Christian Hard Rock Band Kutless Releases New Album 'This Is Christmas'

By Justin Sarachik, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Kutless released their first Christmas album, “This Is Christmas,” Tuesday after a previous string of strong album releases balancing the lines of hard rock and worship music.

The new, six-song album will feature: "O Holy Night," "This Is Christmas," "Breath of Heaven," "Mary Did You Know," "Beautiful," and "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear."

Previously, the band recorded two separate Christmas tracks – "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" for the album “WOW Christmas 2005” and "Mary Did You Know?" for the album “X Christmas 2008.”

The Christian rock act formed in Portland, Ore., in 2000 and has sold roughly 2 million records between their six studio albums.

Starting as a Campus Worship band named Call Box, the members changed the band’s name to Kutless after reading Romans 6:23, which says "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Band members have been quoted in many interviews stating, "He took our cuts for us ... leaving us 'Kutless.’"

The band's first release, a self-titled album, was received well, but it wasn't until their second album, “Sea of Faces,” that they really developed into a major force in Christian worship music.

The album contained smash hits "Sea of Faces" and "Strong Tower."

Their third album, “Strong Tower” went on to go gold. Kutless has been nominated for eight GMA Dove Awards, including nominations for Group of the Year, Rock Album of the Year, and Worship Song of the Year, and the song “What Faith Can Do” reached No. 1 on Christian charts.

A new Kutless album is expected in 2012.