Skillet frontman John Cooper has responded to claims that “Monster” is not a Christian song, pointing to the meaning behind its central image. In a social media post, he said criticism from a handful of Christian YouTubers and discernment ministries followed news that the track had surpassed one billion Spotify streams.
“Monster uses a metaphor to describe the reality of our fallen nature,” Cooper said. His explanation places the song’s meaning in its portrayal of flawed human nature, which he argues is consistent with his Christian faith.
“Monster” appeared on Awake, released August 25, 2009. Its streaming milestone was already public by June 16, 2026, when the band’s publicist, The Media Collective, announced that the track had entered Spotify’s Billions Club. Cooper cited the attention surrounding that achievement as the backdrop to the criticism.
The unsettling imagery surrounding “Monster” was a deliberate creative choice. In a March 2010 interview with Noisecreep, Cooper described wanting a music video that matched the song’s horror film qualities. The band selected the Erwin brothers’ concept involving medical experiments, though some of Cooper’s more elaborate ideas never reached the screen. He had wanted an abandoned medical facility and an ending inspired by the blood sprinklers in Blade.
As the song reached listeners outside Christian music, Cooper also encountered resistance from people who considered the band too religious. Speaking with asapmusicblog.ca in August 2010, he recalled a radio interview in which the station’s reluctance to play Skillet centered on their Christian identity. He countered by pointing to WWE’s use of “Monster.” In the same conversation, he credited that exposure with expanding the band’s audience and described younger children discovering Skillet through “Monster” and “Hero.”
Writing for that wider audience was intentional. Cooper told the outlet that Skillet wanted to address life experiences people could recognize regardless of their beliefs. He described the members’ faith as something expressed through their conduct and conversations as well as their songs, with their message extending to interactions backstage and onstage.
“You don’t have to be a Christian to get our music,” he said.
