SKILLET 'Comatose' (Atlantic) RATING: 7/10 Buy now

By RYAN MAVITY

I hate to admit it, but Christian rock has gotten a lot easier to listen to these days. Christian-themed bands like Flyleaf, Chevelle and Evanescence all have had success in the past five years. I think part of it is because these bands have finally realized that the best way to get their message across is to not slap us in the face with it. Previous Christian bands like Jars of Clay and Creed were difficult for the average listener because of the pious quality of their lyrics (well, in Creed’s case, they flat out sucked in addition to everything else). Now adding its name to the Christian-themed groups is Skillet, a Memphis band that has developed a cult following with their alt-rock, post grunge sound. With their newest CD, Comatose, Skillet seems to be making a bid to appeal to a wider audience, and if this record is any indication, this group seems poised to break into the mainstream.

Make no mistake, Skillet is ready for the big arenas and amphitheaters. With their big rawk sound, power ballads to spare and lyrics that only a 14-year-old would find deep, Skillet certainly could conquer the TRL crowd. But Comatose has a little something for everyone. From the vocal interplay of husband-and-wife team John and Korey Cooper on “Rebirthing” and “The Last Night” to the lighters-in-the-air ballads “Yours to Hold” and “The Older I Get” to the old-fashioned alt-rock of “Falling Inside the Black” and “Whispers in the Dark,” all the bases are covered. For much of its running time, Comatose is breezy and fairly consistent.

John Cooper’s lyrics aren’t terribly intellectual; in fact, they border on cliché, but he has a pleasant voice and sings with conviction. Listening to Comatose, it would be hard to tell these guys are a Christian rock band, though that knowledge gives “Better Than Drugs” a different reading than you might assume. Part of what makes the band listenable is that they aren’t in your face with their message. Nothing here is likely to end up on that creepy “Open the Eyes of My Heart” infomercial. The band tends towards radio-friendly rock with big hooks and choruses, but they do get a little adventurous on the opener “Rebirthing” and “Falling Inside the Black” with violin-sounding keyboard effects. “Say Goodbye” sounds awfully close to Velvet Revolver’s “Fall to Pieces”.

It’s a shame that for an album that goes so well that Skillet had to end on such a bad note. The closing track, “Looking for Angels,” mixes bad spoken word about the homeless with a hook that should have been better served. It’s the track that falls on its face because Skillet tries WAY too hard to lay a message on us when we liked them better when they were just trying to impress the girls and have fun.

Still, the album is a solid affair that could easily be on the charts. That’s not always a good thing, given the amount of crap that is on the charts these days, but for what they want to do, Skillet gets the job done.