Skillet really made a splash with their first self-titled album, and now they follow it up with the awesome Hey You, I Love Your Soul. All three members return and give a fine performance on this release. No sophomore slump here! In fact, they've even improved--the excellent overdriven guitars, the barely controlled energy--this is how Audio Adrenaline's Some Kind of Zombie should have sounded.
ForeFront really has a good thing going with these guys. Skillet is arguably the best post-modern grunge band to hit the Christian music scene. While others like Common Children have toned it down and taken a mellower route, Skillet maintains, and at times even picks up, the intensity. The only exception to this is "Coming Down," which flirts with the Choir-like sound that many others are trying to imitate. Otherwise, they dish out a kaleidoscope of sound that inundates the senses and leaves you reeling.
Skillet is another of those three-piece bands with whom you have to wonder how they can pull off that full sound in concert. There is no dead space in any of the songs, so give plenty of credit to producer Skidd Mills and executive producers Dana Keys and Patrick Scholes. This could easily fall flat if not for some talented work on their part, and a good knowledge of the band. They have done a fine job of putting it all together without robbing Skillet of any of their intensity.
John Cooper's vocals aren't your standard fare and may take some people time to appreciate, but they are well worth it. His voice reminds me of those British and Australian pop bands like Midnight Oil that dominated the radio in the '80's. At times, the vocals combined with the synths generate almost a jumped-up Psychedelic Furs' sound on tracks like "Pour," "Take," and "Whirlwind." The electronica Skillet uses creates an atmosphere that goes beyond the standard post-modern grunge genre and adds something very unique to Skillet's sound. This addition flirts with the past decade's styling but because of Skillet's originality and modernization doesn't date the music or give it a stale flavor.
The lyrics of Skillet were a little "out there" on their original release, and Hey You, I Love Your Soul is no different. They are all centered on faith and the struggles of our own selfishness against the love God willingly gives us. The lyrics from "Locked in a Cage" are reminiscent of "Gasoline" in their surreal imagery. Instead of "Soak my heart in gasoline" (burning ourselves up to replace our selfishness with service to God), this time we get:
I wanna be locked in a cage
I wanna be strapped in a chair
I wanna be where You are
If my insanity comes
Wrapped up inside You
I wanna break my legs
In case a thought to escape
Keep the hammer out of my reach
If my pounding impulse comes
Wrapped up inside Your arms
Locked up inside You
Probably my favorite song on the disc is "Your Love (Keeps Me Alive)." From imagery of God as our cool drink of water in the desert to this generation's cries of "Come Lord Jesus, Come," the lyrics are relatively easy to understand compared to the usual mind-boggling reflections Skillet presents. As an example of the latter, take a look at the imagery in "Scarecrow" of how we are so focused on our own suffering and insecurity that we forget how Jesus suffered to redeem us, and His call for us to be different:
Hanging in the sun
Waiting for the rain
Saw a field catch on fire
I caught myself just watching
Safe enough to not let go
Scared enough to not release
Open up to drink the wind
You tear me up when You come in
Take me down, shake me out
Give me
A lot of bands will use little gimmicks to get your interest, like a hidden track, taking on retro 70's-styling, or remaking an old favorite. One of the nicest things about Skillet is that they don't play that game. They are straightforward, simple, and alive. They seem to be ordinary people just doing the best they can like a whole lot of us. This gives a personable air to their music that makes it easy to listen to and more readily available.
I liked Skillet's first release, but Hey You, I Love Your Soul has really sold me on them. I will call myself a fan and look forward to their future work. If I had to pick one word to sum this up it would be resplendent.
5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #72Reviewed by Brian Vincent McGovernWhat's this? Keyboards? Drum loops? Sure enough, this ministry-oriented threesome has taken a dip in the electronica pool. Some songs, like "Deeper," draw the band into Eric Champion territory, but others, like "Dive Over In," slap a label on the band more befitting of bands as varied as Circle of Dust and Audio Adrenaline. The jump seems to be a good thing, because the record shows no signs of…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Josh SpencerBearing one of the more unusual album titles out there, Skillet's second effort takes their friendly grunge sound and sends it through the electronica assembly line (trying to get ahead of the trends this time). Out pops a super-catchy, adrenaline filled machine that should appeal to fans of Audio Adrenaline, DC Talk, and Reality Check, although it's a bit more creative and a lot more aggressive.…Similar sounding releases
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