Skillet returns with a ‘Victorious’ new album of hard rock optimism

Skillet continues to build a hard rock empire on headbanging optimism. 

The Tennessee-born Christian rock quartet returns to speakers Friday with “Victorious,” a 12-track serving of fist-pumping guitar glory. It’s the band’s 10th studio album and, despite a title exuding confidence, aims to remind listeners that victory doesn’t come without hardship. 

“Because we’re living in a culture that’s constantly telling you how awesome you are,” band frontman and co-founder John Cooper said, “I think we’re starting to see a culture of young people that don’t know life’s going to sometimes be really difficult because they’re not prepared for it.

“A lot of what the record is about is (that) life is going to be really hard. Life is going to get you down sometimes, but we can be victorious.” 

More than two decades removed from its 1996 debut album and Skillet exists comfortably between modern Christian music and secular hard rock. The band’s brought home hardware at the GMA Dove Awards — a top honor in contemporary Christian music — and shared the stage with temporal metal giant Iron Maiden. 

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From its debut onward, Skillet carved an unmistakable sound, blending downtempo guitar crunch with orchestral undertones and topped by vocal thunder. And it’s worked: The band notched 1 billion digital streams in 2018 and each of its last four records earned Gold-selling status or better. 

Positivity didn’t always sell, Cooper said. In the late 1990s, he struggled to understand why Skillet didn’t earn more spins on rock radio. But, he held tight on the band’s sound and message

“There’s something that comes out of the DNA of Skillet that makes you believe in yourself gives you hope for a better life,” Cooper said. “But that’s not really where rock music was in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Now, positivity is very in vogue and Skillet’s still doing what we’re doing and selling a whole bunch of records.” 

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Cooper co-produced “Victorious” with bandmate and spouse Korey Cooper. The first album solely produced by Skillet, it’s a playground of gruff, cinematic melody. 

“I thought the record would be more powerful and have more teeth and be more emotional if we just did it ourselves,” Cooper said. “I feel like that’s what we got.”  

And, complemented by modern samples and string arrangements, the album’s title track may best exemplify what the Coopers captured. 

In the chorus, Cooper belts the line “tell me you belong” — a reminder that rings throughout “Victorious.” 

“I think that it’s gonna be a big winner for us,” Cooper said.

Skillet returns Oct. 13 to Middle Tennessee for a performance at the Exit 111 festival in Manchester.