Grammy-nominated Christian rock band, Skillet just released their 10th studio album today, and it needs to be added to your library. Lead vocalist, John Cooper says of the album, “ ‘Victorious’ perfectly describes how the record makes me feel. You wake up, face your own demons every day and never give in. There’s an introspective side to it. We’ve commented on the world explicitly in our previous albums. This one is about looking inward.”
Through my initial listen, I definitely felt that victorious message the album captured. The title track, “Victorious” is a favorite of mine as it opens with violins. The lyrics that are all too relatable, “in all this loneliness, in all this emptiness been stuck inside this room like a prison. I’m not going to stay, tell me there’s a way.’ The chorus then climaxes with a motivating “high above it all, victorious victorious” chant. This song has such a hopeful feeling to it. It will definitely be an anthem to overcome all of life’s difficulties.
“This is the Kingdom” is next in the tracklist, and again carries that motivation. The drums have a subtle marching beat that reminisces of a battle song. The lyrics in the chorus “Gonna light up this whole world, this is for freedom to break off every chain,” are so incredibly empowering, especially with the battle theme the song has.
Skillet has been a personal favorite of mine for 20 years, so of course, I’m enjoying this album. While Christian rock is certainly not everyone’s jam, this album at least deserves a listen. With the band’s heavy sound, they’ve been a perfect fit in the rock scene with other heavy hitters like Korn and Sevendust. Their music is obviously very faith-based, but the themes of victory over darkness and he’ll and everyday life is applicable to all walks of life.
Track List:
- Legendary
- You Ain’t Ready
- Victorious
- This is the Kingdom
- Save Me
- Rise Up
- Terrify the Dark
- Never Going Back
- Reach
- Anchor
- Finish Line
- Back to Life
