When a band's first priority is to declare God's glory through song, it doesn't worry too much about fitting into one particular genre of music. Perhaps that's why some fans have alternating definitions of Kutless, the best-­‐selling rock . . . , no, worship . . . no, rock/worship hit makers from Portland, Oregon.

On the inspiring new studio album, Glory, its eighth with BEC Recordings, a perfect balance is struck as lead singer Jon Micah Sumrall, guitarists James Mead and Nick de Partee, and drummer Kyle Peek celebrate with electrifying abandon not their collective identity but the mighty name of Jesus.

In a release to fans, frontman Jon Micah Sumrall answered some questions regarding the band and the new album.

What do you want to tell listeners about this album and Kutless? 
 
We are so excited about this new record and are proud of the hard work we have put into every individual song. As worship leaders at our own church here in Portland, we have always had a heart for worship as well as a love of upbeat, rock and roll music. We realized we had the opportunity to really bring these two strengths together and our goal was to create a worship record of all original songs that could be sung by a congregation and maintained a worshipful atmosphere, while sonically pressing forward and bringing a bit of our rock edge and enthusiasm to these worship songs.

We hope this record will encourage people to worship in Spirit and in Truth, and that it brings fresh life to Sunday morning worship services, your daily commute, or any time you simply want to sing out loud and worship Jesus. It is distinctly a congregational worship record, yet still distinctly a Kutless record, and I believe it captures both our musical strengths as well as our distinct heart for worship. 

Rock band or Worship band? 

Yes. Both. It is who we are. It is who we have always been. We have progressed and changed a bit over the years, but these two core elements have always been the backbone to the music that we write and record.

What's in store for Kutless moving forward? 

We have really been focusing on the ministry aspect of what we do. It is easy to get caught up in the glitter of the music industry, but we feel that God has called us to focus on sharing His love with people. We have a heart for evangelism and we hope that our music can continue to open doors so that we can continue to share the Gospel with those who need to hear it.