John Cooper is pulling back the curtain like never before.
The Skillet frontman says the band's explosive new single, "Scream," isn't just another hard-hitting rock anthem-it's a deeply personal reflection of his own battle with depression, betrayal, and what he describes as a "dark night of the soul."
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Speaking with ChurchLeaders, Cooper revealed that the song was born from some of the hardest seasons of his life, making it one of the most vulnerable tracks Skillet has released in years.
"I've gone through quite a lot in the last couple of years," Cooper admitted. "A lot of my own dark night of the soul and betrayal and lies and things that have been said about me."
The Grammy-nominated rocker confessed he never expected to find himself wrestling with depression again after decades of stability.
"I thought I was done with that," Cooper said. "And the depression came back."
Instead of hiding those struggles, Cooper decided to channel them into "Scream," explaining that the song captures the feeling of being trapped by emotional chaos while refusing to surrender to it.
"It's kind of a silent scream," he explained. "An inward scream."
For Cooper, however, the song ultimately points toward hope rather than despair.
"So that scream for me is, I know my life matters. I know that God can help me and I'm not going to give into this. It's actually a sign of resistance."
The singer also challenged the stigma surrounding mental health in Christian circles, saying too many believers feel embarrassed to admit they're struggling.
"There's nothing shameful about suffering," Cooper said, pushing back against the idea that depression is evidence of weak faith.
"I believe that Jesus died for me, and he is the prince of peace, but that doesn't guarantee you're not going to suffer."
Beyond sharing his own story, Cooper urged churches to become safer places for honest conversations about mental health, doubt, and difficult questions.
"I do think that the church maybe hasn't done a great job of that," he said. "How can we make a safe place where people can ask anything?"
He also warned against church leadership structures that lack accountability while cautioning Christians not to swing toward either legalism or moral compromise.
"I'm trying to ride the line of the two ditches," Cooper said. "Jesus is opening the doors wide. It's such a beautiful gospel."
The emotional release comes as Skillet celebrates the 20th anniversary of its landmark album Comatose, which Cooper revealed almost became the band's last project.
"If this doesn't work, we're probably done," he recalled of making the album. "We went all in on Comatose."
Fortunately for the band, the gamble paid off-and now, two decades later, Skillet is marking the milestone with a special anniversary tour featuring songs from Comatose, fan favorites, and brand-new music from the upcoming six-song EP, including "Scream."
After years of delivering arena-ready rock anthems, Cooper's latest confession proves that sometimes the loudest songs come from the quietest battles.
