skillet collide album download Collide. John L. Cooper has finally hit his stride with Skillet. Collide is a disc that chugs along with guitars out front, screaming vocals, and a raw intensity that strips the band of its electronic nuances. Opting for a much more aggressive sound, the band leans on guitar riffs while synths are more tastefully added. Songs like "Forsaken" and "Savior" are perfect examples of unadulterated rock bliss. Even when the band veers away from the heaviness à la the well-placed orchestration on "Collide," the meat of the tune still ends up rocking out. With this disc, Skillet takes a firm stance toward honing a sound that is marketed to Generation X. With cuts to back it, they may have found the right vehicle to reach those ears. Skillet collide album download. In an age of re-releases and "special editions" galore, Skillet is the latest to join the throes of album revisitations, offering a CD/DVD "Deluxe Edition" of their hit 2006 record Comatose . For this particular second time around, Comatose is given an additional song to its original eleven- song tracklisting that had been recorded too late to make it onto the original release last year. And in addition to these twelve studio songs, five "acoustic" renditions of tracks featured herein are tacked on at the end. Finally, to round out this re-release, a DVD is added as a second disc that includes four music videos. As a whole, the packaging for Comatose: Deluxe Edition , which boasted new artwork, merely offers a slip cover with new artwork on the front and back, and the actual CD case retains its previous back and front cover. In fact, the CD jacket is exactly the same - no lyrics included for the bonus song, and the artwork under the CD tray has been replaced with a much less interesting solid-orange coloring. Most importantly, however, how does Comatose feel as a deluxe release? The new track, "Live Free Or Let Me Die," is an edgy rock anthem that only suffers from a slight resemblance to something you might have heard from Disturbed several years ago. The familiarity of the track robs a bit of the thrill of having a new song here. It rocks, but I don't want to be reminded of anything by Disturbed when listening to Skillet. Also, when Skillet re-released Collide in 2004 on Atlantic and added "Open Wounds," the song wasn't just haphazardly tossed onto the end of the tracklist. Instead, it was carefully placed, even slightly re-ordering the other songs so it would fit nicely. Here, it falls directly after the album closer, "Looking For Angels," and just doesn't fit there. The acoustic songs that follow are wonderful little added bonuses, however, they vary in approach and quality. "Rebirthing" is clearly a new recording presented in an acoustic fashion, which is ultimately the point of an acoustic rendition. However, the four songs that follow - "Yours To hold," "The Older I Get," "Whispers In The Dark," and "Say Goodbye" - seem nothing more than acoustic remixes of the original studio recordings. And with three of them having originally been mostly rock ballads already, the "acoustic" mixes really aren't that different. Also, this mix of "The Older I Get" was released earlier this year on iTunes, so some fans will already have this particular offering, which, on the bright side, now they can own for the first time on a disc. Of the acoustic mixes, "Rebirthing" and "Whispers In The Dark" (which features a killer acoustic solo from guitarist Ben Kasica) are clearly the more interesting as they reduce the edginess of their rock versions to more stripped down approaches. I hate to say it, but the DVD is a bit of a disappointment. While the disc is clearly advertised as offering three music videos - "Rebirthing," "Whispers In The Dark," "Looking For Angels" - it also mentions "Behind The Scenes" at the end of the list. Unfortunately, this does not include interviews or glimpses of songwriting in the studio, or anything fans probably have never seen before. Instead, "Behind The Scenes" is nothing more than Skillet's music video for "The Older I Get," which also released earlier this year on iTunes, set to clips of the band recording in the studio. It's nothing new, and frankly, a bit misleading. Regardless, it's great to have tangible, widescreen DVD copies of the Comatose music videos for the first time. If, somehow, a Skillet fan has yet to pick up Comatose , Comatose: Deluxe Edition is without a doubt the obvious choice for getting the most bang for your buck. Still, the lack of attention to detail in track placement, as well as a slightly thin DVD (which would have worked better as a separate acoustic EP with an enhanced portion featuring the DVD content to remove the bonus tracks from the regular studio release, thus retaining its original concept vision), make this Comatose: Deluxe Edition feel less like a solidly constructed release than its original. Whether repurchasing the whole album for these goodies is worth it or not for the Skillet fan is up to them. I just can't help but feel like it's getting to the point where a separate release entirely, serving as a companion EP (see: Project 86's The Kane Mutiny iTunes EP), would make more sense (and be more considerate) for the fans for which these re-releases are targeted for anyway, and who also most likely had preordered the album's first version last year. When all is said and done, it's a rather bittersweet experience. Skillet collide album download. Skillet began in 1996 with a powerful garage rock sound featuring frontman John Cooper's unique vocals. They soon forsook their raw rock sound for an electronic-fueled modern rock format on their sophomore release in 1998. In 2003, Skillet reinvents their sound once again to offer their hardest hitting release to date. Despite some obvious influences from today's mainstream modern rock scene, Skillet puts together a rock album in Collide that can rival anything in the general market. What's interesting about Collide is it marks the band's reunion with Paul Ebersold, the producer from their self-titled debut record. Since the release of the record, Ebersold has gone on to produce such mainstream acts as Three Doors Down, Sister Hazel, and Spacehog. As Skillet's sound has matured and progressed over the years, Ebersold's producing techniques have changed as well. While Skillet's debut was often compared to Nirvana or Bush, their later work was oftentimes compared to Marilyn Manson, all the while managing to rise above these artists in message and talent. Their 2003 album Collide is comprised of ten surging rock tracks screaming for hit status. The electronic backdrop is almost completely gone, replaced instead by a raw, more aggressive straight-up rock sound that has been missed since their debut. While production was kept rough and deliciously dirty on their debut, here it's polished, but to powerful perfection. Cooper and company didn't let overproduction steal the rock joy from their sound. Songs like "Fingernails" and "My Obsession" hit harder than any previous Skillet recording to date. They showcase Cooper's signature gritty vocals, passionately driving these songs about Godly reverence and struggles with our own failures and frailty. In fact, Collide is very much about the frailty of mankind. Cooper recently described the title as meaning "that when faith and fear collide, God will be your anchor." It's definitely a clear theme as expressed through our need for Him in "Savior" or possibly the strongest track on the record, the encouraging "Imperfection." Struggling through life can turn up plenty of days where we feel unloved, broken, and falling especially short of the what God or others might expect from us. "Imperfection" is a fierce modern rock track that begins with a heartfelt encouraging word to those with heavy hearts as Cooper continues on to paint a familiar picture, " 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? / Your failures devour your heart in every hour / You're drowning in your imperfection. " The song doesn't end before hope is offered through God's loving touch. Ebersold helps the band piece together a rock album that can easily find a place in the general market. Musically, the album sees major influences from the current modern rock trends, with many moments inspired by bands like Three Doors Down, or more noticably Linkin Park on tracks like the title song, "Savior," or "Fingernails." While it's very noticable in vocal style and delivery, or musically in the usage and placement of strings on certain tracks, the songs are so solid and unmistakably Skillet that these moments are forgivable. However, it's the tracks that have no real "sounds-like" moments that the band shines the brightest. "A Little More" and "Under My Skin" are as close as the band gets to ballads on Collide , as each have their melodic and softer moments amidst what adds up to be just another great rock number. All in all, Skillet's sixth offering, Collide , is arguably their most solid to date. While not perfect, Collide takes the rock quartet to another level with an album that can truthfully be regarded as one of the best rock albums to come along in awhile, and certainly one of the best of the year.