Christian rock band Skillet is making headlines with their powerful new release — a rock-inspired version of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” While the song has received widespread praise, it’s also faced unexpected backlash, with some critics labeling the track “demonic.” Lead singer John Cooper isn’t staying silent about it.

In an interview with CBN News, Cooper said he’s been taken aback by some of the harsh responses. “The reception for the song has been absolutely overwhelming,” he said. “People seem to really love it.” But a small group of listeners, he noted, has misunderstood the song’s intent. “This is a very special song — a very, very ancient song,” Cooper explained. “It’s known as an Advent song that is singing for the first Advent of Jesus, the incarnation, the Savior, to come into the world, to take away the sin of the world.”

Cooper added that for many believers, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” carries a dual meaning — both a longing for Christ’s birth and a desperate plea for His return. “The world is not going good,” he said. “We’re in a certain amount of suffering here, and we are eagerly expecting the coming, the return of the King, if you will, the return of the Savior.”

The band wanted to reflect that deep yearning through their musical arrangement, which begins softly before building into the kind of bold, dramatic energy that Skillet is known for. “The second half, we said, we got to go hard,” Cooper said. “We got to go Skillet on this thing.”

For the singer, the heavier rock sound isn’t about rebellion — it’s about expressing the pain and struggle of life in a fallen world. “You’re expressing the hardship of the world we live in,” Cooper explained. “The fact that our loved ones are going to die or that maybe this year you’ve had to live with … a death in the family, watching your parent die, watching your kid die, whatever it may be. These absolute heartaches that we are eagerly waiting for all of the old to be made new.”

That’s why the song’s intensity is intentional. Cooper said it mirrors the emotional depth of Advent — the waiting, the suffering, and the ultimate victory of Jesus Christ. “He defeats the devil,” he declared. “He defeats the demons. He defeats the power of sin.”

Skillet’s version of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” might sound louder and edgier than traditional renditions, but Cooper says that’s part of the message. “It’s a very loud, triumphant, Earth-shaking way to express that Jesus is victorious,” he said. “It’s not demonic — it’s the opposite. It’s proclaiming the power of God.”

While the internet debate continues, Skillet fans are standing by the band — and for Cooper, that’s what matters most. The goal, he said, has always been to honor the Lord through every note. “You want to capture the mood of the original song if you can,” he said. “And we wanted to capture the hope of Christ in the midst of darkness.”