Thirty years in, and Skillet isn't slowing down - they're dialing up.
Frontman John Cooper confirmed in a recent interview with The Sound Lab that new music is coming in 2026, framing it as a full creative reset for the band. In his own words: "Starting over - let's start over again, release new music. Feel like a young person again, releasing songs that you love and songs that you believe in, singing about things that you care about."
That's a statement of faith as much as it is a musical one - and for a band that has always worn both identities proudly, it fits perfectly.
Skillet was formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1996, and the band currently consists of John Cooper on lead vocals and bass, his wife Korey Cooper on guitar and keyboards, Jen Ledger on drums and vocals, and Seth Morrison on lead guitar. Over nearly three decades, they've released twelve studio albums, earned two Grammy nominations, landed three albums in the Top 5 of the Billboard 200, and sold over 22 million units worldwide.
But it's the sound of what's coming next that has rock fans paying attention.
Cooper revealed that the new material will carry progressive metal touches - something fans have already heard creeping into their live sets - and that the heaviness goes well beyond anything the band has recorded in years. "There's some more metal aspects to that that I don't think we've done anything that heavy since, like, 2003 maybe," Cooper said, referencing the low tunings they explored on their recent Christmas release. "And we've always done a little bit of it, but we kind of went overboard. And that's because we're kind of going a little bit that direction on the new stuff as well."
The preview Cooper is referring to arrived late last year. Skillet's debut Christmas single, a rock-driven cover of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," surged to No. 1 on five Billboard charts simultaneously - Christian Digital Song Sales, Holiday Digital Song Sales, Rock Digital Song Sales, Alternative Digital Song Sales, and Hard Rock Digital Song Sales. It also sparked a viral debate among some Christians who called it "demonic," though the backlash only seemed to fuel its reach. Cooper responded calmly, saying he views the bigger story as "the amount of people who believe that it's good to use art to share the gospel, and that it's more about the intent than about the genre."
In February 2026, the band was also announced as part of the lineup for the Louder Than Life music festival in Louisville, scheduled for September. European tour dates this spring will likely give fans their first live taste of the new era.
Thirty years of Skillet means thirty years of using loud, unapologetic rock music to point people toward Christ. If what's coming sounds anything like the direction Cooper is describing, year thirty-one might be their most exciting yet.
