ALBUM REVIEW ~ SKILLET ~ 'DOMINION'

I'm Music Magazine, John Cooper, Skillet, dominion, surviving the game,

Skillet has been around a moment, or two. My kids grew up tagging along with their concert-junkie mom, to many a Skillet show. The kiddos are grown now, but I’m still a fan, forever known as the “Panhead Mom”. Their upcoming eleventh studio release, Dominion, is a perfect example of why they are one of the hardest working bands out there today. They are not only surviving the game, they are at the top of their game.

I’ve enjoyed listening to their sound mature over the years. This new album is a wonderful mixture of sounds, that blend to enhance the lyrics. Plenty of guitar, a touch of electronics here and there, keeping true to their roots. The first track to be released, “Surviving the Game,” opens the album with an empowering chorus. The music crescendos up from a hard yet quiet background opening, to a powerful explosion of guitar, demanding to be heard. The bridge begins with; “Fightin’ for my focus / Give the pain a purpose / Light the fire inside…” building to the chorus, which becomes akin to a fight song.”Surviving the Game / I can be unstoppable / Gonna walk through hell, gonna shake the walls…” The empowerment in this song, is easily felt by those who need it. I have a feeling it’s a message that was needed, as the song has had a great deal of airtime on satellite radio, and conventional radio.

They don’t stop with just one song. The uplifting positivity runs through the entire album, interspersed with reflective moments. “Valley of Death” begins with simple piano, almost mournful, and the lyrics add a reflective tone. Perhaps the most intriguing, is “Shout Your Freedom.” John Cooper, frontman and bassist for the band, has made no secret of how he feels about the troubles our society is facing. And in all honesty, that is his right as an American citizen. Sounding like an anthem with the opening music, lyrics of the song, “You are a prisoner / Of what they wanted you to be / Now you’re a minister / Of a brand new reality…” could be taken as direct shot to the government and its handling of the pandemic, which Cooper has been critical of. I could be totally off base, but no matter your stance on some of the those issues, you can’t help but feel the weight lifting off your shoulders, as the lyrics continue to celebrate the overcoming of challenges. “They think they own you /But they don’t know / You’ve broken free / Better on your own / Your on top of the world / At the top of your lungs / Come on and shout your freedom”. Best of all the bridge to the closing chorus; “Victory is won / You’ll never go back / Never going back / Look what you’ve become / You’re flying higher / Cause you’re a fighter.”

I feel like I constantly repeated the feeling of empowerment, and positivity on this release, but it’s something our society needs right now, and Skillet has delivered it. There are so many people that have lost so much in the past few years, I couldn’t begin to list it all. People are hurting, and Skillet has answered the call to encourage the broken, heal the hurt, and help us rise above it all, using the healing power of music.

I’m Music Magazine Photographer/Writer Michele Hancock