John Cooper recently discussed Skillet’s upcoming musical direction and new releases in an interview featured on The Sound Lab.
Cooper explained that the band is working on new material with plans to release music in 2026. This marks a significant moment in the band’s 30-year history. He described the upcoming project as a fresh start that will showcase songs the band genuinely believes in.
“We are gonna be releasing new music [in 2026], Lord willing,” Cooper said. “We’re working on it now. We have a couple of songs finished already. So I’m kind of hoping that next year will be the release of new music that will be a nice 30-year kind of… I don’t know… 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.”
The band has already begun experimenting with heavier elements through their November Christmas release, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” Cooper noted that this song featured some of the most metal-heavy aspects Skillet has attempted since 2003. The track includes low tunings that will also appear in their upcoming work.
“The Christmas song that we [released in November, ‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel’], we did experiment with some of the new things that we are already trying in some of our newer music,” Cooper explained. “And that’s kind of what we did on this Christmas song on the really heavy parts. There’s some more metal aspects to that that I don’t think we’ve done anything that heavy since, like, 2003 maybe. And that was really fun, getting to do some of the really low tunings again.”
Beyond the heavier direction, Cooper indicated that Skillet is also incorporating progressive metal elements into both their live performances and new recordings. He highlighted how the band is adapting to evolving musical tastes. They are drawing from their extensive arsenal of sounds.
“We have a lot in the arsenal, so you can kind of pull out something that maybe you hadn’t done in a little while and try to make it fresh again,” he said. “Also, what’s kind of cool with this resurgence of metal is… we have some touches of prog metal in our set, more than we do on our records. And so now we’re able to bring some of that. We did it in the Christmas [song], ‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel’, and we’re doing some of that in the new music as well.”
The 2026 release represents a significant milestone for the Christian rock pioneers. The band continues to evolve their sound while maintaining their core identity. This announcement comes as Skillet prepares to celebrate three decades of influential music in the rock and metal landscape.
Skillet’s first-ever Christmas single, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” has already made a major impact, soaring to #1 on Billboard charts. This early success demonstrates the band’s continued commercial strength and fan loyalty, even as they experiment with new sonic directions.
The band’s latest studio album, “Revolution,” was released in November 2024 as their first independent release via Hear It Loud, according to Blabbermouth. This shift to independence has given the band greater creative freedom to pursue the heavier, more progressive direction Cooper has been discussing.
Skillet is scheduled to perform at the Keith Albee Performing Arts Center in Huntington on February 28, 2026. Additional European tour dates are planned for spring 2026. These performances will likely showcase material from the upcoming anniversary release and give fans a first taste of the band’s evolved sound.
Cooper concluded by emphasizing the band’s intent to make a strong statement with their 30th-anniversary release. This demonstrates that Skillet remains as energetic and innovative as ever. The combination of heavier instrumentation, progressive elements, and renewed creative energy suggests that 2026 will be a pivotal year for the band’s next chapter.
