Skillet 'Rise' Released Yesterday: Top 5 in iTunes

By Justin Sarachik, Christian Post Reporter Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Christian rock band Skillet released their first album in four years yesterday, Rise, 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.

Skillet will be embarking on the Carnival of Madness Tour beginning August 13 in Cleveland, Ohio.

"I'm very passionate about bringing it every night," Copper 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."

Listen to "Not Gonna Die" here.