Barely two years ago (it seems like a fever dream at this point), Trapt vocalist Chris Taylor Brown further sullied his band’s legacy by going on racist and anti-science rants, targeting any bands, musicians, and even media publications (including yours truly) that dated to question the validity (there wasn’t any) of the things he was saying. Not content to be the vocalist of band whose biggest hit “Headstrong” far outweighed anything else Trapt ever wrote, the band is arguably the most-memed mainstream rock band around now. They’re certainly up there with being the most-hated, for sure.
Christian rock band Skillet might also be a contender for the latter category, though. While admittedly the band is still quite popular (selling out tours and lots of albums) compared to Trapt these days (seriously, the latter is “celebrating” the 20th anniversary of their debut album by playing in tiny dive bars) and not having any particular trouble finding bands to support them on tour, Skillet (and in particular, bassist/vocalist John Cooper) have come under fire recently for some of the things Cooper has said on his podcast.
It’s not just one instance, either. Cooper has made analogies by connecting Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion to a certain dictator who you simply should not make comparisons to. We’ll also remind you that this is the same guy who called his own band more revolutionary than Rage Against The Machine, despite Skillet only entering mainstream + secular (ironic!) prominence with what is ostensibly a retread of Three Days Grace’s “Animal I Have Become”. Seriously, the chord progressions and crunchy guitars are eerily similar, even at first listen.
There’s also the matter of, in a bit of irony, the band’s musical quality declining sharply after courting said mainstream success in 2009. Before that, Skillet was another run of the mill Christian rock band who were popular, sure, but weren’t getting played on mainstream radio.
Interestingly, all the members of Skillet have come under fire recently (even their own fanbase has turned on them, to an extent) after appearing on right-wing provocateur Candace Owens’ talk show. Their fanbase is now turning on them for a multitude of reasons related to that appearance, and they mostly consist of Owens spreading virulent misinformation regarding everything from science to vaccines (calling the latter “purely evil“). This definitely fits the narrative of Skillet’s John Cooper prominently wearing a “Do Not Comply” t-shirt. Shocking, really.
Owens has also touted prominent conspiracy theories that were later proven to be false, and also made comments about a certain dictator (the same one as mentioned above) that were widely criticized by many, regardless of affiliation. In fact, in regards to his “Do Not Comply” t-shirt that Cooper wears prominently, he and Skillet still played shows where COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates were put in various places. Curious. He also maintains that the mandates are about “tyranny”, for some reason. Keep in mind, many have died from COVID-19, and many more experience long-term effects.
All of this is to say that Skillet, while still obviously a popular concert draw, might well be one of the most-hated bands in rock music right now. If even their own fanbase is turning on them due to aligning with someone like Candace Owens, it’s proof that you are who you associate with. And considering that nobody really talks about Trapt anymore, it’s safe to say that Skillet are the new target. Aligning with people like Owens isn’t exactly helping their cause.
Edit/Update, November 2023.
WTF lmaoooooooo
Ah yes, Hitler's famous WAP speech. Terrifying. https://t.co/ncpjSLfa8V
— jackiantonovich 🦣 social (@jackiantonovich) March 19, 2021
Guess no one can have an opinion unless it lines up with a certain point of view