Multi-Platinum rock band Skillet have announced a new independent EP, After the Storm, due out October 9. Alongside the news, the band have shared the project’s latest single and its anime-inspired lyric video, “Lift Me Up,” available everywhere now.
The six-song EP arrives during a career-high stretch for the band. Skillet currently average more than 12 million monthly Spotify listeners, and their six-times-Platinum anthem “Monster” has crossed 5 billion global streams and earned a spot in Spotify’s Billions Club. Earlier this year, the group’s European headline run drew the largest international crowds of their career, including record-breaking ticket sales at the Zénith in Paris.
Produced by David Cowell (Sleep Theory) together with the band’s own Korey Cooper, After the Storm marks both a return to Skillet’s heavier roots and one of the most personal creative statements of their career. Shaped by seasons of betrayal, grief, perseverance and, ultimately, hope, the EP finds frontman John Cooper writing from one of the most vulnerable places he has ever reached.
“After the Storm is special to me because it reignites what Skillet was always meant to be—which is music that helps lift people out of dark times. I wrote these songs because I needed to be lifted out of my own darkness.”
– John Cooper
The new single “Lift Me Up” pairs crushing guitars with an arena-sized chorus that sits at the emotional core of the project.
“‘Lift Me Up’ reminds me of early Skillet, but it still feels fresh. When I wrote it, so many things were dragging me down. I was asking God to lift me up. It’s a reminder that even when life feels overwhelming, there is still hope.”
– John Cooper
The EP follows “Scream,” which has already surpassed 5 million global streams and introduced listeners to the emotional landscape of After the Storm. Written in response to anxiety, anger and the search for purpose amid the noise of modern life, the track has connected quickly with fans worldwide.
With more than 23 million albums sold, two GRAMMY Award nominations, a Billboard Music Award, three Top 5 Billboard 200 debuts, and placements across the NFL, WWE, ESPN, Marvel and countless film and television productions, Skillet continue to broaden their reach across generations. Nearly three decades into their career, the band aren’t looking back on their legacy—they’re writing their next chapter.
Pre-save After the Storm: skillet.com
Skillet will support the EP with a nationwide U.S. Live Nation headline tour, with Escape the Fate along for the run.
Skillet on tour (with Escape the Fate):
09/30 – Schenectady, NY – Proctors Theatre
10/02 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore
10/03 – Montclair, NJ – The Wellmont Theater
10/04 – Huntington, NY – The Paramount
10/07 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway
10/08 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring
10/10 – Grand Rapids, MI – GLC Live at 20 Monroe
10/11 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore
10/12 – Pittsburgh, PA – Citizens Live at The Wylie
10/14 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
10/16 – Minneapolis, MN – Uptown Theater
10/17 – Milwaukee, WI – Landmark Credit Union Live
10/18 – Omaha, NE – Steelhouse Omaha
10/20 – Kansas City, MO – The Midland Theatre
10/22 – Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium
10/23 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Union Event Center
10/26 – Airway Heights, WA – Pend Oreille Pavilion at Northern Quest
10/27 – Seattle, WA – Moore Theatre
10/30 – Wheatland, CA – Hard Rock Live Sacramento
10/31 – Inglewood, CA – YouTube Theater
11/01 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
11/05 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues
11/06 – San Antonio, TX – The Aztec Theatre
11/10 – Orlando, FL – House of Blues
Skillet is:
John Cooper – lead vocals, bass
Korey Cooper – guitar, keys, production
Jen Ledger – drums, vocals
Seth Morrison – lead guitar
