Skillet

Nashville, TN - Talk about starting the year on a high note: two-time Grammy®-nominated rock band SKILLET were in the studio putting the finishing touches on their highly anticipated new album when they received the great news that their most recent release, Awake (Atlantic/Ardent/INO), has just been certified platinum for sales in excess of one million copies in the US. It’s worth noting that Skillet was the only active rock band to achieve platinum certification in 2012, and were one of only three rock bands (the other two being Mumford & Sons and the Black Keys) to strike platinum in 2012.

“We are so proud of Skillet for this crowning achievement,” stated Craig Kallman, Chairman/CEO of Atlantic Records and Julie Greenwald, Chairman/COO of Atlantic Records. “The band is hard at work finishing up their incredible new album which we can’t wait for the world to hear this Spring.”

Currently Skillet is putting the finishing touches on their highly anticipated new album, which is set for release in spring 2013 on Atlantic/Word (album title TBA). The band (singer/bassist John Cooper, guitarist/keyboardist Korey Cooper, drummer Jen Ledger and guitarist Seth Morrison) is recording in Los Angeles, where they've re-teamed with producer Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, Motorhead, All American Rejects), who helmed 2009's platinum-selling album, Awake (Atlantic/Ardent/INO).

Giving a bit of a sneak peak into what the record is sounding like, lead vocalist John Cooper says that "Musically, this record feels like a roller coaster ride. Several tracks are aggressive with dirtier and edgier guitars. Korey's keyboards are extremely unique and Jen's great vocals are showcased throughout the album. There are some powerful anthems and what our fans tend to love, the "signature Skillet" songs: symphonic, classical rock duets."

Also previewing the album this month is Guitar World, with an exclusive 2-page feature and photo shoot as well as CCM Magazine with their "In the Studio" and "Gear Guide" features.

Awake was a blockbuster release for Skillet, debuting at No. 2 on Billboard's Top 200 Album Chart and No. 1 on the magazine's Top Modern Rock/Alternative Albums Chart. In addition, the record hit No. 1 on iTunes' Top Album Chart, garnered 3 Billboard Music Awards and spawned four hit singles including the No. 1 Active Rock smash “Awake & Alive,” as well as "Hero," "It's Not Me It's You" and "Monster." "Monster" lived up to its name, selling more than a million copies and hitting Top 5 at Active Rock radio, while its companion video has generated over 47 million YouTube views. The hook-happy "Hero" was featured in season-long spots for NBC's NFL Sunday Night Football and served as the official theme song for WWE's Royal Rumble Pay-Per-View. The band toured endlessly in support, playing to sold-out crowds across the country, which earned them a spot on Pollstar's Concert Pulse Chart of the Top 50 Tours for fall of 2010. Awake followed the band’s 2006's gold-selling album, Comatose.

In other words, it was business as usual for the quartet, who over the course of the past few years have sold more than two million units in the U.S. alone, racked up more than 150 million YouTube views and amassed a diehard following (dubbed Panheads) whose members number in the millions.

NASHVILLE, Tenn.— Christian music's biggest tour, the Winter Jam Tour Spectacular, has shattered its own record to become the #1 tour in the world (first quarter) for the second consecutive year. According to Pollstar’s 2012 Worldwide First Quarter Ticket Sales Charts - Top 100 Tours, Winter Jam outpaced attendance for all other tours, including Cirque du Soleil - “Michael Jackson: The Immortal,” Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters, The Black Keys, Jason Aldean and Brad Paisley, among others. See below for exclusive highlights from Winter Jam 2012.

Founded and hosted by Grammy®-nominated NewSong and headlined by Grammy®-nominated alternative rockers Skillet, the 47-city tour—which ended April 1 before a capacity crowd at Grand Rapids' Van Andel Arena—saw 32 sold-out concerts and surpassed last year’s record attendance by more than 10,000, playing to a total of nearly 535,000 people.

"Being the headliner on Winter Jam was an incredible opportunity for Skillet,” said the band’s frontman, John Cooper. “The fans, the music, and the message were absolutely relevant and impacted people's lives each and every night. The worst part of Winter Jam was having to end the tour and go back to ‘normal’ life!"

“For 17 years, each Winter Jam Tour has had its own unique personality, made so by not only the artists on stage, but by the entire team of people who made each night happen,” said Eddie Carswell, Winter Jam creator and founding member of NewSong. “Although we are overwhelmed by the attendance figures and sellouts, what means the most to us are the stories we heard every single night of how God moved in people’s hearts. Providing a platform for the Gospel message was why we began Winter Jam, and that mission remains true today.”

In addition to headliners Skillet and hosts NewSong, this year’s tour also featured Sanctus Real, former Newsboys frontman Peter Furler, Kari Jobe, Building 429, Group 1 Crew, illusionist Brock Gill, and national speaker/PULSE Movement founder Nick Hall. In addition, the OneVerse Pre-Jam Party included performances from Dara Maclean, For King & Country and We As Human.

Following its January 6 launch in Charleston, West Virginia, The Winter Jam 2012 Tour Spectacular played to capacity audiences in some of the country’s top venues, including Atlanta’s Philips Arena; The Wolstein Center in Cleveland; Oklahoma City’s Chesapeake Energy Arena; the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee; and the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina, where more than 20,000 were in attendance.

Promoted by Premier Productions and presented by Holt International, Winter Jam 2012 Tour Spectacular partners included BeMyVote.com, the University of Mobile, Teen Mania's Global Expeditions, OneVerse, The Life Book Movement, Logo's Bible Study Magazine, Teen Missions, Premier Christian Cruises, Xtreme Conferences, Camp Electric, The Creation Museum, Wayne E. Bailey Produce, and Texas TransEastern.

Since its formation by NewSong in 1995, Winter Jam has featured many of the top names in Christian music, including TobyMac, Jeremy Camp, Steven Curtis Chapman, Third Day, Newsboys, Tenth Avenue North and Fireflight, among others. The tour has also been instrumental in helping launch the careers of such acclaimed artists as Francesca Battistelli, Chris August and Sidewalk Prophets.