The band has also gone through a noticeable shift in sound over the years. What brought that about?

Cooper: I like so much different stuff. I was playing classical piano as a kid because my mom was a piano teacher and I wasn't allowed to listen to rock music. But I started listening to Christian rock and then learning about classic rock. So you change and you find yourself liking a new flavor of music. And when you're writing new songs, you can't help but be influenced by what you're listening to. On our last record, we had a song called "Rebirthing" that was heavily orchestra-based, and I really wrote the song around that party. But with new songs, you can't just plug that Skillet symphony rock sound in. The song wants to be what it wants to be.

If you grew up listening to mostly church music, when did you finally start listening to rock?

Cooper: When I was 4 years old, I heard Michael Jackson's "Beat It" at a friend's house, and I just went crazy, thinking, This is the best thing ever. When I got home, I sung it to my mom and she gave me a spank and told me that rock music was evil and Michael Jackson was evil. I mean, this was a very strict, Southern Baptist, Bible-belt household, so I didn't listen to rock music for years.

When I was in the 5th grade, I heard some heavy metal because my friends were all into Metallica; I thought that was best thing I've ever heard. My friends heard me complaining about how I couldn't listen to that at home and they gave me a Petra tape. My parents got really mad about that too, saying it was wolf in sheep's clothing. But around 6th grade, I convinced my parents to let me listen to Petra and DeGarmo and Key. I loved it and I loved Christian music, and I decided that if I played in a band, it would be a Christian band. Classic rock came later when I played in a band at 16, my buddies would talk about bands that I never heard of, talking about bands like Kansas and Yes. So, when I first heard it, it appealed to me. And coming from a really heavy classical background, a lot of classic progressive rock really spoke to me. To this day, Yes is my favorite band of all time.

What challenges is Skillet facing these days?

Cooper: We are one of the few bands bridging Christian and mainstream music. We're in no way a big mainstream band. We've never had a big hit like Switchfoot or P.O.D., but we're known and respected in the mainstream world. We're a seasoned band. We play well live and we're good at what we do. A lot of mainstream bands respect that.

At the same time, we're a Christian band and not ashamed of that. But the thing that's a challenge in terms of mainstream radio is that all stations know we're a Christian band. I mean, the only way P.O.D. got as popular as they are was because they were on mainstream radio, so that's a challenge. But what I want most in my whole life is to know that we made a stand for Jesus and did what God called us to.

As the leader of a successful band, how do you stay humble?

Cooper: That's another challenge for me! I don't mean that I think we're amazing and it gives me a big head. That's not an issue. But in the sense of knowing my place, of reminding myself that if God makes us successful, praise be to God. And if we're not successful, praise be to God. And it's about worrying if I'm not getting everything done, not spending time with my wife and my kids and bringing me back down to earth. I just try to remember that this is all about God. It's great that people like us now, but if it goes away that's fine too.