How big is Skillet's new album?

I know, I know ... I've been raving about Skillet's new album, Awake, for an entire week now. But it's really good! And now, it's really big!

How big?

It's the number two selling album on Billboard this week.

That's very cool.

Skillet's new video - Monster

Two of my favourite activities come together

Found this in my email today. My love of professional wrestling meets my love of Skillet.

SKILLET’S “MONSTER” TO BE USED IN “25th Anniversary of WrestleMania – World Television Premiere” THIS WEEKEND ON NBC

August 28, 2009
**As they near the close of an exciting street week, SKILLET’s active rock single “Monster” (currently #26 on the Active Rock BDS/Billboard chart and #28 on the Mediabase chart) will be used during the “25th Anniversary of WrestleMania – World Television Premiere” this Sunday, August 29th on NBC at 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT).  This Special will feature all the action from the original April 5, 2009 Pay Per View broadcast, but condensed to one hour.  Unforgettable performances will be highlighted from WWE Superstars including Triple H, Randy Orton, John Cena, Big Show, Edge, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Jeff Hardy and many others.
**WWE programming reaches nearly 16 million people per week in the U.S., and is available to nearly 500 million homes worldwide.  "WWE Superstars" is the newest addition to WWEs line up, a one-hour show, which recently premiered on April 16th, 2009 and has been WGN America’s most-watched Thursday telecast every week since its premiere.

Mike’s Mini Music Review – Skillet’s “Awake”

I have to admit – I was a little worried about Awake. Skillet’s last album, Comatose, was a gigantic hit in the Christian music community, and I figured it was inevitable that the followup album was going to be a letdown.

It turns out I was completely wrong. This record delivers. It’s fabulous. Great melodic guitar rock. Fun harmonies. Powerful songs. (I dare you to listen to “Lucy” and not get teary-eyed.) I haven’t stopped listening to it since Tuesday. It’s easily my favourite album of 2009.

Judging from other reviews I’ve read, for the very few who don’t like Awake, the big complaint is that it’s Comatose II – that Skillet hasn’t grown as a band or changed their style or whatnot.

In many ways, Awake picks right up where Comatose leaves off, but so what? Skillet has figured out the formula of big arena rock with guitars, keyboards and strings, and 1980s-style power ballads, and they make it work for them. I happen to enjoy that formula a lot, so I’m perfectly happy with Awake. Ecstatic, even.

Which is not to say that Skillet has entirely duplicated Comatose. The biggest change on Awake is the addition of new drummer Jen Ledger to the vocal line-up, singing both backup and supporting lead vocals on songs, which is a definite upgrade to Skillet’s overall package.

Not only is there not a bad song on the entire album, the first half of Awake is among the strongest string of songs I’ve ever heard on any record. And given the album’s lyrical emphasis on real-life situations (love, loss, forgiveness, bad relationships, etc.), songs like “Don’t Wake Me”, “One Day Too Late” and “Forgiven” would not be out of place as soundtrack songs on any number of teen or young-adult dramas. And “Hero” would make an excellent action movie trailer song.

OK, there are some nitpicky things. For instance, the fact that the line “My voice will be heard today” gets repeated during the second verse of “Hero” bugs me and strikes me as lazy lyric writing. And if I had done the arrangements on “Alive and Awake” I would have tweaked the chorus just a bit.

But, again, it’s nitpicking. I don’t have enough superlatives for Awake. This album is tremendous. Five stars. 10 out of 10. Highest recommendation. Just go buy it.

Skillet's two new songs - Monster, Hero

From the much-anticipated forthcoming Skillet album, Awake, out August 25.

Skillet's new song, Monster

From their forthcoming album. Quality is as good as it gets for YouTube, really.

Skillet: A Day in the Life of a Show

Time-lapse videos are nothing new, but that doesn't make this any less fun to watch.

Mike's Music Review: Skillet - Comatose Comes Alive

This finally arrived in my mailbox today after a too-long wait to get it over the border. Fortunately, it was absolutely worth the wait: a total of 21 tracks (including 6 downloadable) on the CD, and a live concert DVD with its own bonus features, and it cost me less than $20. (See? That's how you sell people on actually buying music: Give them lots of stuff for a decent price. On a per-song cost, this album is absolutely cheap.)

Comatose is a great rock album, and the live version is just as good. Gotta love any band that uses orchestral strings to back up crunchy alternative/arena rock. I got through most of the DVD tonight, and I'm listening to the album on my iPod as I type this, and this is going to be one of those albums that I play over and over and over again until the CD melts in my car stereo.

And right now, I'm enjoying the heck out of the multi-vocal "Yours to Hold" which features pretty much everyone in the band taking turns on the song, including the band's brand-new 18-year-old drummer, Jen Ledger.

Big thumbs up.

Skillet - Rebirthing

Love this song.

Music currently on order

Tomorrow is the release of Downhere's new album, Ending is Beginning. I'll be getting that one off iTunes before I head into work tomorrow.

I also have three other albums headed my way in the mail: Skillet's Comatose Come Alive CD/DVD; Newsboys Live: Houston We Are Go CD/DVD; and Toby Mac's Alive and Transported CD/DVD combo.

Hey, I'm a sucker for live concert albums. Plus, I need some concerts to watch on the iPod while we do our long drives to visit family.