As Skillet’s tenth studio album “Unleashed” debuted at No.3 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums last week, one would be hard pressed to argue with their commercial success. After not releasing an album in more than three years, the hard-hitting Christian rock group made a bold move to revive a dying genre.

Does the new album do justice to their mid 2000’s radio hits like “Monster” and “Comatose” or is it a meager attempt to relive the past?

My initial impression when listening to the album was “same old Skillet.” They have managed to fit themselves into a niche that is hard to evolve from. I doubt they will be gaining any new fans with Unleashed, relying mostly on old fans comfortable and familiar with their style.

Songs like “Stars” and “Watching for Comets” have a more melodic approach with the use of synthesizers and an overall non-aggressive feeling. This is clearly an attempt to appeal to more contemporary listeners. That is not in Skillet’s ballpark and just does not work. Songs like “The Resistance” and “Burn it Down” have the energy and powerhouse choruses the band is known for.

The challenge of retaining what old fans love and evolving stylistically to appeal to new ones is something this album fails to live up to.

Unleashed failed to produce anything groundbreaking. After the initial hype is gone, I feel Skillet fans and new listeners alike will be leaving this one on the back burner.