Review Summary: Not quite Comatose, but at least 4/5 of the EP is decent.
Skillet had potential. For as infamous of a moniker as “Christian band” is in this current climate, it’s hard to dispute albums like
Collide or
Comatose. They still contain some of the quartet’s most notable material to date, still unmatched as Skillet began dipping their toes into the sea of generic worship writing; I guess God must have flooded away their creativity around a decade ago. The announcement that singer John Cooper was to embark on a new, heavier endeavor with his upcoming project surely perked my ears up. Enter Fight the Fury, which Cooper describes as sort of a return to Skillet’s alt-metal style from albums like
Comatose. In a press statement, Cooper explained: “Fight the Fury is for all of the fans out there who like the heavy side of Skillet, but want a super-heavy album. I hope they feel the emotion of the songs that we have put together because this project is for them.” If you came to
Still Breathing expecting more than just a Skillet side-project or even just a rehash of their 2000s work, you may be disappointed. Even still, at a meager 20 minutes and containing only five songs, it’s unlikely to feel like wasted time.
Opener “My Demons” mixes the heavier edge of
Comatose era Skillet with a style not far detached from the likes of Slipknot’s more accessible material; think “Sulfur” or “Before I Forget” for a comparison. The lyrics are a depiction of the aftermath that comes with being a victim of abuse. “Some scars run so deep that we never fully heal,” says Cooper of the song’s lyrics. Weighted lines like “I hope you're happy wherever you are / ‘Cuz you’re the reason I'm afraid of the dark” reveal the more pained side of the writer and prove their ability to relate to abuse victims. Screaming is sparse, yet satisfying when accompanied by the groovy breakdown in the bridge. The opener isn’t free of its shortcomings, however. “And I bled on my bed” could have used more time in the dressing room; it doesn’t help that it repeats a total of four times within the song’s duration. The verses would have benefited from more consistent vocal work, as the shouting/singing dynamic wasn’t particularly well-executed. The intro would have been more substantial without vocals; Cooper’s tone tends to become rather grating when he tries singing higher notes. Without heavier instrumentation backing him, this lends itself to a less-than-ideal experience.
The songs that follow struggle to find their footing at points. Although mostly enjoyable, they can’t all be winners. “Still Burning” begins with a chugging guitar pattern similar to the average metalcore breakdown, only to slow the pace down shortly after. Its lyrics, like the majority of the content on this EP, are fairly generic, but they can still hit home on an emotional level, as did “My Demons”. “Dominate Me” would not feel out of place on a 2000’s nu-metal record, with a booming Korn-channeling riff and bordering-on-edgy lyrics. “I Cannot” could have been released on
Unleashed in favor of one of its weaker songs and that album would have been all the better for it, as it emanates a
Comatose vibe. However, the closer, “Lose Hold of It All”, is where
Still Breathing truly becomes unhinged. Long story short, I liked this song better when it was called “Psychosocial” and it was by a band called Slipknot. The musicianship in the verses treads so close to plagiarism that I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if Cooper and co. see themselves under a lawsuit for this track alone. For the strengths this album has, there are some glaring misfires. The aforementioned “I bled on my bed” line which is more cringy than poignant, the lack of subtlety to the worship themes in tracks like “Still Burning”, and the blatant plagiarism on closer “Lose Hold of It All” are why this is not quite the substitute for
Comatose I was hoping for.
