Review Summary: A great earlier album from the band, Invincible truly surpassed my expectations.
Five days ago, I ordered Skillet's
Invincible from Amazon.com. Having enjoyed their latest release
Awake more than the average joe on this site, I decided I needed some more from the band. I had already heard one of the singles, "Best Kept Secret," which was surprisingly good, and even after reading several reviews saying this was their worst album, I knew I had to get it, at least for reviewing purposes.
What I was expecting was an average electronica inspired album from the band's earlier days. What I got was a great album that truly surpassed my expectations. The first three tracks are all some of the best songs on the record, and there are probably another three highlight tracks near the end of the album as well. Skillet is best on tracks that rock hard, as songs like the worship song "Rest" and ballad "Each Other" are just plain average.
The lyrics are obviously more spiritual than what's on their latest album, and in a lot of ways that's a good thing, because when they aren't proclaiming their love for God, more often than not they are resorting to cliche lyrics about breakups. I would take their lyrical approach on
Invincible over
Awake almost any day. The synths and keyboard loops from Korey and John work very well most of the time, often times offering a lot more to the song, as in "You're in My Brain" and "Best Kept Secret." However, they can also get rather corny on the softer songs and end up making the song sound stale. The rest of the album seems to save the iffy synths from ruining its flow, luckily. There also three or four guitar solos on the album from then-guitarist Kevin Haaland. They aren't as classically influenced as Ben Kasica's, but rather more emulate the synths with a rougher edge, which is a definite plus.
Though it may be hard to stomach for some (it certainly was for me at first),
Invincible is a great album. It sometimes gets weighed down from some cheesy techniques, but the guitar work and vocal preformance save it. The average listener may not enjoy the album as much as I do, but those who are fans will probably find something to love in the band's third album.
Recommended Tracks:
Invincible
The Fire Breathes
You're in My Brain
