The American Christian Rock band Skillet has been a powerhouse in the Christian music scene for over 25 years and they keep churning out album after album, tour after tour, with no signs of slowing down.
Statistically rated as one of the hardest-working bands in America, their albums and live shows have garnered a massive fan following as well as notable exposure in films and Sports Entertainment.
Skillet offers something to any listener, even the listener that just wants to head bang on their way to work.
If you are a fan of Skillet and looking for similar artists that can infiltrate your rock playlists, then this article will prove useful; here are 5 Christian bands that sound like Skillet.
Disciple
Disciple is a Christian rock and metal band from Tennessee, USA. Forming in 1992 and releasing 12 studio albums since, they have got everything needed to be placed alongside Skillet.
Their sound has fewer orchestral and electronic elements than Skillet, but they more than make up for it with their creative drum arrangements and beautifully harmonizing lead electric guitar work.
Kevin Young (lead singer) carries a huge load of the band’s musical energy with his raspy vocals that seamlessly flow between clean and screaming.
Some of Disciple’s biggest songs are “Dear X, You Don’t Own Me” and “Game On” which are both great rock songs. But, the band can also can shift their sound and lyrics to the point where some of their songs (e.g. “After the World” and “Erase”) could almost be categorized as contemporary worship.
Their passion for God and truth is evident in so much of their work.
With 12 full-length studio albums to work through, Disciple is a band worth diving into.
Disciple’s music can be found on all major streaming platforms and we recommend starting with their 2006 album “Scars Remain”.
Red
Tennessee seems to love churning out great rock bands and we have another one here that makes onto my list of bands that sound like Skillet. Red (or R3D) is a grammy nominated Christian rock band that has released 7 studio albums since its formation 20 years ago.
Having personally stumbled across one of their albums (End of Silence – 2006) in a music store when I was 16, I was so impressed by the depth of songwriting and the great sonic production. Their massive-sounding guitars, powerful lead vocal, and the ability to create an amazing dynamic in is felt in each album.
Like Skillet, Red finds a beautiful way of blending heavily distorted guitars and soaring orchestral sounds.
Such is their creativity that in 2022 they brought out a fully unplugged album with acoustic versions of their metal songs (and yes, it still rocks!).
Red’s music can be found anywhere you can stream music and, as a place to start, we recommend diving into “Until We Have Faces” album which was released in 2011.
Thousand Foot Krutch
As Christian rock bands go, you would struggle to find a more accomplished and well-followed act than Canadian band Thousand Foot Krutch (TFK).
With nearly 3 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone and over 1.1 million albums sold to date, TFK is a band that knows what they are doing and has done it for over 20 years.
They accompanied Skillet on the 2008 “Comatose” tour and it’s easy to imagine Skillet fans latching on to TFK’s music easily.
Their musical genre has hard rock elements to it but a strong rap metal flavor comes through with lead singer Trevor McNevan mixing rap and rock vocal sections seamlessly into many of their songs.
Another stand-out feature of TFK is their live performances, where sonically, they sound as good (if not better) as their studio recordings, and the band carries high-level energy all through their shows.
With 8 studio albums to date, Thousand Foot Krutch has given us a lot of good material to work through and if you jump on any streaming platform, you’ll find it all!
Our pick for best TFK album is “Untraveled Roads”.
TFK also makes it onto our list as a top Christian band that sounds like Linkin Park.
Ashes Remain
Ashes Remain are a relatively new band to me and yet their sound has unmistakable similarities to Skillet.
Whether it be Josh Smith’s warm, raspy lead vocals or the prominent orchestral elements to many of their songs; they are an act that has to be included in this list.
Forming in 2001, it makes me wonder why it took so long for me to discover them!
The band members met at Summer youth camp and Josh Smith subsequently went on to become a Worship leader at a church in Baltimore. Ashes Remain, as a band, was then literally prayed into existence and went on to achieve much success.
The messages in their lyrics are overtly Christian and they sing of an ultimate hope that can only be found in God.
Some of their biggest songs include “On My Own” and “End of Me,” which can be found on their most successful album, “What I’ve Become” (2011).
After listening through all 4 of their studio albums I can only hope that there is much more music to come from this solid rock band.
“What I’ve Become” (2011) has to be our top pick as the album to start with.
Flyleaf
If you have been a fan of Christian metal for a little while, it’s a safe bet that you would have come across Flyleaf’s chart-topping hits “All Around Me” and “I’m So Sick”.
With over 200 million combined streams of those 2 songs on Spotify alone, it’s safe to say this band packs an almighty punch.
What stands out most when it comes to Flyleaf is Lacey Sturm’s lead vocals; her falsetto, clean and screaming voice are captivating both on studio albums and in live arenas.
Having formed in 2002 and releasing just 4 studio albums since then, Flyleaf is one of those rare bands whose debut album has been their best and most successful. What an incredible album it is!
Falling into the alternative metal/post-grunge genre, Flyleaf’s sound is a little more raw and slightly less “arena” sounding than Skillet. But, this doesn’t take away from the listening experience; their best songs will continue to be played by Christian metal-heads for years to come!
Their go-to album has to be their eponymous debut album “Flyleaf” released in 2005.
Find all of Flyleaf’s great work on Spotify, Apple Music, or Youtube Music.
Final Thoughts
Skillet’s musical style ranges from hard rock & alternative rock to symphonic metal (depending on what album you’re listening to) and John Cooper’s raspy, gravelly voice (lead singer and bassist) sits incredibly well within their musical arrangement. Their lyrical content is real and raw, yet hopeful and anthemic.
Comparing artists and bands is such a grueling task; the very nature of music means that different bands appeal to different listeners,
However, I hope that these bands will be enjoyed as stand-alone artists and mixed in with some Skillet favorites in a finely tuned Christian rock playlist.
The Christian rock genre is alive and well!