INO Records Skillet’s substantial Comatose Comes Alive CD/DVD (10.20.08) features fifteen songs (plus five more acoustic tracks available online) with a majority of the tracks coming from the band’s last two studio efforts, “Comatose” and “Collide.” There are one or two songs from earlier albums, but the bulk of it comes from this burgeoning outfit’s return to their rock sound. If you’ve heard either of the aforementioned albums, then you know what I mean. This album isn’t about delivering new songs; it’s about harnessing the electric energy of Skillet’s live show.Generally speaking, something is always lost in translation between a canned and live experience. One might even argue that a recorded live experience is essentially part of a larger canning process. But vocalist John Cooper and crew open that can and release a
torrent of power that Skillet shows have become known for. In a way, the DVD experience is even better than actually having been there. While nothing will ever truly replace the firsthand experience, Comatose Comes Alive makes you feel as if you actually are part of the audience…closer even.An added bonus to the show is the band’s inclusion of a cellist and violinist on the tour, as both “Collide” and “Comatose” featured a fair dose of strings backing their rock inclinations. It helped keep their sound authentic and definitely lent itself to the dark, ominous side of some tracks.Comatose Comes Alive is definitely something you need to add to your collection. If live CD/DVD combos are going to continue to be the way the record industry adjusts to the digital age, then Skillet has definitely set the bar high for artists following in their wake.
