Carnival of Madness Tour 2013: Skillet Joins Tour and Releases Dates

By Justin Sarachik, Christian Post Reporter Wednesday, July 03, 2013

Christian rock band Skillet just announced they would be joining the Carnival of Madness tour August 13 in promotion of their new album RISE. They have posted the tour dates on their site.

The tour is hosted by Monster Energy and features Papa Roach, In This Moment, and Shinedown.

"I'm very passionate about bringing it every night," Cooper said. "People paid to get there, and that's how you make fans. I do think that philosophy is part of that million records that we sold."

RISE is Skillet's first album in four years, and the album is already being heralded as one of the best of the year.

USA Today gave the album three out of four stars and the album is in the top five of iTunes already.

RISE is a concept album dealing with the subject of coming of age.

"[The album is] a story of an average American teenager coming into adulthood and being faced with the world's problems - just the shocking, terrible events that occur, seemingly, every month, every week," says singer/bassist John Cooper, according to USA Today. "School shootings. Bombings. Hurricanes. Tornadoes. It seems like things are going bad and getting worse."

"It feels like, to me, what the normal Skillet fan is hoping the album sounds like," Cooper continued speaking on the song "Not Gonna Die." "It's very dramatic, but it's also inspiring. It's a song that basically refusing to give up on finding that hope and taking that control of your life, even if it feels like you're losing the fight."

Skillet teamed up with USA Today to release a track called, "Not Gonna Die."

The song is described as, "the kind of stirring rock Skillet fans have come to expect," said USA Today.

"Not Gonna Die" was released last week for digital download. Early reviews of the song praise Skillet for "mixing new sonic flavors" in with their signature hard rock sound, said Billboard.

Three other songs released on Rise so far are: "Sick of It," "Rise," and "American Noise," the first of those songs being No. 15 on USA Today's active rock airplay chart.

Listen to "Not Gonna Die" here.

Carnival of Madness Tour Dates w/ Skillet:

8/11 - Asbury Park, NJ - Stone Pony Summer Stage
8/13 - Cleveland, OH - Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica
8/14 - Philadelphia, PA. - Mann Center for the Performing Arts
8/16 - Canandaigua, NY.= - Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center
8/17 - Cincinnati, OH - PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center
8/18 - Bloomington, IL. - US Cellular Coliseum
8/20 - Burgettstown, PA. - First Niagara Pavilion
8/21 - Bristow, VA. - Jiffy Lube Live
8/23 - Tinley Park, IL. - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
8/25 - Cedar Rapids, IA - U.S. Cellular Center
8/27 - Clarkston, MI. - DTE Energy Music Theatre
8/28 - Big Flats, NY - Tags
8/30 - Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
8/31 - Virginia Beach, VA. - Farm Bureau Live
9/01 - Raleigh, NC - The Red Hat Amphitheater
9/06 - Orlando, FL - Night of Joy
9/07 - St. Louis, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater St Louis
9/08 - Oklahoma City, OK - Zoo Amphitheater
9/10 - Denver, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre