In a fast and furious 10 months, AWAKE, the latest album from Atlantic recording group SKILLET, has been certified gold by the RIAA for sales in excess of 500,000. The album – which includes two Active Rock radio blockbusters in the top 5 hit, “Monster,” and the top 12 smash, “Hero” – continues to reign as a hard rock favorite, standing strong in the upper half of the Billboard 200. The band is also set to release their next single and video for “Awake & Alive” in the coming weeks.
Produced by Howard Benson (Three Days Grace, Daughtry, Flyleaf), Awake reached the #1 spot on the iTunes Store’s “Top Albums” chart within 24 hours of its release last August. The album also made a blockbuster debut on the SoundScan/Billboard 200, entering the chart at #2.
Skillet’s headline tours ranked with Pollstar’s Concert Pulse Top 50 Tours and recently landed the band on the cover of the magazine. In addition, the band has shared stages with such like-minded acts as Flyleaf, Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace, Seether, and Puddle of Mudd.
“Hero,” the stirring second single from Awake, has received an array of high-profile placements, including THQ’s WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 video game. Various tracks from Awake have received major TV placements including NBC Sunday Night Football, NBC’s “The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania” and MTV’s “Bully Beatdown.”
In addition to cumulative album sales now approaching 2 million, Skillet has racked up a wide range of honors throughout their extraordinary career, including multiple Grammy nominations and two BMI Music Award wins for “The Last Night” and “The Older I Get,” both featured on the gold certified COMATOSE.
Skillet have also announced plans to join forces and destroy crowds across the US with their Monsters of Annihilation tour with Papa Roach, beginning October 1st in Myrtle Beach, SC at The House of Blues. “We’ve become good friends with Skillet over the past couple years and are excited to jump on the road with them. Having both Papa Roach and Skillet together on one stage, you best believe we’re going to burn it down!!! Get ready for total stage annihilation,” says Papa Roach front man Jacoby Shaddix.
For up-to-the-minute news and information on Skillet, visit the band’s official page and MySpace. Be sure to pick up a copy of Awake on iTunes and in stores everywhere!
