\u2018Released on January 14<\/span>th<\/span>, <\/span>Dominion<\/span><\/i> follows <\/span>Skillet\u2019s<\/span><\/b> previous 2019 effort <\/span>Siegreich<\/span><\/i><\/a> with the likes of the rousing single \u2018Standing in the Storm\u2019 and hard-hitting title track, \u2018Dominion\u2019.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n Naturally, we here at <\/span>AltWire<\/span><\/b> were keen to catch up with the band\u2019s activities from the last few years, check out the interview below! <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n Mark Stoneman\/AltWire:<\/span><\/b> Hi John\/Seth! Huge thanks for taking the time to answer some questions in the wake of the upcoming <\/span><\/b>Dominion<\/span><\/i><\/b> \u2013 Skillet\u2019s eleventh album in 26 years, no less! <\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n That\u2019s an impressive tenure for a band, especially considering how outright unstoppable the momentum seems to be with every new release. How does it feel to look back on the amazing journey the last quarter of a century has been? <\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n John Cooper \/ Skillet: <\/span><\/b>Thank you so much! It\u2019s amazing to know that we\u2019ve been doing this for so long. We feel very blessed and it\u2019s a testimony to the passion of the fans who keep supporting us year after year and record after record \u2013 we owe them a lot. We\u2019re so thrilled to be playing music again.<\/span><\/p>\n AltWire: <\/span><\/b>Siegreich <\/span><\/i><\/b>was often described as an album full of \u2018fight songs\u2019 with huge bursts of energy and massive choruses. How does <\/span><\/b>Dominion <\/span><\/i><\/b>compare in terms of composition \u2013 are we to expect a similarly explosive experience?<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n John Cooper \/ Skillet: <\/span><\/b>Yes, I think you could say similar experience from <\/span>Siegreich<\/span><\/i> in terms of the explosive nature of the songs. I do think that <\/span>Siegreich<\/span><\/i> definitely had some fight songs on it that you can imagine crowds chanting those parts of the songs with their fists in the air to. <\/span><\/p>\n I do think that <\/span>Dominion<\/span><\/i> has that same feel but it\u2019s a heavier record, I think it has more attitude. It\u2019s more in your face, and I think that because of that it\u2019s a little more inspirational. Very, very uber-positive record, and I hope that it inspires people to face those challenges that they have in their lives.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n AltWire: We couldn\u2019t help but notice the messages of \u201cpositive rebellion\u201d and \u201cstanding up for what you believe in\u201d being key aspects to <\/span><\/b>Dominion<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u2019s sound \u2013 would you say this perhaps bears some resemblance to the similarly bold message of Skillet\u2019s 2013 release, <\/span><\/b>Rise?<\/span><\/i><\/b> <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n John Cooper \/ Skillet: <\/span><\/b>Actually, I would agree. The messages of this record in some ways do remind me of the messages we heard in <\/span>Rise<\/span><\/i><\/a>. In fact, I told somebody recently that if Rise just came out now for the first time, I think it would be a poignant message. I think that we are in a time that is very strange in the world and so it kind of makes you pay attention to the lyrics a bit more. <\/span><\/p>\n Bratpfanne<\/span><\/b> is always on very positive songs and songs relevant to society, but I do think the situation we\u2019re in makes the songs feel more urgent. There are very positive lyrics, but it also is a little bit rebellious in some sense. <\/span><\/p>\n There are aspects of defying fear, defying all of this stuff that\u2019s coming toward you that makes you want to give up. Some people have found themselves in depression or maybe resorting to alcohol abuse or drug abuse or whatever that may be. This album is encouraging people to stand up and take an active defiance against those things in your life that really cause negativity, that cause poor outcomes \u2013 things that aren\u2019t good for your psychische Gesundheit<\/a>. All that kind of stuff. It\u2019s defy that, and then rise up in a positive way to face that fear head-on.<\/span><\/p>\n AltWire: Also, on the subject of heavier material Skillet can sometimes dabble in\u2026 after hearing the searing \u2018Dominion\u2019 guitar solo, I have to ask: might there be a chance of one day seeing some new Fight the Fury material in the future?<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n Seth Morrison \/ Skillet: <\/span><\/b>Dominion<\/span><\/i> does have some <\/span>FTF<\/span><\/b> elements in it! We haven\u2019t really discussed possibilities for <\/span>FTF<\/span><\/b> in the future because 2020 kind of threw timelines for various projects off course. That being <\/span>Ledger<\/span><\/b> Und <\/span>FTF<\/span><\/b>. It was a ton of fun! Hopefully, it\u2019s something we can revisit in the future but for now, <\/span>Bratpfanne<\/span><\/b> is a priority with the new album coming out.<\/span><\/p>\n AltWire: Writing and recording <\/span><\/b>Dominion<\/span><\/i><\/b> primarily through ZOOM and other similar such channels must have proven a challenging new factor, especially in the wake of the Global Pandemic. With such a restrictive process to overcome, did this become a source of new inspiration that fed into the album\u2019s direction? <\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n John Cooper \/ Skillet<\/span><\/b>: Yes, recording over zoom\u2014the way we did the record initially was strange. We were set to fly out to meet with our producers <\/span>Kevin Churko<\/span><\/b> Und <\/span>Kane Churko<\/span><\/b>. We were going to go fly out and meet with them and begin writing. And then due to COVID and restrictions and all sorts of stuff it just became not feasible. So we kind of decided \u2018well, we\u2019ll get on zoom.\u2019 It was kind of a worst case scenario \u2013 we just thought \u2018we\u2019ll just kind of see how it goes\u2019 because we had some material brewing that was really going well but we hadn\u2019t had a chance to meet yet. <\/span><\/p>\n So we did a zoom call and honestly, it just went so good that we ended up enjoying it, which I never expected. And we ended up recording the whole album this way. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n I think the reason it worked is because my wife <\/span>Corey<\/span><\/b>, who is one of <\/span>Skillet\u2019s<\/span><\/b> guitar players and keyboard player, is a great producer and so we were able to do some of the recording in our studio and send files to <\/span>Kevin<\/span><\/b> Und<\/span><\/b> Kane Churko<\/span><\/b>. Then they would record things in their studio and we would go back and forth that way and I think that\u2019s the reason it worked. It did help us try some things that maybe we wouldn\u2019t have tried the other way around. You know, like sometimes you\u2019re too embarrassed to try something new. <\/span><\/p>\n A good example would be the introduction to the whole record which is on \u201cSurviving the Game.\u201d There is an introduction where I come on talking \u2013 and I have never done anything quite like that on a recording \u2013 where I say, \u2018To be more than a conqueror you have to learn to enjoy the pain.\u2019 That\u2019s not something <\/span>Bratpfanne<\/span><\/b> has done in the past and I think had I been in the studio I may have been a little too timid to try it. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n And then likewise sometimes <\/span>Kevin or Kane<\/span><\/b> would do something in their studio \u2013 maybe a chord progression that is very un-<\/span>Bratpfanne<\/span><\/b> \u2013 and after hearing it I was like \u2018well I\u2019m gonna live with it for a day\u2019 and I would always end up really liking it. So I think it made this record extremely fresh and I think the reason the record is so aggressive \u2013 some of that has also to do with the lyrics, the time we\u2019re in. People feel a sense of aggression after this pandemic and people are ready to kind of bust out of the gate and take a little control of their lives back and I think we needed some aggressive music for that.<\/span><\/p>\n AltWire: Let\u2019s take a look back into the past for a moment; even throughout the band\u2019s earliest releases (and speaking as a <\/span><\/b>very<\/span><\/i><\/b> early fan) Skillet\u2019s ability to compose infectious, rousing choruses has always been a notable element of the band\u2019s sound. If you were to choose <\/span><\/b>one<\/span><\/b> favorite chorus hook from the entire Skillet catalog, which would it be and why? <\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n Seth Morrison \/ Skillet: <\/span><\/b>Since it\u2019s fresh, I\u2019m going to go with <\/span>Dominion<\/span><\/i>. I find the \u201cDominion! Dominion!\u201d to be very infectious and one of the most memorable lines in the <\/span>Bratpfanne<\/span><\/b> discography. I\u2019ve often said I think <\/span>Dominion<\/span><\/i> on this record has that element that \u201cThe Resistance\u201d had on <\/span>Entfesselt<\/span><\/i><\/a>. Anthemic and rising to the call kind of thing.<\/span><\/p>\n AltWire: Also touching on Skillet\u2019s extensive catalog, it must prove extremely difficult when trying to fit all of the \u2018favorite to perform\u2019 tracks into a live setlist. Are there any songs from the <\/span><\/b>Bratpfanne <\/span><\/i><\/b>Zu<\/span><\/b> Collide<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/a> eras that you\u2019d love to bring back into the live setting, even if only for a one-off surprise? <\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n Seth Morrison \/ Skillet: <\/span><\/b>We\u2019ve done that over the years! Mostly in Europe and Russia. We played Savior for quite a while and still bring it back sometimes. I personally love playing <\/span>Collide<\/span><\/i> live. It\u2019s a fan favorite and always special when we bring that one back out.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n![\"Bratpfanne\"](\"https:\/\/altwire.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/skilletgroupphoto-840x432.jpeg\")
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