For anyone who decides to try their hand at the music business, keeping the faith can prove to be one of the hardest things. But for Kori Cooper and Lori Peters of the band Skillet, that's the easy part. As, respectively, the keyboard player and drummer of the Wisconsin-based Christian rock group, their beliefs are so closely entwined with the music they make that it's hard to imagine one without the other. "We want to get a message across that's positive and relatable," explains Cooper. "We don't want to rock just for fun."

      While the image of trendily dressed rockers playing ear-deafening music isn't always the picture that comes to mind when you think of the Christian music market, it is becoming more common. High-charting bands like Creed and Evanescence successfully courted the faithful, only to quickly shed the "Christian" label when the mainstream came knocking on the door of their tour bus.

      That kind of U-turn, though, is simply not an option for Skillet. "There's no way that we would be where we are without our Christian base of fans and promoters. We would never say, ‘Forget you guys! We're going to be on VH-1 now,'" says Peters.

      "We're never going to shy away, because that's where we came from, but when people introduce us as a Christian band at a club or something, it is like the dirty little secret," adds Cooper.

      Skillet was formed 10 years ago around the booming arena-style vocals of singer/bass player John Cooper. Step by step and through various lineups, the band built a fan base that responded to their amped-up brand of family based "music with a message." In fact, it just seemed natural for the frontman to invite his wife, Kori, to join what had previously been an all-male outfit. "John and I, before we got married, we talked about how we didn't want to be separated. The guys knew I could play keyboards, so it was like free labor," she laughs.

      Kenosha, Wis., native Lori Peters knew keyboard player Kori from when they were just two kids in high school, loving music and worship with equal fervor. The band's future drummer got her first drum set from K-Mart at 5 years of age. She didn't start taking proper lessons until she was a young teen, but Peters was quickly hooked and spent many afternoons banging along to heavy metal records from Iron Maiden and Metallica.

      When Skillet's old drummer turned in his sticks, Peters seized the opportunity to make music with her old friend. "I just felt like I should ask if I could audition, and I guess I was the best one," she exclaims, still sounding in awe of the fact that she's actually in the band. Now, with a lineup in place that really clicked, Skillet was on the fast track.

      Their latest album, Comatose, which was released in October, was their second for major label Lava/Atlantic Records. Even though their 2004 label debut, Collide, sold 200,000 units and had a Top 20 Active Rock Radio hit in "Savior," the band had always operated on a pretty small budget, but this time around, things were different. Behind the scenes, power players were lining up to help the band take their epic rock sound to the next level. Brian Howes of the band Closure, who had guided Hinder to a hit debut, sat in the producer's chair, and Chris Lord-Alge, whose resume includes names like Fleetwood Mac and Green Day, handled mixing duties.

      "Coming into this album was great," remembers Cooper. "We actually had a budget. We could choose a producer and then, going into mixing, we were asked who we wanted to work with. We always wanted to work with Chris Lord-Alge but it was never an option before. It was almost laughable. But this time we got to work with him," she gushes.

      The album was hot right out of the gate, bolstered by the single "Whispers in the Dark." The song quickly became the No. 2 most added track at Active Rock Radio outlets. With the album doing well on the airwaves, the hard-working rockers, known for playing over 200 dates a year, have hit the road again in full support of Comatose.

      While their album may feature a grandiose-style production that was carefully created in the studio, Skillet is a band that really gets their kicks from playing live. "I just love the whole feel of the crowd and the lights and the whole vibe. It's very exciting," says Peters, the rush of the moment clearly evident in her voice.

      The success of the band's stellar new album also means playing to larger audiences. And with that kind of exposure comes new questions about what this whole "Christian rock" thing is truly about. Is it really possible to play rock music and still be a person of quiet Christian convictions?

      For Lori Peters, the answer lies in accepting the fact that there are some who will never embrace Skillet's music, while at the same time welcoming the emergence of a new, more inclusive Christian rock scene. "If you look at gospel music, that gets going pretty good with people clapping and all that stuff, but it's not just older people who don't understand," she sighs. "They see the electric guitar and the drums and they think we can't be Christian. But I think they're missing out on something."

      No matter what marketers or the public at large may make of them, Skillet is committed to making the kind of music that defies labels. "I wouldn't want anyone to say we're not Christians," muses Peters. "But announcing us on stage as ‘Here's Skillet, the Christian rock band!' wouldn't really make sense either."