Take the influences and ideas of the different members, toss them into a skillet and see what’s cooking. Apparently that’s how the band came by its name. Today, the husband and wife team of John & Korey Cooper, Jen Ledger (drums) and Seth Morrison (lead guitar) continues to spread the word. The Christian rock band debuted in 1996 with a self-titled post-grunge oriented album that was well-received. Follow-up ‘Hey You, I Love Your Soul’ (1997) gravitated towards more accessible alternative rock but the fans still loved it. 2003’s ‘Collide’ made inroads into the mainstream. Apart from including synthesizers, they also like to bring in ‘non-metal’ instruments such as the kettledrum, the violin and the cello. Across the Atlantic, Skillet are a major draw and ‘Rise’ was the best-selling rock record of 2013. ‘Unleashed’ (2016) relies more heavily on electronics and keyboards without abandoning the arena rock vibe that permeates most of their work. Since the mid-2010’s their popularity has surged and their most recent outing ‘Revolution’ (2024) calls for a revolution of love, promoting themes of love and understanding over a militaristic world view. #GMM25
