Skillet's eighth album, Awake,[11] contains twelve songs and was released on August 25, 2009.[12] It charted at No. 2 on the Billboard top 200 selling around 68,000 units in its first week.[13] "Monster" was released as a single on July 14, 2009. Contrary to popular belief, John Cooper stated that "Hero" was not the album's lead single. It was, however, released as a single in March 2010.[14] They also released a deluxe version with the extra songs "Dead Inside" and "Would It Matter", along with the original, radio edit of "Monster" that does not have the distorted growl as in the single and in the CD. A remix on "Monster" was featured on one of their popular podcasts.The song "Hero" was used in the publicizing of the first football game of the 2009 NFL season between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans, and the song "Monster" was used in the episode "Jason: The Pretty-Boy Bully" on MTV's Bully Beatdown. "Monster" was the theme song for the WWE event WWE Hell in a Cell while the song "Hero" was the theme song for WWE Tribute to the Troops and Royal Rumble 2010, as well as both songs being included on the official soundtrack for the WWE video game WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010. "Monster" would also become the theme song for the AHL team the Lake Erie Monsters in Cleveland, Ohio, being played in the player intros and after a Lake Erie goal, and serves as the opening theme of the Fresno Monsters of Fresno, California. "Monster" was aired at the beginning of several ACC football games on Raycom Sports during the 2009 season. In the first week of April 2010, "Monster" was released for the Rock band music store in Rock Band 2[15] It also tied the record for highest-charting Christian album on the Billboard 200 with Underoath's 2006 release Define the Great Line and Casting Crowns' 2007 release The Altar and the Door, as all three albums debuted at No. 2.[16]
Skillet was nominated for six Dove Awards for the 41st Annual GMA Dove Awards.[17][18] Awake was certified gold July 2, 2010.[19][20] Also in 2010, Ardent released The Early Years, a collection of their songs from 1996 to 2003. On November 12, Skillet released an iTunes sessions EP consisting of songs from Comatose and Awake.[21] "Monster" was certified gold a day later.[22]
On February 14, 2011, Skillet officially announced that longtime lead guitarist Ben Kasica would be leaving the band. Kasica was with the band for 9 years, contributing to the albums Alien Youth, Collide, Comatose, and Awake as well as the live album Comatose Comes Alive. He played what was planned to be his last concert with the band on March 20 [23] but returned and continued touring until a new guitarist was trained.[24] On April 16, Seth Morrison replaced Kasica as the lead guitarist, and now tours full-time with Skillet.[25][unreliable source?]
Skillet announced the release of Awake and Remixed EP in early March 2011. The remixes were mainly done by Korey Cooper and Ben Kasica. On March 2, 2011, Skillet unveiled the album artwork for the album. John Cooper says the idea was conceived when Korey Cooper and Ben Kasica remixed the song Monster for their popular podcast. The four-song EP was released on March 22.[26]
"Awake" was nominated for and won the "Top Christian Album" Award at the Billboard Music Awards 2011, and the song "Awake and Alive" was announced to be on the Transformers: Dark of the Moon Soundtrack in May 2011.[27]
1. Awake and Alive<br>
2. Monster<br>
3. Hero<br>
4. Lucy<br>
5. One Day Too Late<br>
6. Would It Matter<br>
7. Never Surrender<br>
8. It's Not Me, It's You<br>
9. Don't Wake Me<br>
10. Should've When You Could've<br>
11. Sometimes<br>
12. Dead Inside
On June 21, 2011 John posted to his Twitter account that the band rehearsed new music for the first time and that they are getting ready for a new album.[28] At a question and answer session before a concert, John Cooper said that they would be recording a new record in January/February 2012. However, the band was then scheduled to headline the WinterJam Tour. They planned to enter the studio at the conclusion of the Winter Jam eastern tour, approximately in May, for a release in late 2012.[29]
In an interview with CCM Magazine, John Cooper described the new album as "a roller coaster ride". He states: "We have aggressive tracks, artsy and musical tracks, which is new territory for Skillet. A couple songs are classic American heartland anthems, and a couple songs are signature symphonic-classical rock Skillet. Guitars are dirty and edgier, with absolute shredding solos by Seth." One of the songs mentioned in the interview was titled "Salvation".[30]
In an Interview on January 26, 2013 in Beaumont TX, John Cooper announced that the new album, Rise, would be coming out in May 2013,[31][32] but was later scheduled for a June 25, 2013 release.[33][34] In an interview with NoiseCreep, John Cooper stated the first single and music video is scheduled to be released by late April.[35] The first single from the album, "Sick of It", will be released to US Rock radio on April 23, 2013.[36] It was later confirmed that the first single, "Sick of It", would be released on April 9, 2013.[37] The album debuted at No.4 on the Billboard 200 and No.1 on the Top Rock Chart and Christian Album charts selling 60,000 copies in US alone during the first week of the release.[38] On July 12, 2016, Rise was certified Gold by the RIAA.[39]
The band performed the title track off Rise on the July 11, 2013 airing of Conan.[40]
Skillet was nominated and won a Dove Award for Rock Song of the Year for their song "Sick of It".[41]
Vital Signs, a compilation album released exclusively in Europe, was released October 13, 2014.[42][43]
1. Rise<br>
2. Not Gonna Die<br>
3. Sick Of It<br>
4. Madness In Me<br>
5. Circus For A Physco<br>
6. Freakshow<br>
7. Fire and Fury<br>
8. Salvation<br>
9. What I Believe<br>
10. Hard to Find<br>
11. My Religion<br>
12. American Noise
On February 16, 2015 Skillet announced they were writing material for a new album with recording to begin in June with a potential release in the late half of 2015 or early 2016.[44] On April 8, Skillet released a preview of a new song, later revealed to be called "Out of Hell", on their social media pages.[45] On May 20, 2016 the album's title, Unleashed, was announced and later was released on August 5, 2016 on Atlantic Records.[46] A lyric video, "Feel Invincible", was also made available.[47] On May 26, the lyric video and digital single "Stars" was released, along with a preview for another song titled "Back From the Dead".[48] On June 6, it was announced that "Feel Invincible" was the theme song for TBS' E-League, the live video game tournament.[49] WWE announced on July 7 that it had chosen "Feel Invincible" as an official theme for WWE Battleground.[50] On July 8, the full version of "Back From the Dead" was made available for purchase online.[51] On January 27, 2017 the band released a new recording of "Stars" with an acoustic style, which was included in the film, The Shack.[52] On November 17, 2017, they released a deluxe edition, Unleashed Beyond, containing new material such as "Breaking Free", featuring Lacey Sturm and remixes of "Feel Invincible" and "The Resistance".[53]
1. Feel Invincible<br>
2. Back From The Dead<br>
3. Stars<br>
4. Lions<br>
5. Undefeated<br>
6. Breaking Free<br>
7. Famous<br>
8. Burn It Down<br>
9. Out Of Hell<br>
10. The Resistance<br>
11. Saviors Of The World<br>
12. Watching For Comets<br>
13. I Want To Live
1997: I Can, Gasoline, My Beautiful Robe, Saturn (Skillet)<br>
1998: Hey You, I Love Your Soul, More Faithful, Locked in a Cage, Suspended in You (Hey You, I Love Your Soul)<br>
1999: Take, Whirlwind (Hey You, I Love Your Soul)<br>
2000: Invincible, Best Kept Secret, You're Powerful, Rest, The One, Each Other, The Fire Breathes (Invincible)<br>
2001: You're In My Brain, Angels Fall Down, Always The Same (Invincible)<br>