"Monster" is the second single from the 2009 album ''

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'' by the American

Christian rock Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus, typically performed by self-proclaimed Christian individuals. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Ch ...

band

Skillet A frying pan, frypan, or skillet is a flat-bottomed pan used for frying, searing, and browning foods. It is typically in diameter with relatively low sides that flare outwards, a long handle, and no lid. Larger pans may have a small grab ha ...

, and is the second track on the album. The single went on to become the band's breakthrough single, charting at No. 4 on the U.S. ''

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Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...

chart and No. 1 on the ''Billboard''

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

chart. A radio edit of the song can be found on the deluxe version of the album

which doesn’t include the growling section of the song. It is also the fifth single by Skillet to be released to physical media.

Reception

The single peaked No. 1 on Christian Rock radio, No. 2 on Christian Hard Rock radio, No. 20 on the ''Billboard'' Rock Songs chart, No. 7 on the

Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...

, No. 4 on the US

Active rock Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock stations play a balance of new hard rock songs with valued classic rock favorites, normally with an emphasis on the harder edge o ...

charts, and number No. 4 on the

Mainstream rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active rock ...

charts, making it the most successful single in the band's history. It is also the first single to make the

Alternative Songs Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart, debuting at No. 40, peaked at No. 28. On November 10, it was announced that the song had reached the "Elite 8" on MTV's rotation slot. The song was also the tenth-most played Halloween song of 2010.

Promotion

In the first week of April 2010, "Monster" was released as downloadable content for '' Rock Band 2''.

Music video

The music video for "Monster" was directed by the Erwin brothers, and was released on September 2nd, 2009 on

Noisecreep Noisecreep is a hard rock and heavy metal music news and media website based in the United States. The site was created by AOL AOL (stylized as Aol., formerly a company known as AOL Inc. and originally known as America Online) is an Ameri ...

. It features the band performing in a hospital room while in the next room, lead vocalist and bassist, John Cooper and guitarist, Korey Cooper, are being tested on and under observation from a medical team. The video cuts back to both Korey and John who wake up in different parts of the hospital while undergoing various tests. Eventually both escape while being chased by SWAT teams. The video ends with a dub over of a man reporting that there has been a "containment breach", and John and Korey walking out of the hospital into the sunlight. Guitarist Ben Kasica and drummer Jen Ledger both appear as doctors in the beginning of the video. Skillet released a making-of for the video in one of their podcasts. The video was featured on Fuse's number one countdown: Viewer's Choice at No. 1. In April 2015, it had passed 100 million views on YouTube, and , it has gained over 337 million views.

Awards

The song was nominated for "Short Form Video of the Year" at the

41st GMA Dove Awards The 41st Annual GMA Dove Awards presentation was held on April 21, 2010 recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 2009. The show was held at The Opry Entertainment Complex in Nashville, Tennessee, and was hosted by Bart Millard. Nomin ...

Credits

* John Cooper – lead vocals, bass * Korey Cooper – guitar, keyboard * Ben Kasica – lead guitar *

Jen Ledger Jennifer Carole Ledger (born 8 December 1989) is an English singer, drummer and co-vocalist for the American Christian rock band Skillet. At the age of 18, she became Skillet's drummer when Lori Peters retired. Ledger released a solo EP in 2018 ...

– drums

Accolades

Charts

Compilation appearances

It was included on the soundtrack for '' WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010''.

Certifications

References

External links

* {{authority control 2009 singles Skillet (band) songs Songs written by John Cooper (musician) Song recordings produced by Howard Benson Atlantic Records singles 2009 songs Lava Records singles Ardent Records singles