Fight the Fury - Still Breathing (2018)^{Release ID: 40118}

Skillet is part of the league of alt-rock/metal bands my brother likes and I used to before starting my TRUE metal interest. Little did I know until now, frontman John Cooper and guitarist Seth Morrison started their own spin-off project Fight the Fury!

As those Christian rockers continue to rise in mainstream fame, the fans wanted to hear more of the sonic heavy compositions from their golden mid-/late 2000s. There's no chance of returning to that kind of power those earlier followers really want, but this project formed by Mr. Cooper and Morrison provided a more metallic alternative. Their debut EP, and so far only release, Still Breathing has some mixed results; a bit of a letdown while still enjoyable in a couple songs.

The opener "My Demons" is very energetic. This is probably the heaviest to come from any of John Cooper's bands since Skillet's Collide. However, the lyrics have too much embarrassing drama, "I go to sleep with my demons, creep in my head every night. They come to shred all my dreams, why why why is this my life? I can't, I can't close my eyes". Fortunately, the heaviness makes up for that. "Dominate Me" is just intolerable with the lyrics too overwhelming, "This is how you dominate every part of me, yeah, it's okay, dominate me! Teach me not to misbehave, I can be a slave".

The fantastic "Still Burning" restores grace for the EP, once again reminding me of Collide and the heavier direction Skillet should've taken after that album. The lyrics in the song are a great improvement compared to the earlier weakness. "I Cannot" satisfies me once again. However, the "I cannot live, I cannot breathe" chorus is an unoriginal flashback to Skillet's Comatose musically and its title track lyrically. There's too much similarity between the final "Lose Hold Of It All" and Skillet's Awake single "Monster".

Honestly, Still Breathing sounds too awkward in the lyrics and occasional throwbacks to the earlier Skillet songs. Other than that, it's a short fun listen for Skillet fans wanting more of what John Cooper has to offer. And if you're new to his works, only a couple songs are worth your entrance. Still I gotta show this my Skillet-fan brother....

Favorites (only ones I like here): "My Demons", "Still Burning"