Two-time GRAMMY®-nominated rock band Skillet have entered Billboard's Top 200 Album Chart at No. 4 and iTunes® Rock Album Chart at No. 1 with their critically acclaimed new album RISE(Atlantic/Word).

The album's explosive start was fueled by the success of a four-song rollout at iTunes® which saw the first two tracks, "Sick Of It" and "American Noise," both hit No. 1 on the iTunes® Rock Songs Chart (at one point, No. 1 and 2 on the chart), while the third and fourth-released songs, "Rise" and "Not Gonna Die," each shot to No. 2. The band has also been building momentum with radio promotion, a social media blitz and explosive summer festival performances. The past two weeks Skillet hosted their first ever VIP fan events titled "Road to Rise" in Nashville and Chicago. The Chicago Sun-Times heralded the event stating that it "redefines the VIP experience." In the digital world, the platinum-selling band did an exclusive album stream and podcast premiere with Billboard, video premieres with Revolver and Guitar World and a song premiere with USA Today, to name a few. The high media profiles lead up to the band's late night debut on CONAN on July 11.

"Skillet has become increasingly deft at straddling the tricky line between faith-based idealism and secular universality," wrote Billboard. "Rise takes the balance a step further, mixing new sonic flavors into the group's hard-rock bombast." USA Today gave the album 3 out of 4 stars, People praised the band for "taking their hard rock to higher ground," and About.com called RISE "THE album of 2013."

Following recent performances at several major Christian and mainstream festivals, including Creation, Rock on the Range, Alive and Rocklahoma, Skillet (vocalist/bassist John Cooper, guitarist/keyboardist Korey Cooper, drummer/vocalist Jen Ledger and guitarist Seth Morrison) are gearing up to hit the road with Shinedown on the upcoming Carnival of Madness tour. Kicking off August 13^th at the Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica in Cleveland, the tour will also feature the touted prodigy band of John Cooper, We As Human. They'll follow by heading overseas for their first-ever tour with Nickelback, a month-long jaunt that will see Skillet playing Milan, Paris, Vienna, London, and many more (itinerary below).

In timing with the new CCM magazine cover, Salem Communications Media team including radio, web and CCM Magazine, will premiere the video for Skillet's Christian Hot AC/CHR hit "American Noise" (currently No. 4). The video will be featured at CCMMagazine.com, TodaysChristianMusic.com, KLTY.com and all FISH radio sites as well.