Review: Skillet’s New Album – After the Storm

After being on hiatus for the last two years, the Christian heavy-metal band Skillet just released their newest album, After the Storm. And after hearing the story behind it, it’s essentially a rock anthem for anyone dealing with or who has dealt with bad church experiences or similar situations.

For those of you who haven’t watched John Cooper’s interview with Alissa Childers, in the past year or so, Cooper and his family was abused by their church family. That church family, however, wasn’t just their community, it was their literal family, John’s in-laws. After finding out that the church was part of the NAR (New Apostolic Reformation) and had started essentially functioning like a cult, John and his family made the decision to leave and was burned along the way. Cooper has since gone public about what he has felt in the aftermath, expressing how angry and depressed leaving made him and his family.

In the album you can absolutely hear that anger and depression come out, especially in “Scream,” “Grave Stomper,” and “After the Storm.” “After the Storm” especially seems like the most honest and raw song on the album, talking about the struggles of trying to get back up after everything that’s happened. The other songs on the album – “Heaven Help Us,” “Lift Me Up,” and “Come and Find Me” – follow that story line, but are more hopeful, crying out to God to save and help them through the aftermath.

For those of us who have gone through similar experiences to the Coopers, this is an incredibly relatable album as it gives voice to the full range of emotions that come from having to leave friends, family, and community because of things like church abuse. It’s a life-changing event that leads to a lot of anger and sadness, and wondering where God is. It’s not a topic many Christian bands would ever write about, but then again, Skillet isn’t your average Christian band and it’s refreshing to hear an album that’s so painfully honest.

Until next time,

M.J.