Christian rock veterans Skillet has released “Scream,” an explosive new single accompanied by an official music video directed by Josiah “JOSIAHx” Moore. The track serves as the first glimpse of a new creative era for the band, with frontman John Cooper confirming additional releases are planned for later this year.
Cooper described returning to Memphis for the sessions: “We went back to Memphis and worked with a producer who knew the band before we’d made our first record. Life has taken some great turns, but it’s also taken some painful turns. Now we’re here, and we still have more of a story to tell. The music kept getting heavier, and I said, ‘We’ve got to go all in.’”
On the lyrical theme of the single, Cooper explained: “I don’t think I’m the only one who’s noticing the volatility of the world and how social media is a cesspool where people are constantly yelling at each other. It’s not helping anyone’s mental health. In this landscape, it’s easy to feel like nothing matters. ‘Scream’ is about wanting your life to matter when the world feels chaotic and overwhelming.”
The single’s debut coincides with the announcement of the “Comatose: 20 Years, Still Screaming Tour,” celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the landmark 2006 record. Cooper said: “When we released our 2006 album Comatose, we all had a feeling that we were making something special. What we didn’t know is that the album would change the trajectory of the band’s career. It defined our sound, our message, and propelled the band into a much bigger level of notoriety. But most importantly, it resonated with all kinds of people from all walks of life. At every show, someone tells me that this record helped them through the darkest times of their life. That is why we wanted to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Comatose by doing something we have never done — commemorating the album by dedicating a large portion of the show to these songs that are so meaningful to the band and so many others. Some of them we have played a thousand times. Others we have never played. We are excited to perform them alongside our catalog on this once-in-a-lifetime tour.”
“Scream” received its live debut on May 14 at Arena 8888 in Sofia, Bulgaria, during Skillet’s European headline run, which sold out across 23 cities and drew more than 90,000 total attendees — the band’s largest international audiences to date. The release also arrives on the heels of a major streaming milestone: their six-times-platinum anthem “Monster” has crossed four billion global streams, earning a place in Spotify’s Billions Club as the only song by a Christian artist to reach one billion streams on the platform.
At the end of 2025, Skillet released its first-ever Christmas recording, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” which reached No. 1 on five Billboard charts. With more than 23 million albums sold worldwide, more than 12 million monthly Spotify listeners, 12 RIAA-certified singles and four certified albums, the band has earned two Grammy Award nominations, a Billboard Music Award, and three Top 5 debuts on the Billboard 200.
