After a long-rumored string of offers from several mainstream labels, including Epic, Warner Bros., Maverick, Elektra, Columbia, Atlantic, and more, Pillar announced today that it has officially signed with MCA Records (home to Blink 182, Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, and many more). The record deal is poised to make Pillar the latest in the new Roaring Lambs movement -- the growing trend of Christian artists taking advantage of mainstream opportunities to break out of the Christian subculture and take their music and message to the world outside.

In a newsletter sent out to the band's mailing list earlier today, Pillar states, "MCA Records sought out and bought Pillar’s record contract from Flicker Records. Pillar is officially on MCA Records as of February 27, 2003." MCA will be repackaging, remixing, and re-releasing the band's latest album, Fireproof, to the mainstream market later this year. No official release date has been set yet.

Pillar further indicated that their contract with MCA was a five-record deal, including the new version of Fireproof. "Fireproof" will be the first single released to mainstream radio, sometime in March 2003. The band also indicated that there are plans for a "Fireproof" music video that will be promoted to MTV, as well as a full-length DVD, to be available with the purchase of the MCA version of the album. They also mentioned plans to tour with mainstream bands.

The band used the announcement to try to prevent any fears from fans that the group will be required to change its message and focus as part of the new deal. "...Our lyrics will remain the same. We won’t be going through the album and watering down the message... God has made it clear to us that this is the direction He wants us to go. We answer to God first and nobody else... We feel that God has given us this platform so we can show love to the world and share His message on and off stage. MCA has seen us perform and they know that Pillar doesn’t back down when speaking about Christ. MCA has not asked us to tone down our Christian beliefs, they want us to be real and play music that is important to us. We will be the same exact Pillar, but now we have the opportunity to make a bigger impact on the world."

The announcement went on to shout-out special thanks to Flicker Records (which will continue to license and release Pillar's music to the Christian market), saying, "If it wasn’t for their hard work and support none of this would be happening."