''Skillet'' is the debut studio album by American

Christian rock Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. This music is typically performed by Christians, Christian individuals. The extent to whi ...

band

Skillet A frying pan, frypan, or skillet is a flat-bottomed pan used for frying, searing, and browning foods. It typically ranges from in diameter with relatively low sides that flare outwards, a long handle, and no lid. Larger pans may have a small ...

. Released on October 29, 1996, as an enhanced CD and audio cassette on

ForeFront Records ForeFront Records is a contemporary Christian music and Christian rock record label founded in 1987 by Dan R. Brock, Eddie DeGarmo, Dana Key, and Ron W. Griffin. It was purchased by EMI in 1996 from Dan R. Brock and Eddie DeGarmo, and is a divis ...

and

Ardent Records Ardent Records is an American record label based in Memphis, which was founded by John Fry in 1959. Ardent of the 1960s and 1970s featured pop music acts and was distributed by Stax Records from 1972 until 1975. It is best remembered today for Bi ...

, it showcases

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

lyrics with a

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock Music genre, genre and subculture that emerged during the in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, particularly in Seattle and Music of Olympia, Washington, O ...

sound.

Recording

''Skillet'' was recorded in Memphis,

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

, at

Ardent Studios Ardent Studios is an American recording studio located in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The studio was founded in the late 1950s by John King, Fred Smith, and John Fry. Over time, it has become a commercially successful recording studio. ...

in 1996. Skillet, at the time, was a three-piece band consisting of John Cooper on vocals, bass guitar and piano,

Ken Steorts Ken Steorts (pronounced 'storts') is the founder and president of Visible Music College in Memphis, Tennessee and founding guitarist of the Grammy-nominated band Skillet. Visible Music College is an accredited, bachelor-degree-granting instit ...

on guitar, backing vocals and guitar synth, and Trey McClurkin on drums and backing vocals. Prior to releasing their eponymous debut album, the band recorded ''Right Upside Your Head'', a six-song demo on cassette tape, earlier that same year. The songs "Shovel" and "Darn Great Day" were exclusive to the demo while "Gasoline", "Promise Blender" and "Boundaries" would be re-recorded for ''Skillet''. The demo version of "Boundaries" features Ken Steorts on vocals. The demo track "Safe With Me" was re-recorded as "Safe With You" on the band's debut album. According to Steorts in a 1997 interview, the band's name came from Rick Miller, a

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

at Covenant Community Church. In 2022, Cooper said his desired name for Skillet's debut album was ''Right Upside Yo Head'', though the record label disagreed with using it.

Track listing

:Appears on '' The Early Years (1996–2001)'' compilation (2010) :Appears on ''The Platinum Collection'' compilation (2012) :Re-recorded song from the ''Right Upside Your Head'' demo (1996) :Live recording appears on '' Ardent Worship'' (2000)

Personnel

Skillet * John L. Cooper – vocals, acoustic piano, bass guitar, *

– guitars,

guitar synthesizer A guitar synthesizer is any one of a number of musical systems that allow a guitarist to access synthesizer capabilities. Overview Today's guitar synths are direct descendants of 1970s devices from manufacturers (often in partnership) such as ...

, backing vocals * Trey McClurkin – drums, backing vocals Production *

Dana Key Dana Key (December 30, 1953June 6, 2010) was an American Christian rock guitarist, singer, and producer who was co-founder of the Christian rock group DeGarmo and Key with keyboardist Eddie DeGarmo, best friends since the first grade. Key grew up ...

– executive producer * Patrick Scholes – executive producer * Paul Ebersold – producer, recording, mixing (1, 3, 4, 7) *

Skidd Mills Skidd Mills is a songwriter/producer based in Nashville, Tennessee. Skidd began his career at Ardent Studios in 1991. There he learned from the likes of John Hampton, Joe Hardy, Jim Dickinson, and Paul Ebersold. In 2001, Skidd left Ardent and sta ...

– producer, recording, mixing (2, 5, 6, 8-10) * Ken Steorts – additional engineer * Larry Nix – mastering at Ardent Mastering (Memphis, Tennessee) * Troy Glasgow – photography * Jeff Kratschmer – design

Music videos

* "I Can" * "Gasoline" * "Saturn" Skillet's self-titled album was the band's only album with more than one music video until the release of their sixth studio album, ''

Comatose A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. The person may ...

'', in 2006, which had four. "I Can" is a simple video, and shows the band playing on a stage along with various shots of the crowd worshipping

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

. The video was shot during an actual live show, as it adds an extra portion of the band playing and a part at the end of the song where John Cooper shares his testimony with the crowd. "Gasoline" also shows the band playing on a stage, though it is unknown if this was during an actual show or simply a video shoot. It also features scenes of John crawling around in an outdoor scene, meant to be crying out for God. The music video was later included on '' The Early Years (1996–2001)'', Skillet's first compilation album, in 2010. The "Saturn" music video features the band wandering around a large telescope and laboratory, as well as playing on a rooftop.

References

External links

Music video for "Gasoline"
{{Authority control Skillet (band) albums 1996 debut albums Ardent Records albums ForeFront Records albums Grunge albums