Comatose (album)

Comatose is the sixth studio album by American Christian rock band Skillet. Released on October 3, 2006, by Lava Records, Ardent Records and Atlantic Records, this album continued a similar music style set by the band's 2003 album, Collide, of downplaying the keyboard elements that were prominent in previous releases in favor of distorted guitars, and included more of an emphasis on orchestral elements. Comatose was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on November 3, 2009, their first album to do so, and has since gone platinum, selling over 1,000,000 copies as of May 20, 2016. A deluxe edition of the album was released on December 26, 2007, and a live DVD of their headlining tour in support of the record was released in fall 2008. Comatose was nominated for Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards on February 10, 2008.

This is the last album drummer Lori Peters recorded with the band, who later left in 2008.

Reception
Comatose has mainly received positive reviews. AllMusic praised its unique mixture of instruments, saying, "When guitar progressions meet piano nuances, special things happen with this band." Jesusfreakhideout.com also gave the album a high rating; "Filled with big songs from beginning to end, Comatose relies on more theatrics to build their sound while delivering substance at the same time." Christianity Today, while mostly giving the album positive remarks, felt that the ballads were a bit too pop-oriented compared to the heavier songs. They also found some of the lyrics to be generic. IGN.com gave the album a mixed review, commenting, "This may play well within that niche market of Christian music, as many of the traditional listeners eschew 'secular' radio. But anyplace else, this album will be ignored by the masses, as it's all been done before in one way or the other."

Track listing

 * Live recording appears on Comatose Comes Alive (2008)

Singles

 * 1) "Rebirthing" -  RIAA: Gold
 * 2) "Whispers in the Dark" - RIAA: Platinum
 * 3) "The Older I Get"
 * 4) "The Last Night" - RIAA: Gold
 * 5) "Comatose" - RIAA: Platinum
 * 6) "Live Free or Let Me Die"
 * 7) "Those Nights"
 * 8) "Better than Drugs"

Personnel
Skillet
 * John L. Cooper – vocals, acoustic piano, guitars, bass guitar, additional string arrangements
 * Korey Cooper – keyboards, acoustic piano, programming, guitars, vocals, additional string arrangements
 * Ben Kasica – guitars
 * Lori Peters – drums

Additional musicians
 * Brian Howes – additional guitars, additional vocals
 * Paul Buckmaster – string arrangements and conductor (1, 3)
 * Suzie Katayama – string contractor (1, 3)

Technical personnel
 * Zachary Kelm – executive producer, management
 * John Cooper – producer
 * Brian Howes – producer
 * Chris Lord-Alge – mixing at Resonate Sound (Burbank, California) (1, 3, 6, 9, 13, 14, 15, 17)
 * David Bottrill – mixing at Metalworks Studios (Toronto, Canada) (2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 16)
 * Richard Chycki – mixing (12)
 * Jay Van Poederooyen – engineer, Pro Tools editing
 * David Rieley – assistant engineer
 * Sean Geyer – second assistant engineer
 * Chris Crerar - assistant engineer, Metalworks Studios (Toronto, Canada)
 * Andy VanDette – mastering at Masterdisk (New York, NY)
 * Mark "Patch" Patchel – drum tech
 * Andy Karp – A&R
 * Kevin Tully – A&R coordination
 * Jeff Gros – photography
 * Josh Horton – design
 * Invisible Creature, Inc. – art direction
 * Gregg Nadel – product management

Awards
In 2007, the album was nominated for a Dove Award for Rock Album of the Year at the 38th GMA Dove Awards.