Skillet's biggest "Monster" just became considerably bigger.
The Christian rock powerhouse is celebrating 30 million RIAA-certified units across 21 titles, led by "Monster" reaching an extraordinary seven-times-Platinum status. The achievement arrives as John Cooper and company prepare to release the deeply personal independent EP After the Storm on October 9 and launch another U.S. headline tour.
But behind the impressive numbers is a much more vulnerable story. Cooper says the upcoming record emerged from a period of betrayal, anger and depression when he needed the hope in Skillet's music as much as the band's listeners did.
"This EP is special to me," Cooper said. "It reignites what Skillet was always meant to be-which is music that helps lift people out of dark times. I wrote these songs because I needed to be lifted out of my darkness."
"Monster" Reaches Another Stunning Milestone
"Monster," the song that turned Skillet into an international rock phenomenon, now stands at seven-times Platinum. The track has generated more than five billion streams globally and became the first song by a Christian artist to cross one billion streams on Spotify.
It leads a remarkable collection of 11 newly awarded certifications:
- "Monster" - 7X Platinum
- "Hero" - 4X Platinum
- "Awake and Alive" - 3X Platinum
- "Feel Invincible" - 3X Platinum
- "Not Gonna Die" - Platinum
- "Unleashed" - Platinum
- "Falling Inside the Black" - Gold
- "Finish Line" - Gold
- "Rise" - Gold
- "Sick of It" - Gold
- "Back From the Dead" - Gold
The success means that songs about faith, perseverance and refusing to surrender have found an audience far beyond traditional Christian music circles. Skillet now attracts more than 12 million monthly Spotify listeners, with its music continuing to spread through social media, gaming, television and professional sports.
The band also recently completed its largest international tour to date, performing for approximately 90,000 fans across 23 European cities. The run included sold-out concerts and record-breaking ticket sales at venues such as Paris' Zénith.
John Cooper Turns Personal Pain Into "After The Storm"
Skillet could easily spend this season celebrating its past, but the band is already preparing its next musical chapter.
Produced by David Cowell of Sleep Theory, After the Storm takes Skillet back toward a heavier and rawer sound. The six-song project also brought Cooper home to Memphis to record for the first time since the band made Collide in 2003.
The EP's latest single, "Lift Me Up," combines a crushing guitar riff with Cooper's defiant declaration: "I'm not gonna die tonight. I'm gonna rise above it."
Yet that battle cry was not written from a comfortable distance. Cooper said the song grew out of a season when numerous pressures were weighing him down.
"When I wrote it, so many things were dragging me down," he explained. "I was asking God to lift me up."
The confession gives the song an unmistakably Christian center. Rather than presenting strength as self-generated confidence, Cooper frames survival as a prayer for divine help in the middle of darkness.
"Lift Me Up" follows the explosive "Scream," which has already accumulated more than five million streams worldwide. The earlier single confronts the anger and instability Cooper sees throughout modern culture while also reflecting his own search for hope during a difficult personal season.
Together, the songs address betrayal, depression, faith and perseverance without pretending that spiritual hope erases human pain.
Skillet Refuses To Live In The Past
After nearly three decades, Skillet has sold more than 23 million albums worldwide, received two Grammy Award nominations, won a Billboard Music Award and placed three albums inside the Top 5 of the Billboard 200.
The band-John Cooper, Korey Cooper, Jen Ledger and Seth Morrison-has accomplished those feats without abandoning the faith and message that shaped its identity.
Now, with "Monster" climbing to seven-times Platinum and several other fan favorites receiving new certifications, Skillet is enjoying one of the strongest periods of its career. Yet Cooper appears more interested in what those songs can do for hurting listeners than in simply adding more awards to the band's collection.
That tension makes After the Storm especially intriguing. Skillet may be celebrating 30 million certified units, but its next record was born when the man singing its anthems of survival found himself crying out to God for strength.
After the Storm will be released October 9. Skillet will begin its U.S. headline tour in October, with tickets and additional information available at Skillet.com.
