's quaking drums register an eleven on the Richter scale.
Granted, Skillet's trademark industrial/techno edge has been forfeited, but
the tradeoffs are worth it. Even the token "ballads" ("A Little More,"
"Under My Skin") are enhanced with more upbeat instruments and faster-paced
melodies. Amidst the chaos, several rich orchestral arrangements (all
pre-programmed, of course) add flavor to some already decent cuts - the most
memorable being "Savior," the disc's first single. A surprisingly dominant
string section precedes Skillet's usual violent eruption into full-scale
metal before seething flawlessly into the motif. The title track takes this
experiment further by introducing a full orchestral score playing alongside
the band, and the results are overly successful. The eeriness that follows
during "Fingernails" simply cannot be explained. My best guess is that the
band has been playing a bit too much Silent Hill 2, as the otherworldly
piano solo sounds like it's been ripped straight from the game. We'll
forgive them though, since it's unmistakably the best song on the album:
Cooper's vocals fly through various octaves, hitting highs and low perfectly
before finally cutting loose with the ear-piercing Best... Scream....
Ever.... The rest of the band slams on behind him, pervading your nervous
system with the urge to jump up and run into a wall several times; however,
we don't necessarily recommend it.

While it's no doubt fascinating on a musical front, Collide marks a
departure from Skillet's typical theme records. Alien Youth was clearly
based on the Great Commission and geared towards the Church; Collide has no
underlying theme and instead its lyrical content consists of several
pressing topics that would speak mostly to non-believers. "Imperfection,"
for example, deals with the hurt that accompanies a poor self-esteem: "Tears
falling down again / you fall on your knees / you beg, you plead / 'Can I be
somebody else? For all the times I hate myself?'" Listeners who feel they're
at the end of their rope can listen to "Under My Skin" and find solace in
the fact that God's love is never too small - it extends to all who are
willing to receive it. "Obsession" details human nature's tendency to set up
idols in the form of worldly possessions and then corrects that fatal
mistake with an unceasing addiction to God: "I thirst no longer / drenching
my soul / pour out like water / you're my only infatuation." Skillet also
breaks character with "Savior," playing the voice of Christ to soul
searchers seeking to fill the empty void in their lives. Furthermore, while
"A Little More" resembles yet another worship tune on the surface, Cooper
actually confessed that it's the band's first love song between a man and a
woman. For such an ambitious leap, the band clears it with ease,
supplementing the absence of faith-based lyrics with poetic license: "Let
the world crash / love can take it / love can take a little / love can give
a little more." Let's hope it's not their last love song, either.

Two of the things we miss the most on Collide are 1) Korey Cooper's sublime
keyboard performance and 2) the synth and electronica elements that define
who Skillet is. Naturally, we can be more forgiving of Korey, who just gave
birth to a daughter and understandably needs less time in the studio.
Besides, she more than makes up for it with her tenure on guitar alongside
her husband. The lack of any industrial synth though, is a shame, and while
"Energy" features minimal techno spurts it pales compared to the programming
involved on prior efforts. Still, Collide is at the top of its class. John
Cooper's songwriting is at its creative best, Kasica and Peters are in top
form, and the material is more engaging than ever. If Skillet could record a
project containing the ambience of Invincible with the weight of this disc,
it would go unmatched. Until then, expect to see Collide at the top of your
CD rotation for quite some time.

Check out our recent interview with Skillet:
http://cMusicWeb.com/rock/skillet/interview.shtml

Read more about Skillet on cMusicWeb.com:
http://cMusicWeb.com/rock/skillet


OTHER NEW STUFF ON cMUSICWEB.COM

Interview: Interview with a Professional Rapper, John Reuben
http://cMusicWeb.com/hiphop/johnreuben/interview.shtml

Review: The Dying Art of Life - Fighting Jacks
http://cMusicWeb.com/rock/fightingjacks/dyingartoflife.shtml


AVAILABLE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18 (at cMusicWeb.com or your local music store)

PURCHASE THIS MUSIC AND MORE AT GRASSROOTSMUSIC.COM:
http://www.grassrootsmusic.com/?associateid=249

BROKEN DOWN: THE EP - PILLAR
Longtime Pillar fans have been waiting a long time for some new music, so
Pillar has delivered. This nice EP is full of rarities, from a brand new
studio track that the band thinks is one of their best to an acoustic
version of "Further From Myself" with strings. The real meat is four live
acoustic versions of their popular songs and a CD-ROM portion with the
"Further..." video. A must-have for any Pillar fan.

THE BIGGEST AND BEST - SLICK SHOES
Slick Shoes has spent the last five years on Tooth and Nail honing their
punk rock sound and creating a loyal fan base. With their new record being
on a major label, Tooth and Nail has the best of their early years on CD for
new fans to discover.

COLLIDE - SKILLET
Definitely the PICK OF THE WEEK, we have a whole review devoted to it above.

EXODUS - PLUS ONE
Plus One is actually a band now, but does that make them any better? No,
their music is slower and has the distinct "I was produced by Peter Furler"
flavor to it, which makes them sound like a poppier version of the Newsboys.

MORE TO LIFE/STUCK DVD - STACIE ORRICO
Not only are Stacie's two popular music videos are on this DVD, but you get
to listen to two remixes (including my fave, the rap-laced "More To Life
(Ruff Ryders Remix)") while looking at some photos taken during the "More To
Life" video shoot. For only $7.99, it's a fun look for Stacie fans who don't
watch MTV.

EL LIBRO DE RECUERDOS - TWOTHIRTYEIGHT
Twothirtyeight had some decent tracks, but they are no more. As a last
hurrah, Tooth and Nail has released a collection of music from their first
two releases, which were a bit more independent. So check them out.

SEE SPOT ROCK DVD - VARIOUS ARTISTS
If you did not see the See Spot Rock tour in the spring on 2003, this DVD
will not give you any more insight. However, fans of bands on the SSR tour
will like this disc a bunch, because it's a nonstop 60 minutes of The
Supertones, Relient K, Pillar, John Reuben, and Sanctus Real goofing off
during the tour. Concert footage sounds more interesting to me, but
whatever.

START DANCIN' WITH JUMP5 DVD - JUMP5
Now this is exciting! All those fans of Radio Disney's most popular group
can check out all their videos and get coached from the kids on how to dance
just like them! It might even help your Dance Dance Revolution score too...

TESTIFY TO LOVE DVD - AVALON
If anyone is waiting for the pop harmonies of Avalon to release another
disc, I highly suggest you check out some real music, maybe something on
Rocketown Records. If you don't want to do that, catch eight of Avalon's
most popular songs performed live on DVD.


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- And more!

View all the latest stories on cMusicWeb.com:
http://cMusicWeb.com/


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