November 2025 Featured Release - The Gateway Edition

So just like that we find that a new month is upon us which of course means that we’ll be nominating a brand new monthly feature release for each clan. This essentially means that we’re asking you to rate, review & discuss our chosen features for no other reason than because we enjoy the process & banter. We’re really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on our chosen releases so don’t be shy.

This month's feature release for The Gateway, nominated by me (Shadowdoom9 (Andi)), is the 2003 5th album by Memphis-based Christian alt-rock/metal band Skillet, Collide. I'm still grateful for my brother helping me get into metal when I was following his alt-rock/metal footsteps before getting into actual metal. Skillet was one of the pivotal bands in that early part of our rock/metal journey, and Collide is their one album metal enough to qualify for this site, for anyone into 2000s modern rock/metal, Christian or otherwise.

https://metal.academy/releases/63487

Here's my review summary:

Skillet was part of the league of my brother's favorite alt-rock/metal bands alongside others such as Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace, and Disturbed. Back around the Rise era, shortly before getting into "true" metal, I was following his footsteps and liked some songs from those bands. I consider Skillet more of a rock band than metal, but when I gave that album some listening for the first time in many years, I realized it has the most metal Skillet has ever sounded in their career, as heavy as frontman John Cooper's side-project Fight the Fury. The electronics of the band's prior albums were reduced in favor of pure guitar intensity, with John's singing having a bit of a screamy edge. This is total riff aggression that the band has barely done before and after. Synths still pop out occasionally while still having the heavy riffing. There are a couple softer ballads here and there, but they still mainly go from bliss to devastation (not to be confused with that Vision of Disorder album with a similar sound). Collide has shown Skillet really making their way to the alt-rock/metal generation. And it has still pleased listeners in the next couple decades that would follow. If my brother and I both end up saying goodbye to alt-rock/metal for real one day, this offering can still be something for us to remember....

4/5

Recommended tracks: "Forsaken", "Savior", "My Obsession", "Collide", "Imperfection", "Energy"

For fans of: Fight the Fury, Breaking Benjamin, Vision of Disorder's From Bliss to Devastation