In an Interview on January 26, 2013 in Beaumont TX, John announced that the new album would be titled Rise and would be coming out in May 2013,[14][15] but was later scheduled for a June 25, 2013 release.

At CCM Magazine, Matt Conner told that "fans might not appreciate some of the newer flavors", however he evoked that "Skillet refuses to rest on their laurels.

"[22] Mary Nikkel of New Release Tuesday called this "an achievement well worth the wait, and it promises to set the bar high in the rock and roll genre for years to come.

"[31] In addition, Jonathan Francesco of New Release Tuesday wrote that "Rise is the quintessential album of the year and one destined to go down in the history books", which he called "the music is epic and memorable, with every song a classic in the making.

"[29] At USA Today, Brian Mansfield highlighted that "the band pushes its musical limits with a coming-of-age tale that begins in a world that appears irreparably broken.

"[36] However, Allmusic's James Christopher Monger wrote that the album has "such a vague story, despite numerous evocative, yet largely unnecessary between-song interludes, yields little in the way of any kind of investable, individual emotional arc, but the more general themes of self-discovery, faith, love, and loss resonate enough to pull at least one of the listeners feet into the story.

"[21] At Daily News, Jim Farber told that the album is "pure exploitation, milking today’s headlines as crassly as their sound does radio’s most cynical demands.

"[24] Ryan Barbee of Jesus Freak Hideout said that "Skillet can do better" because "lyrically, the album feels lacking and musically redundant", yet "the truth is, there are some listeners who will absolutely love this album: they'll relate to the lyrical content and they'll feel the music", however "unfortunately, for many others, they will be left wanting; and honestly they will be vindicated in their thought.